 Upgrade OUPV/Six-Pack License to a 25/50/100 Ton Captain's License Course Overview
There are four different Master Upgrade Licenses for which a mariner may qualify. Both the amount of sea service time and the sizes of the vessels you have been on will influence the license you are eligible to be issued.
Master Upgrades are tonnage-rated at 25 GT, 50 GT, or 100 GT. The tonnage you are awarded is determined by the size vessels you've gained experience on in your lifetime, as limited by the size of vessels with experience on in the last three years. Time served in obtaining your OUPV License may be applied to the requirements for the Master Upgrade requirements.
Master Inland: 360 days underway experience since age 15. Ninety of those 360 days are required in the last three years. Completion of the Mariners School USCG-approved Masters course and test.
Master Inland/OUPV: 360 days underway experience since age 15. Ninety of those 360 days are required in the last three years, with 90 of those 360 days outside the boundary lines.
Master Near Coastal: 720 days underway experience since age 15. Ninety of those 360 days are required in the last three years, with 360 of those 720 days outside the boundary lines. Completion of the Mariners School USCG-approved Masters course and test.
Master Inland/Mate N.C.: 360 Days underway experience since age 15; 90 days of those 360 days in the last 3 years; 180 of those 360 days outside the boundary lines. Completion of Mariners School Coast Guard approved course.
Additional Requirements Include:
* Minimum age: 19 years old
* A physical exam if more than three years has elapsed since the last exam
* Drug test unless enrolled in a USCG-required random drug program for at least 60 of the last 185 days, and with no failure or refusal to participate in a chemical test for dangerous drugs
* U.S. Citizenship
Make a Living Doing Something You Love: Mariners Learning System™ 100 GT Masters Upgrade Course.
The USCG has approved the Mariners Learning System™ Masters Upgrade curriculum and test as a substitute for taking the full Masters Upgrade test at a USCG Regional Exam Center.
Upon successful completion of the Mariners Learning System™ Online class and passing the proctored multiple choice test, the student receives a Mariners School certificate. The certificate, along with the completed application, is submitted to the USCG. The tonnage rating (25 GT, 50 GT, or 100 GT) is determined by the USCG, depending upon the individual's experience on similar size vessels.
Note: As you gain experience on larger vessels, tonnage ratings can be increased up to 100 tons without re-testing. | 
