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Interdisciplinary Studies

Academy faculty, staff and cadets from different departments often collaborate in interdisciplinary studies, addressing various issues and problems from multiple perspectives. Interdisciplinary studies allow thinking across traditional boundaries and integrate a variety of methods and insights in the pursuit of a common task.

Four interdisciplinary initiatives currently merging fields of study at the Academy are the Professional Maritime Studies program, the Center for Arctic Study and Policy, and the Superintendent’s Council for Cyber Education and Training, and the Geospatial Intelligence Plan of Study.

Cyber Council

The Cyber Council coordinates the Coast Guard Academy’s efforts building a cyber workforce and helps ensure that graduates obtain the knowledge and skills required to serve as commissioned officers in the cyber domain.

Professional Maritime Studies

The Professional Maritime Studies program prepares cadets with professional knowledge and skills for duty as sea-going officers. As part of the Academy’s core curriculum, the program’s courses teach navigation, maritime communications, deck seamanship, and all aspects of ship handling. One of the goals of the program is to prepare cadets for the National Maritime Center-approved Master 100 Tons Near Coastal licensing examination.

Center for Arctic Study and Policy

The Academy’s Center for Arctic Study and Policy promotes academic research on Arctic policy and strategy. The Center serves as an operational think tank to focus on emerging Arctic issues as well as broadening partnerships for the advancement of safe, secure and environmentally responsible maritime activity in the Arctic.

Geospatial Intelligence

The Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) Plan of Study prepares cadets to leverage geospatial information in the maritime programs and operations of the Coast Guard. Geospatial information is data with a geographic component. The Geospatial Intelligence Plan of Study includes study of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and related technologies, and the application of these tools in missions relevant to the U.S. Coast Guard and the broader intelligence community. All cadets are eligible to complete this Plan of Study.

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.