THE HISTORY OF THE DECK CURRICULUM, CALIFORNIA MARITIME ACADEMY, 1929-1983

California Maritime Academy's deck curriculum evolved from a three year technical training course to a four year degree granting postsecondary education program. There is no study analyzing this development or how the deck curriculum relates to national security postsecondary education, California higher education and higher education in the United States.;Using secondary sources the history of national security postsecondary education in the United States was traced from 1802 to the 1980's. A qualitative analysis of the deck curriculum's history at the California Maritime Academy was conducted almost exclusively from primary source material. The evidence was analyzed within the concept of maritime education being an integral part of higher education and national security education in California and the United States.;The California Maritime Academy's deck curriculum is designed to produce technologically competent leaders for the maritime industry. It has its origins in the initial deck program established in 1876 by Admiral Stephen B. Luce. California established the California Maritime Academy with its deck curriculum in response to the federal government's plan to bolster national security education after World War One at the state level. The deck curriculum evolved in response to the federal government requirements both in peacetime and wartime. There was pressure from the state government to modernize the deck curriculum and upgrade it to a four year degree granting accredited program. Also, the maritime industry influenced the direction of the deck curriculum. In order for deck graduates to obtain positions in the maritime industry, their education and training had to meet its perceived needs.;For fifty four years, the deck curriculum has evolved in response to challenges from the federal government, the state of California and the maritime industry. Except for a very brief period in the early 1970's, the deck curriculum has successfully met these challenges. Its graduates are highly respected in the maritime industry. They have served their country well in World War Two, Korea and Vietnam. The deck curriculum fills a void in higher education in California, one of the major locations for the maritime industry of the United States and the world.