Undergraduate Enrollment

1,636

Points of Distinction

• Ocean-oriented academics program offering 10 degrees with a marine or maritime emphasis, all aided by floating classrooms and laboratories
• The Texas Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies in the United States, prepares graduates for licensing as officers in the American Merchant Marine
• Rated among the top 10 colleges in Texas by Time magazine/Princeton Review
• Graduates are allowed to purchase an Aggie class ring, and students participate in other A&M traditions, such as Yell Practice and Silver Taps

Many educational institutions promise a small-school environment with the benefits of a larger university, but Texas A&M University at Galveston actually delivers. The first of two branch campuses in the Texas A&M University System, it awards its graduates degrees from Texas A&M and allows Galveston students—better known as Sea Aggies—to purchase an Aggie class ring. Sea Aggies also take part in A&M traditions such as Yell Practice, when students gather before football games, and Silver Taps, a moving tribute to current Aggies who have passed away. Sea Aggies number only about 1,650, though, which makes for a much more personal college experience than that at TAMU in College Station, with its tens of thousands of students.

Texas A&M University at Galveston offers 10 undergraduate degrees, all with a marine or maritime emphasis, as well as two graduate degrees and one post-graduate degree. More than half of the students major in science, and the school’s engineering program consistently does well in national rankings. Sea Aggies also benefit from the campus’s Pelican Island location, which features floating classrooms and laboratories and many opportunities for hands-on research. (Students enter and exit campus by way of a drawbridge.) Members of the Corps of Cadets (A&M’s service and leadership organization) train as part of the Texas Maritime Academy, which allows cadets to work toward their officer’s licenses on the Texas Clipper.

Intramural sports are big, and many students belong to one of the university’s 60 student organizations and clubs. Off campus and out of the water, Sea Aggies head to the Ridefilm, IMAX 3D, and 4D Special FX theaters at Moody Gardens. Galveston also offers internship possibilities at places like Moody Gardens Aquarium and SeaWorld.