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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-06 10:51:44 -04:00

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---
type: "LegalText"
title: "46 U.S.C. § 51309"
description: "Academic degree"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
chapter_number: "513"
chapter_name: "UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY"
section: "51309"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 51309"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc46@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s51309"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-46/usc46.xml"
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text_hash: "2c77bf561ec78c8ce396460fec4aa53735be043b2585b9035a7e712a5fd6c1b0"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---
# 46 U.S.C. § 51309 - Academic degree
## Text
(a) Bachelors Degree.— (1) In general.— The Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy may confer the degree of bachelor of science on an individual who—
(A) has met the conditions prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation; and
(B) if a citizen of the United States, has passed the examination for a merchant marine officers license.
(2) Effect of physical or psychological disqualification.— An individual not able or allowed to take the examination for a merchant marine officers license solely due to a documented medical or psychological condition shall not be denied a degree for not taking the examination.
(b) Masters Degree.— The Superintendent of the Academy may confer a masters degree on an individual who has met the conditions prescribed by the Secretary. A masters degree program may be funded through non-appropriated funds. To maintain the appropriate academic standards, the program shall be accredited by the appropriate accreditation body. Nonappropriated funds received for this purpose shall be credited to the Maritime Administrations Operations and Training appropriation, to remain available until expended, for those expenses directly related to the purpose of such receipts. The Superintendent shall maintain a separate and detailed accounting of nonappropriated fund receipts and all associated expenses. The Secretary may prescribe regulations necessary to administer such a program.
(c) Graduation Not Entitlement To Hold License.— Graduation from the Academy does not entitle an individual to hold a license authorizing service on a merchant vessel.
(d) Definition of Documented Medical or Psychological Condition.— In this section the term “documented medical or psychological condition” means, with respect to an individual, a physical disqualification or psychological condition, including a mental health condition arising from sexual assault or sexual harassment, for which the individual has been treated or is being treated by a medical or psychological provider.
(Pub. L. 109304, § 8(b), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1574; Pub. L. 11184, div. C, title XXXV, § 3514, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2724; Pub. L. 117263, div. C, title XXXV, § 3511, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3065.)
## Notes
Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 51309(a)46 App.:1295b(g)(1).June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title XIII, § 1303(g), as added Pub. L. 96453, § 2, Oct. 15, 1980, 94 Stat. 2002; restated Pub. L. 108136, title XXXV, § 3515(c), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1794. 51309(b)46 App.:1295b(g)(2). 51309(c)46 App.:1295b(b)(8).June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title XIII, § 1303(b)(8), as added Pub. L. 96453, § 2, Oct. 15, 1980, 94 Stat. 1997; Pub. L. 99368, § 5, Aug. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 776.
Editorial Notes
Amendments2022—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 117263, § 3511(1), in heading, inserted “or psychological” after “physical”, and, in text, inserted “able or” before “allowed” and substituted “solely due to a documented medical or psychological condition shall” for “only because of physical disqualification may”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117263, § 3511(2), added subsec. (d). 2009—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 11184 inserted before last sentence “Nonappropriated funds received for this purpose shall be credited to the Maritime Administrations Operations and Training appropriation, to remain available until expended, for those expenses directly related to the purpose of such receipts. The Superintendent shall maintain a separate and detailed accounting of nonappropriated fund receipts and all associated expenses.”