Massachusetts Institute of Technology Offers ‘Pirate Certification’

Students come from all over the world to Cambridge, Massachusetts and attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study to become engineers, scientists, mathematicians, pirates and more.

Yes, you read that right – MIT has a program that allows its students to become certified pirates.

The program has actually been in place for over a decade, originally launching in the Fall of 2011. Even before that, students had been running their own informal pirate program for about 20 years before it became a certified program through MIT’s Physical Education & Wellness department.

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MIT undergrads are required to complete a requirement of four physical education and wellness courses, so this certificate came about as a way to take something that was already part of student culture at the school and turn it into a way for students to complete that requirement.

The courses to become a certified pirate are Archery, Fencing, Pistol (it can be an air pistol or rifle course) and, of course, sailing. After all, what good is a pirate if they can’t sail the open seas?

Don’t get too excited about taking your certificate and becoming the next Captain Jack Sparrow. As the school states on its Physical Education & Wellness department website, “The MIT Pirate Certificate is for entertainment purposes only and does not give the recipient license to engage in piracy or any pirate activities.”

They didn’t say you’re not allowed to wear an eyepatch and carry a parrot on your shoulder, so you’ve still got that going for you.