One of the things about an interdisciplinary major like MAST is that it can prepare you for MANY different kinds of work. But that means you will need to put some effort into learning about what’s out there that flows from your interests. As you know, the major encompasses the humanities (blue humanities track) and the social sciences (marine policy track), plus the quite specialized area of maritime archaeology. At the bottom of this email is a list of job and areas of graduate study that have been pursued by MAST alums and alums of other Maritime Studies programs.
The UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills (see, the name itself suggests reasons for starting early!) — https://career.uconn.edu/ — is a great starting place. You can take an aptitude test and meet with an advisor to discuss your skills and interests, then get some advice on how to learn about various careers. Once you have some ideas, they can help you plan to acquire specific skills that will help you be competitive and also help you recognize and articulate the skills you are learning as you take classes and move through the major. Explore their website! Make an appointment to get started!
Another tool is the CT Sea Grant Profdev listserv, which includes relevant job openings and internship opportunities. We do post a small number of these to this listserv, but if you are willing to read the emails, you can learn about a wide range of jobs by subscribing (and actually opening and reading the emails about jobs!). If you wish to subscribe to the CTSG ProfDev mailing list, you may do so by:
1) sending a “subscribe CTSG_profdev-L firstname lastname” command in the body of an email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU (do not add a subject in subject line)
OR
2) Go to http://listserv.uconn.edu and click on the CTSG_PROFDEV–L link and follow the instructions to join.
Internships: There are formal internships that are advertised – you can learn about how to look for these at the Career Readiness Center. But you can also create your own internship (often for credit and without pay) if you want to explore a particular field. And sometimes doing the work to make contacts and talk to people about potential internships can lead to a paid internship. If you have an internship in mind, you can ask MAST faculty about the possibility of taking an internship for academic credit (this requires an academic product in addition to the work itself and must be arranged in advance of the work). You’ll find more ads for summer internships in the spring semester, but taking the time to learn about where to look for internships now will likely yield better results in spring.
Maritime-Related Careers
Marina/Shipyard Management
Aquaculture Technician/Management
Conservation and Resource Management
Environmental Policy Analyst
Environmental Law
Museum Curator, Interpreter, or Director
Commercial Fishing
Captain, Mate, or Deckhand of Tall Ships
Sail-Training Educator
High School Teacher
Corporate or Non-Profit Development Officer
Non-Profit Educational Programs
Non-Profit Conservation Organizations
City or State Government Offices
Journalist
Maritime Trade Association Administration
Documentary Film Production
National or State Park Management
Underwater Archaeology
Port and Harbor Management
Coastal Town/City Planning
Offshore Wind Energy Policy
Maritime-Related Graduate Study
In History, Literature, or Anthropology
In Maritime Archaeology, Cultural Resource Management, Museum Studies
In Economics, Political Science, or Geography
Marine Policy
Law
Education
Business
Marine Transportation
Urban Planning
Naval Architecture
Maritime related Professional Resources
https://www.maritime.dot.gov/maritime-workforce
https://mymaritimecareer.org/
https://www.crowley.com/careers/seagoing-terminal/
https://www.noaa.gov/work-with-us
https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/employment
https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Careers-at-NYSERDA
https://namepa.net/education/
https://www.advancect.org/workforce
https://ctmarinetrades.org/open-job-board/