Getting your captain's license is a coup by any measure. But before you're handed the keys to the floating castle, you're going to have to prove to the Coast Guard that you know your stuff. That proof will mean completing a hefty 360 days of "sea time" and passing a series of challenging written tests that will require study, patience, and in most cases, money.

How you get the education you'll need is up to you, but there are a host of training programs designed to help you get a captain's license. Because these options can vary widely in cost and the amount of instruction provided, it pays to do your homework even before you go to school.

Most marine education schools base their lesson plans around the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) and 100-ton Masters Licenses. They will usually also offer courses in assistance towing and auxiliary sail operations, which are endorsements that can be added to a Coast Guard license. Some schools will offer an even wider range of merchant marine courses, such as Able Seaman, Lifeboatman and engineering courses.

For most schools, the "bread and butter" course is the OUPV curriculum, which consists of a minimum of 50 classroom hours and can exceed 100 hours. Costs range from $400 to more than $1,500, depending on the school.

Whatever you choose, all the courses have the same basic structure. The course administrator creates a collection of test modules using questions pulled from the Coast Guard's database. These tests mirror, but do not duplicate, the Coast Guard exam.

A syllabus and training materials are created–and run by the Coast Guard for fine-tuning–to ensure that the information necessary to pass the tests is provided to students. Once everyone is satisfied, the course is approved.

Bear in mind that it is the course that is approved, not the school. The course must be taught as presented, with very specific requirements for class size, classroom conditions, attendance and instruction. If the school deviates from the approved materials, it is in jeopardy of losing its course approval status, and students can be prevented from using the course for their licensing application.

SCHOOLS: BRICKS AND MORTAR

There are basically three types of schools: "bricks and mortar" facilities, traveling schools and college courses.

The bricks and mortar schools generally have a single location to provide training. These schools often have a wide range of mariner courses and include related subjects of study, such as commercial and recreational SCUBA diving, firefighting, first aid and paramedic training. The staff is usually made up of full-time instructors who teach year-round.

Bricks and mortar schools tend to make a higher investment in training equipment, especially for upper level courses. These can include everything from operational radar units and computers, to full-blown bridge simulators. In addition, the schools often have extensive job placement services.

The Marine Institute for Graduate and Technical Studies, in Linthicum, Maryland, is an excellent example of a high-end marine training school, as are the Chapman School of Seamanship, in Stuart, Florida, and the Northeast Maritime Institute, in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.