OOW Revision: Approved Education & Training Routes (MSN 1856, Section 11)

Revision card 5 of 7 — Officer of the Watch (OOW) Unlimited, STCW Convention Regulation II/1, MSN 1856 (M+F) Amendment 1.

General Rule

• The MCA requires at least 80% classroom attendance on any approved programme for learning outcomes to count — some colleges and companies set the bar higher

Honours Degree / Foundation Degree / Scottish Professional Diploma

• Alternates seagoing service with college-based study
• To be eligible for CoC exemptions you need an overall exam pass average of 50%+, with at least 65% in Navigation and 60% in Stability and Operations
• Miss 50% in a subject and you retake that subject — you only get the exemption for subjects where you actually passed

HND/Advanced Diploma or HNC/Advanced Certificate Route

• Same underpinning idea as the degree route
• Completing it earns you the reduction in seagoing service from 36 months down to 12 months

Experienced Seafarer Route

• If you're not on an MCA-approved cadetship or overseas collaborative programme, you're examined on the full STCW competencies via HNC/HND units, the MCA Safety Examinations, and the oral exam — alongside 36 months' seagoing service (48 if you've been a General Purpose rating)

Worth Knowing

• Once you've completed an approved qualification, there's no time limit on using it toward a CoC application — it doesn't expire

Quick Self-Check

• What's the minimum attendance rate the MCA requires on an approved programme?
• What are the two pass-mark thresholds for Navigation and Stability & Operations on the degree route?
• If you fail one subject at under 50%, do you retake the whole set or just that subject?

Related Reading

• Day in the Life: Deck Cadet on a Deep-Sea Vessel — what the seagoing half of these routes actually looks like