Sea Education Association | SEA Semester

What Sea Education Association | SEA Semester does

Sea Education Association (SEA), doing business as SEA Semester, is a Massachusetts-incorporated non-profit educational institution founded in 1971 and headquartered on a 5-acre campus in Woods Hole, Falmouth, MA. SEA designs and delivers ocean-focused experiential education programs for undergraduate students, gap-year students, and high school students, plus custom programs for institutional clients. The organization owns and operates two USCG-certified Sailing School Vessels (SSVs) under 46 CFR Subchapter R: the SSV Corwith Cramer (134-foot steel brigantine, 1987, Atlantic operations) and the SSV Robert C. Seamans (134.5-foot, 2001, Pacific operations, ABS A1 and A classified). Each vessel carries a 14-person professional crew plus up to 24-25 students, with onboard laboratory infrastructure (CTD sensors, flow-through seawater systems, ADCP, microscopes, satellite communications) supporting real oceanographic data collection as part of the academic curriculum.

Programmatic revenue comes from tuition-bearing semester programs ($34,000 all-inclusive for 17-18 University of Minnesota credits), shorter high school summer programs ($6,975-$7,500), online symposia ($1,100), and crew training courses ($500-$1,000). A second revenue stream is custom institutional programs delivered to universities (Stanford biannually for 20+ years, Wharton MBA Leadership Ventures annually, MIT-WHOI annual cohort), secondary schools (Proctor Academy Ocean Classroom), and federal agencies (NASA, JPL). A third stream comprises donations, grants, and endowment income from 10,000+ alumni, the University of Minnesota school-of-record relationship, and institutional funders including NSF, NOAA Marine Debris Program, 11th Hour Racing, the Doherty Foundation, and the American Chemistry Council. Over $1M in financial assistance is distributed annually across multiple named scholarship vehicles.

SEA's supporting infrastructure includes the SEA Plastics Lab (35+ years of microplastics research, 14,000+ plankton net tows, 298,000+ particles catalogued), the publicly accessible SEA Data Access portal (CTD, ADCP, microplastics, bio-optical data contributed to NASA SeaBASS and national archives), and the Helm cloud-based crew management platform supporting the ~160 crew hired annually. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees (with a continuing University of Minnesota seat) and led by President Rick Hopper, PhD. Programs are formally integrated with the University of Minnesota as school of record and approved for credit transfer by 150+ colleges and universities.

Name

Sea Education Association | SEA Semester

Legal name

Sea Education Association

Website

https://sea.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Science Education and Field-Based Study Abroad

NAICS

Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sailing, Catamaran & Day-Cruise Excursions (nature-focused) (THAAAIAG)

Keywords

• Ocean education programs
• Marine science research
• Study abroad programs
• Sailing school vessels
• Field-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

North Falmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate & Gap Semester Tuition: Semester-length programs (Fall/Spring) charge $25,500 tuition plus $8,500 room and board plus $34,000 comprehensive fees for a total of $34,000 all-inclusive. Students earn 17-18 semester hour credits from University of Minnesota. Programs run 12 weeks combining shore study in Woods Hole with sailing research voyages.
2. High School Summer Program Tuition: High school programs charge $6,975–$7,500 for multi-week programs. SEA Expedition (2-week at sea, Cape Cod Bay/Gulf of Maine) is $7,500. Pre-College Marine Biology and Oceanography (3-week shore-based, Woods Hole) are $6,975 each. Online SeaQuest is $1,100.
3. Short-term Undergraduate Summer Programs: Short 3-week summer programs such as Whales! The History of Whaling & Whale Conservation charge $9,500 total including tuition and room & board. Earns 4 semester hour credits.
4. Custom/Institutional Programs: SEA designs and delivers custom programs for institutional partners (Stanford, Wharton, MIT-WHOI, Proctor Academy, NASA, JPL, business groups). Programs run minimum 7 days, most 10 days to several weeks. Vessels and crew provided as operational platform with SEA-led or institution-led academic delivery.
5. Donations and Annual Fund: SEA depends on alumni, parents and donor generosity to support program development, scholarship funds, faculty recruitment, research equipment, ship operations, and campus maintenance. Fiscal year runs July 1–June 30. Multiple giving vehicles: annual fund, planned giving (bequests, unitrusts, charitable remainder annuities, charitable lead trusts, life insurance gifts).
6. Crew Training Programs: SEA offers USCG-approved professional training courses open to mariners, outdoor educators and SEA crew including Wilderness First Responder, Leadership and Managerial Skills, Bridge Resource Management, and WFR Recertification. Courses held at Woods Hole campus. Tuition ranges from $500–$1,000 per course. SEA crew and faculty/staff may inquire about tuition assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Sea Education Association runs accredited ocean-focused study abroad programs aboard two Sailing School Vessels, the SSV Corwith Cramer and SSV Robert C. Seamans. Offerings combine marine science, environmental policy, and sustainability coursework with at-sea research cruises, serving undergraduates, high school students, gap-year students, and institutional clients through Custom Programs and crew training. The organization is a non-profit headquartered in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Product overview

Sea Education Association (SEA) offers a portfolio of ocean-based educational programs centered on sailing research vessels and shore-based learning in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The core offerings include undergraduate semester programs (Climate Change & Coastal Resilience, Plastics & Biodiversity in the Sargasso Sea, Coral Reef Conservation, Whales! The History of Whaling & Whale Conservation), high school/pre-college programs (SEA Expedition, Pre-College: Marine Biology, Pre-College: Oceanography, SeaQuest), gap year programs (Ocean Exploration), and custom institutional programs. SEA operates two purpose-built sailing research vessels—the SSV Corwith Cramer (Atlantic) and SSV Robert C Seamans (Pacific)—which serve as floating laboratories. Supporting infrastructure includes the SEA Plastics Lab (research on ocean plastic pollution since 1980s) and SEA Data Access (public data portal). Academic credit is granted through University of Minnesota. The programs are designed as multidisciplinary learning communities focused on ocean science, blue humanities, and leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEA Plastics Lab: Dedicated to investigating and ultimately preventing ocean plastic pollution through collaborative scientific research and broad knowledge sharing, studying plastic marine debris for more than 35 years.

Products and services

• SEA Semester (semester study abroad program) Accredited semester-long study abroad program combining marine science, environmental policy, and sustainability coursework with at-sea research cruises aboard Sailing School Vessels, targeted at undergraduate students seeking transferable credit.
• SeaQuest: Environmental Communication Program combining at-sea research with environmental communication and science-policy coursework, designed for undergraduates building skills in both science and public-facing science communication.
• Climate Change & Coastal Resilience Themed semester program focused on climate change science and coastal resilience, delivering interdisciplinary coursework and at-sea field research for undergraduate students.
• Plastics & Biodiversity in the Sargasso Sea Research-intensive program in the Sargasso Sea combining microplastics sampling, biodiversity assessment, and ecological data analysis, producing longitudinal data that feeds SEA's plastics dataset.
• Coral Reef Conservation Themed program on coral reef ecosystems and conservation practice, integrating reef ecology coursework with at-sea research cruises for undergraduate students.
• Whales! The History of Whaling & Whale Conservation Historical and contemporary program on cetacean biology and the cultural/policy history of whaling and whale conservation, paired with at-sea marine mammal observation.
• Pre-College: Marine Biology Multi-week summer pre-college program introducing high school students to marine biology through at-sea research cruises and shore-side lab work.
• Pre-College: Oceanography Multi-week summer pre-college program providing high school students with hands-on exposure to oceanographic methods, instrumentation, and at-sea data collection.
• Ocean Exploration Gap Year Program Semester-structured gap year experience delivering marine science and seamanship skills with transferable undergraduate credit, designed for students deferring college to explore ocean studies.
• Custom Programs Contracted, tailor-made at-sea academic programs designed and delivered by SEA for universities, business schools, and government agencies that want vessel-based experiential learning for their cohorts without building their own capability.
• Crew Training Programs Training programs that develop vessel-handling and seamanship skills for shipboard roles, leveraging SEA's sailing research vessels as an applied training platform.
• SEA Plastics Lab Lab-based microplastics processing capability that analyzes samples collected by SEA programs, supporting research outputs and the public SEA Data Access dataset.
• SEA Data Access Public-facing portal providing access to SEA's longitudinal ocean plastics concentration dataset and supporting research, useful for scientists, educators, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of alumni report personal development from SEA programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Cape Cod Community College (4Cs)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026Partnership to offer college credit for students participating in SEA's immersive high school summer programs. Students in Pre-College programs can now earn transferable college credit through 4Cs.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Minnesota's Learning Abroad Center serves as SEA's official school of record, overseeing student registration, recording academic credit for undergraduate programs, and generating transcripts for all matriculated students. All SEA courses are individually approved through UMN's course evaluation process. UMN holds a continuing membership on the SEA Board of Trustees. A formal Academic Advisory Board including a UMN representative reviews SEA programs and courses annually.
• Boston UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA gap year programs can receive credit from Boston University. Depending on the program, students are either registered through Boston University (receiving a BU ID#) or through their home institution. BU handles transcript generation for students registered through its system. Grades are available approximately four weeks after program end.
• Stanford UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford@SEA is a biannual trimester program combining shore-based study in California with a five-week research expedition aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans. This partnership has been running for over 20 years, making it one of SEA's longest-standing institutional partnerships.
• Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual MBA Leadership Ventures program develops executive skills in teamwork, decision-making, and adaptability aboard SEA's tall ships. The program provides Wharton MBA students with experiential leadership development in a maritime environment.
• MIT-WHOI Joint ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual 10-day voyage aboard SSV Corwith Cramer for the incoming cohort of MIT–Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program PhD students. Provides field-based oceanography experience for graduate researchers.
• Proctor AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNine-week Ocean Classroom program annually connects Proctor Academy high school students to marine ecosystems and maritime history. Students sail aboard SEA vessels as part of their academic year.
• NASAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA hosts customized expeditions for NASA participants, combining seamanship, scientific research, and leadership development aboard tall ships.
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA offers a customized ocean robotics program in partnership with JPL in Pasadena, CA as part of SEA's high school programming, providing hands-on robotics experience in a marine science context.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA is a partner in the Woods Hole scientific community with WHOI, one of the world's leading oceanographic institutions. Students tour WHOI facilities and meet scientists. WHOI operates over a dozen research vessels.
• Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA partners with MBL in Woods Hole. Pre-College students tour MBL facilities and interact with MBL researchers as part of their program experience in this world-renowned marine research center.
• Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research ReserveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPre-College students visit and conduct research at Waquoit Bay NERR as part of field work, connecting classroom learning to real coastal ecosystem monitoring.
• Woodwell Climate Research CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPre-College students tour Woodwell Climate Research Center facilities and meet scientists studying climate change, as part of their access to Woods Hole's research community.
• Sargasso Sea CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA students' research directly supports the Sargasso Sea Commission's efforts to protect this boundary-less ocean ecosystem. Data collected during Plastics & Biodiversity in the Sargasso Sea programs contributes to international conservation policy for the Sargasso Sea.
• Ocean Classroom FoundationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOcean Classroom Foundation purchased the R/V Westward from SEA in 2002. The Westward was SEA's first sailing research vessel, acquired in September 1971 and sailed its first program in 1972.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Outward Bound USA: Large established experiential education provider with sailing and maritime programs alongside broader course portfolio — comparable in pedagogical philosophy (experiential learning, leadership development) though more diversified.
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Larger and broader experiential outdoor education institution offering sea kayaking, sailing, and wilderness programs — overlapping audience and pedagogical approach though operating across many disciplines beyond marine.
• SailTraining International member programs: International federation coordinating tall ship sail training programs globally — overlapping vessel-based youth education mission though focused more on sail training than ocean science research.

Others

• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): Premier oceanographic research institution co-located with SEA in Woods Hole — adjacent ecosystem partner providing research credibility, faculty access, and facility tours for SEA students though operating as a research rather than education entity.

Direct peers

• Ocean Classroom Foundation: Operates the former SEA vessel R/V Westward as a tall ship education program for high school students on multi-week voyages — directly comparable mission, vessel type, and target audience to SEA's high school programs.
• The School for Field Studies: Operates field-based undergraduate study abroad programs in environmental and marine sciences across global locations — comparable academic-credit experiential model though shore-based rather than vessel-based.
• Class Afloat: Semester-at-sea program for high school students aboard a tall ship combining academic credit with seamanship and global ports-of-call — closest analog to SEA's undergraduate semester model in delivery mechanism and target demographic.
• Broadreach College First Study Abroad: Runs teen summer marine biology, sailing, and oceanography programs with vessel-based and shore-based components across multiple global locations — directly competitive with SEA's high school/pre-college portfolio in experiential marine science education.
• Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey / Mystic Seaport: Historic schooner operated for sail training and educational programs under Mystic Seaport — comparable tall ship-based educational delivery with similar mission of preserving maritime education tradition.

Emerging players

• Living Classrooms Foundation: Non-profit experiential education with maritime and marine science programming in the Chesapeake Bay region — comparable mission and vessel-based delivery for underserved youth, though geographically focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SEA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/sea-education-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/sea_education_association/?hl=en

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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