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Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Mechanical Engineering / Mechanical Engineering Careers
ME Careers

Mechanical Engineering Careers

Mechanical Engineering graduates are well positioned for a variety of careers – both within the Coast Guard and, after their duty, in private industry. Any career path is open to Mechanical Engineering majors; graduates do not necessarily have to pursue an engineering path within the fleet. Many do, however, and their engineering paths generally fall into one of three categories: afloat, ashore or aviation.

Afloat Engineering

The Engineer Officer (EO) onboard a cutter is in charge of the largest contingent of the ship’s force, oversees their training and career progression and is responsible for the maintenance, repair and safe operation of all machinery and equipment. Typical career paths include an Engineering Officer in Training (EOIT) tour upon graduation, and 2nd tour either afloat or shore-side engineering support, and graduate school. Typical graduate school tours focus on naval and marine engineering and mechanical engineering, at schools include University of Michigan, Virginia Tech, Drexel University and MIT.

Ashore Engineering

Mechanical Engineering graduates can pursue a Port or Prevention Engineer career path. Port Engineers are responsible for providing engineering support in a port setting. As the first point of contact for technical staff, they are in charge of coordinating repair and maintenance functions. The Prevention Engineer career path encompasses marine and environmental protection. It deals with planning and preparing for disasters, both natural and man-made, and designing Coast Guard responses to them.

Aviation Engineering

Similar to the Afloat Engineering Officer career, the Aviation EO is responsible for the maintenance, repair and the “safe-for-flight” condition of the airframes assigned to the air station or currently deployed onboard any Coast Guard cutter. Typical career paths begin with flight training at the Naval Aviation Training Center in Pensacola, FL, with a follow-on tour at a Coast Guard Air Station. Graduate school assignments typically focus on one of three majors – Aeronautical structures, Avionics and Project Management, or Industrial Administration – with most attending Purdue University, but also the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins and the Colorado School of Mines.

Mechanical Engineering Alumni

Coast Guard Academy Mechanical Engineering graduates include: Coast Guard admirals, heads of industry, pilots, ships captains, astronauts, entrepreneurs and business owners across a range of fields, from aerospace engineering to ship building to restauranteurs and brewery owners.

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

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