Cal Maritime Ranked as one of "America's Top Colleges" and "Best Value Colleges" by Forbes

(August 9, 2011) – The California Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime), a campus of The California State University, scored high marks again this year in Forbes annual "America's Top Colleges" rankings. Of the 650 colleges and universities that made the list, Cal Maritime was ranked #258 among the best undergraduate institutions in America, and #51 in the west.

Forbes, one of the nation's leading sources for reliable business news and financial information, chose the universities for their quality of teaching, great career prospects, graduation rates and low levels of debt.

 

Cal Maritime earned an even greater distinction by the magazine by being ranked among the "Top 20 Best Value Colleges" in the country. That list, on which Cal Maritime took the #18 spot, ranks colleges that provide students with the highest quality education for their academic dollar.

 

"We are pleased to, once again, be recognized by Forbes as one of the leading undergraduate institutions in the country," said Dr. William B. Eisenhardt, president of The California Maritime Academy. "Our students tell us that one of the main reasons they choose to attend Cal Maritime is the high job placement rates, which right now is at about 95 percent. Additionally, the average starting salaries are greater than $60,000.  When you take into consideration that most of our students graduate in only four years, it's easy to see how Cal Maritime provides a great value – and return on investment – for our students and their families."

 

Eisenhardt added that students at Cal Maritime also enjoy personalized teaching with a student-to-faculty ratio of 14 to 1, and extensive hands-on learning opportunities in the classroom, as well as through internships and on international training voyages aboard Cal Maritime's 500-foot Training Ship Golden Bear.

 

Cal Maritime is one of seven maritime universities in the U.S. and the only one in the west. It serves students from California and the western region, including the Pacific Rim. Cal Maritime offers four-year degrees in international business and global logistics, facilities engineering technology, global studies and maritime affairs, marine engineering technology, marine transportation, and mechanical engineering. It also offers professional development and extended learning programs and courses, and this fall is introducing a new online master's degree program in Transportation and Engineering Management.

 
Compiled by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington D.C. think tank, the Forbes rankings were based on five general categories: Post Graduate Success, which evaluates alumni pay and prominence; Student Satisfaction, which includes professor evaluations and freshman to sophomore year retention rates; Debt, which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates; and Four Year Graduation Rate and Competitive Awards, which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships.

 

For the complete list of universities in Forbes' "America's Top Colleges," please visit http://blogs.forbes.com/michaelnoer/2011/08/03/americas-top-colleges/ For more information about Cal Maritime, visit www.csum.edu. 

 

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