An evaluation of the effectiveness of leadership professional Dissertation

An evaluation of the effectiveness of leadership professional development curriculum at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy - Dissertation Example Graduates from this institution succeed within the field of maritime industry and serving effectively as mature and experienced leaders in the Armed Forces or reserve commissioned officers. The education system is provided in time period of four years. The Program The location of the Academy is Kings Point in New York. The operation of the Academy is facilitated by the Maritime Administration of the Federal Government, which is a U.S. Department of Transportation agency. The program is carried out in four years, and uses a regimental system to ensure that midshipmen acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, which would grant them an opportunity of earning ashore maritime employment, developing discipline in careers, serving in U.S. Armed Forces, and becoming successful leaders in society. The Regiment of the Academy has an approximate value of 950 midshipmen who represent each Union state and U.S. Possessions and Trust Territories (Capt, 2006). The attained student body size enable s the achievement of an effective ratio between students and teachers. Further, this student size depicts the real camaraderie that exists in all Regiment members. Every profession in the current society is dependent in the quality of education, which is attained from colleges. U.S Merchant Marine Academy adopts the same and ensures that the quality of education provided in the college is sound. The academic program of the Academy ensures that all midshipmen receive specialized and quality training in order to become merchant marine officers, in U.S. who are licensed. This occurs since the academy adheres to the International Convention on Training Standards and Watch keeping for Seafarers and Certification (STCW) of 1978 including the related amendments to STCW Code (Catalog, 2011, p. 6). The accrediting of the Academy’s curriculum is carried out by Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (Catalog, 2011, p. 6). This curriculum has the ability of ensuring that each midshipman receives the required college education necessary for the attainment of a bachelor’s degree in science. There are few colleges, which have the potential to provide a wide range of credentials to their education graduates. Midshipmen who are enrolled in the Academy end up being challenged both physically and intellectually. This occurs since the academic program for the Academy is demanding and the regimental system is rigorous. Students find freshman year strenuous as they undergo a transition from being graduates of high school to Academy midshipman (Kumar, 2008). The introduction of freshman year involves extensive learning of new terms, how to adopt effective means of time management, how to work while under pressure, and the endurance quality. As midshipmen enter the second and third year, they are prepared for practical training. This training occurs when the midshipmen go to the sea in order to gain practical training on shipboard. This training equips the sh ipmen with experience on mariner’s environment, as well as skills on how to undertake initiatives on their own and being self-reliant (Kumar, 2008). The final year involves ensuring that the midshipmen have the ability of fine-tuning the skills and experience learnt from class, as well as the practical exposure at the sea. This aids in