TL;DR: BS Marine Transportation (BSMT) is a four-year deck-officer degree structured as three years of academics plus one full year of shipboard training, governed by CHED curriculum policy aligned with the STCW Convention. In one published school curriculum (Asian Institute of Maritime Studies), the three academic years total roughly 148 units, with the shipboard training year credited separately at 40 units. Deck officer licensing (the Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch, or OIC-NW, examination) is administered by MARINA, not the PRC, following a 2014 transfer of authority. Industry pay trackers report deck cadets earning $400-$800/month, rising to $7,500-$14,000/month for a Master/Captain.
BS Marine Transportation trains the deck officers who navigate the Philippines' largest overseas labor export industry: merchant shipping. Unlike most college degrees, roughly a quarter of the program happens at sea, not in a classroom, and the licensing process runs through a maritime regulator rather than the PRC. This guide walks through what the curriculum actually covers by year, how the shipboard training requirement works, the MARINA licensing pathway, and what deck officers earn. For the broader pay picture across all shipboard ranks, see our seaman salary guide, and for the two main academy admission routes, see our MAAP and PMMA entrance exam guides.
What Exactly Is BS Marine Transportation?
BSMT trains students to become licensed deck officers on merchant ships: the officers responsible for navigation, cargo operations, ship stability, and standing watch on the bridge. It is a nationally regulated program built to satisfy both CHED curriculum policy and the international STCW Convention (the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, as amended by the 2010 Manila Amendments), since a Philippine BSMT diploma has to be internationally recognized for graduates to work on ships trading globally.
Per one accredited maritime school's own course description, "the BSMT curricula is aimed to provide the required knowledge, skills and attitudes of Cadets sufficient to carry out the watchkeeping duties as set out in Sec. A-II/1 of the STCW Code," and the course "specifically prepares the Cadets for satisfying the minimum requirements for certification as officers-in-charge of Navigational Watch." The program's four-year structure is set out in CHED Order No. 51, s. 1997 and reinforced by later consolidated policy (CMO No. 20, s. 2015, covering both BSMT and BS Marine Engineering).
How Is the BSMT Curriculum Structured?
BSMT runs three curricular years of academic study followed by one full year of supervised and/or monitored shipboard training. This structure is fixed by CHED and MARINA policy, not a school-by-school choice, because the shipboard year is what satisfies STCW's practical seagoing training requirement. Many maritime schools organize the three academic years into trimesters rather than semesters to fit in the required course load. In one published curriculum (Asian Institute of Maritime Studies), the year-by-year unit totals run as follows:
| Year | Structure | Approx. Units | Representative Subjects |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Year | 3 trimesters, academic | 47 | Ship, Ship Routines and Ship Construction; Navigational Instruments and Compasses; Trim, Stability and Stress 1; Collision Regulation |
| Second Year | 3 trimesters, academic | 52 | Terrestrial and Coastal Navigation 1 & 2; Cargo Handling and Stowage; Integrated Navigational Watchkeeping; Basic Marine Engineering; Meteorology and Oceanography |
| Third Year | 3 trimesters, academic | 49 | Operational Use of RADAR/ARPA; Ship Handling and Maneuvering; Operational Use of ECDIS; Maritime Law; Deckwatchkeeping with Bridge Resource Management; Voyage Planning |
| Fourth Year | Shipboard training | 40 | Onboard training (12 months or up to 36 months with research validation), including Final Defense of Technical Paper/Research |
That puts the three academic years at roughly 148 units, plus the 40-unit shipboard training year, for a program total in the high 180s, broadly consistent with the "three years academics plus one year practicum" structure other maritime schools describe. Exact subject titles, trimester vs. semester structuring, and unit counts vary by school under CHED's framework.
Disclaimer: subject titles and unit counts above are drawn from one published school's curriculum and illustrate the general structure required of all BSMT programs. Confirm your target school's current curriculum directly with its maritime education department.
What Does the Shipboard Training Year Actually Involve?
The fourth year sends cadets aboard a commercial vessel for supervised, hands-on sea duty, covering navigation, piloting, route planning, cargo handling and stowage, and safety protocols under the direction of the ship's licensed officers. For MARINA's Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OIC-NW) certification specifically, applicants need not less than twelve (12) months of structured onboard training in a recognized deck department trainee role (Deck Cadet, Deck Trainee, Apprentice Mate, or similar nomenclature), documented against a training record book and validated by the vessel's officers. Some school curricula extend this to up to 36 months where a research component needs additional sea time to complete, as reflected in the "12 months or 36 months" language some published curricula use for the shipboard training course.
Disclaimer: onboard training placement depends on securing a berth with a shipping company or manning agency; availability and timeline vary and are not guaranteed by enrollment alone. Confirm your target school's shipboard training placement track record before enrolling.
Does BSMT Lead to a Board Exam?
Not a PRC board exam. BSMT graduates who complete the required shipboard training take the Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OIC-NW) theoretical examination and associated competency assessments administered by MARINA (the Maritime Industry Authority), based on STCW Regulation II/1 requirements. This is a meaningful difference from most licensed professions covered elsewhere on this site: Republic Act No. 10635 (2014) transferred "all powers, duties and functions" over marine deck and engine officer examination, licensing, and certification from the PRC to MARINA, specifically to align the Philippines' system with STCW Convention requirements as the single national maritime administration. Passing OIC-NW earns a Certificate of Competency that lets a graduate work as Third Mate, the entry-level licensed deck officer rank, with further sea time and MARINA exams required to advance to Second Mate (STCW II/2), Chief Mate, and eventually Master.
"The BSMT course specifically prepares the Cadets for satisfying the minimum requirements for certification as officers-in-charge of Navigational Watch," per one accredited maritime school's official course description, referencing the STCW Code and the legal framework originally set by Republic Act No. 8544, the Philippine Merchant Marine Officers Act of 1998, since updated by RA 10635's transfer of licensing authority to MARINA.
How Much Does BSMT Tuition Cost?
Cost varies more sharply here than in most other degree comparisons on this site, because two of the most prominent training routes are free government service academies rather than paying private programs. The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) is a government scholarship academy that covers free tuition, board, and lodging for its midshipmen, including a stipend during third-year shipboard training funded by partner shipping companies; graduates are commissioned as Ensigns in the Philippine Navy Reserve. The Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) similarly places many cadets through sponsored slots. Private maritime colleges, by contrast, charge standard tuition and fees like any other private program; third-party trackers cite figures anywhere from roughly ₱25,000 to over ₱75,000 per semester depending on the school's tier and simulator/training facilities, though we could not verify a single reliable, current figure for any specific private school. Always confirm current tuition and any service-obligation terms directly with the specific academy or college.
Disclaimer: tuition and scholarship terms change and vary sharply by school. Confirm current details, including any post-graduation service or bond obligations, directly with the school before enrolling.
What Schools Offer BSMT?
Beyond the two service academies (PMMA and MAAP, neither privately funded), BSMT is offered at a number of CHED- and MARINA-recognized maritime colleges nationwide, including Asian Institute of Maritime Studies and John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University. Program quality varies by a school's simulator facilities, shipping company placement partnerships for the shipboard training year, and OIC-NW exam pass-rate track record more than by a single national ranking. For the specific admission requirements at the two service academies, see our MAAP entrance exam guide and PMMA entrance exam guide.
What Do Deck Officers Earn?
Pay climbs steeply with rank. Industry salary trackers report Deck Cadets earning roughly $400-$800 a month, rising to Third Officer ($2,800-$4,500), Second Officer ($3,500-$6,000), Chief Officer ($5,500-$9,000), and Master/Captain at $7,500-$14,000 a month. These figures come from industry salary guides and crewing-agency benchmarks rather than a single official Philippine wage table, since pay depends on the shipping principal, vessel type, flag state, and any collective bargaining agreement in place. Every Filipino seafarer also works under the POEA/DMW standard employment contract, which sets floors on overtime pay, leave, wage remittance, and repatriation regardless of rank. For the full rank-by-rank breakdown across both deck and engine departments, see our seaman salary guide.
Is BS Marine Transportation Right for You?
Before committing to BSMT, weigh these questions:
- Are you prepared for a full year away at sea during shipboard training, on top of a four-year commitment? This isn't optional coursework; it's the core of how the program satisfies STCW requirements.
- Have you compared the service academy route against a private college? PMMA and MAAP offer free or subsidized training with a post-graduation service or bond commitment; private colleges charge standard tuition but come without that obligation, so weigh the trade-off against your specific financial situation.
- Does your target school have real shipboard training placement partnerships? A curriculum on paper means little if the school can't actually place cadets with a shipping company for the required sea time.
- Are you comparing deck (BSMT) against engine (BS Marine Engineering)? Pay is broadly comparable rank-for-rank between the two departments, so the choice should come down to interest in navigation and ship operations versus machinery and engineering systems.
- Have you budgeted for the full cost of attendance, not just tuition? Uniforms, STCW basic safety training certificates, medical clearances, and travel to shipboard training assignments add real cost beyond the sticker tuition price.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- Republic Act No. 10635 (2014) — Establishing MARINA as the Single Maritime Administration for STCW Implementation
- Asian Institute of Maritime Studies — Ladderized Program of Deck Seafaring to BSMT Curriculum
- MARINA STCW Administration Office — OIC-NW Qualification Requirements
- Philippine Merchant Marine Academy — Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT)
- SchoolFinderPH — Seaman Salary in the Philippines
- SchoolFinderPH — MAAP Entrance Exam Guide
- SchoolFinderPH — PMMA Entrance Exam Guide
