United States Coast Guard Academy

ACADEMICS

Government

The study of Government, History, Ethics, Foreign Language, English, and Law comprise the Humanities Department; and in concert, they offer cadets a major in Government. Part of the mission of the Department is to ground all cadets, whatever their majors, in the liberal arts. For government majors, that grounding continues with a multidisciplinary selection of courses leading to either of two Government tracks: International Affairs or Public Policy. With these twin missions, Humanities offers more core courses than any other department.

Seven out of twenty-four core curriculum courses are offered through the Humanities Department: English Composition, Literature, US History, Morals and Ethics, American Government, Criminal Justice, and Maritime Law Enforcement. In addition, a further forty-one courses are offered through the Department. This broad panoply supports the Government major as well as cadets from other majors who seek to broaden their education with electives. For advanced students, several directed studies programs allow individually tailored tutorial and research opportunities in any of the many specialties represented on the faculty of over twenty.

Typically, twenty to thirty percent of cadets choose the Government major. After graduation, Government majors find themselves well-suited for almost any career path in the Coast Guard. Government majors are to be found commanding cutters or shore stations, heading policy offices, negotiating treaties on behalf of the US government, leading regulatory projects, flying aircraft, and much more, reflecting the maxim that a liberal undergraduate education recognizes no limits. Many Government majors also go on to pursue graduate education through the Coast Guard after their first tours afloat.