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2026 Best Value Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Schools in the Southwest Region

[Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer](/majors/transportation-materials-handling/marine-transportation/marine-science-merchant-marine-officer/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for marine science/merchant marine officer students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Schools in the Southwest Region

2026 Best Value Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Schools in the Southwest Region

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the marine science/merchant marine officer degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Schools

1

San Jacinto Community College
Pasadena, TX

$2,490 In-State Tuition & Fees

$11,376 Avg Student Debt

$43,062 Median Earnings (10yr)

San Jacinto Community College tops our 2026 list of the best value marine science/merchant marine officer schools in the Southwest Region. San Jacinto Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Pasadena. In-state tuition and fees average $2,490, compared with $6,690 for out-of-state students. Marine Science/merchant Marine Officer graduates carry a median of $11,376 in student loans. Early-career marine science/merchant marine officer graduates make about $38,107. That is a strong return on a $11,376 median debt.

2

Texas A And M University College Station
College Station, TX

$12,995 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,000 Avg Student Debt

$72,097 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in marine science/merchant marine officer will find it at Texas A And M University College Station, which ranked #2. Set in the city of College Station, Texas A And M University College Station is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,995, with out-of-state students paying around $40,124. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete the marine science/merchant marine officer program here. Soon after graduation, marine science/merchant marine officer degree recipients from Texas A And M University College Station generally make around $87,444. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 57%.

View All Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.