- What This Credential Actually Is
- Who Issues It and Who Decides Your Test Plan
- The Five-Module Near Coastal Route
- Module-by-Module: What Each Part Covers
- Why Not Everyone Takes All Five Modules
- Near Coastal vs. Oceans: Avoiding the Mix-Up
- Who Hires Mariners With This Credential
- Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Modules
- What Is and Is Not Publicly Established
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NM2N here means National Master 200 NC, a U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center credential on the Near Coastal route.
- The full Near Coastal route has exactly five modules: Q100, Q150, Q151, Q152, and Q153.
- Q154 Navigation Problems: Oceans belongs to the Oceans option and is not part of this Near Coastal scope.
- Raise-of-grade and route-extension applicants take reduced module sets, so your NMC-approved module list governs, not the full five.
What This Credential Actually Is
National Master 200 NC, abbreviated NM2N on this site, is a deck-officer credential administered through the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC). It sits on the Near Coastal route within the Oceans or Near Coastal examination family, which the NMC catalogs under the ONC05 scope. In plain terms, it is the licensing-examination pathway associated with a Master of vessels up to 200 gross register tons operating in Near Coastal waters.
That plain description matters because the acronym is crowded. Several unrelated credentials in other industries abbreviate to something similar, and this article deliberately speaks only about the maritime credential described above. If you arrived looking for a different certification, nothing here applies to it. For a quick orientation on the label itself, our short explainers on what NM2N stands for and the meaning of NM2N cover the naming question, while this article focuses on what the credential involves.
Who Issues It and Who Decides Your Test Plan
The governing body is the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center. The NMC publishes the examination modules, the topic matrices behind them, and the deck and engineering examination guide that describes how those modules map to license types. This is not a private-vendor exam with a closed syllabus. The scope is public.
The most important practical fact is this: the NMC determines your individual assigned modules. The published route tells you what a full original examination looks like, but your own approval to test is the document that governs what you actually sit for. Always treat that approval as the authority, and use the published route as your map for understanding what each module covers. If you are still working out whether you qualify to begin, see our breakdown of NM2N requirements and eligibility.
The Five-Module Near Coastal Route
The full Near Coastal route consists of five modules. These are issuer-published examination modules, and this site organizes them as five unweighted, route-aware preparation groups. "Unweighted" is deliberate: the published materials we reviewed do not establish percentage weightings per domain, so we do not invent any.
| Prep Group | Module | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| Domain 1 | Q100 | Rules of the Road: Inland and International |
| Domain 2 | Q150 | Deck General |
| Domain 3 | Q151 | Deck Safety |
| Domain 4 | Q152 | Navigation General: Oceans or Near Coastal (applied to the Near Coastal route) |
| Domain 5 | Q153 | Navigation Problems: Chart Plot |
The published guide reference for this route is section 2.1.1.3, printed page 17, of the deck and engineering examination guide. That guide is the regulations-effective-March-24-2014 document rather than a freshly issued 2026 blueprint, but current indexed NMC matrices corroborate the same module headings. For a deeper walk through how these groups fit together, read our complete guide to all five NM2N content areas.
Module-by-Module: What Each Part Covers
Domain 1: Rules of the Road: Inland and International (Q100)
This module tests the navigation rules that govern how vessels avoid collisions, covering both the Inland and International regimes.
- Distinguishing when Inland versus International rules apply
- Vessel right-of-way relationships and required actions
- Lights, shapes, and sound and light signals
- Applying the rules to situations rather than reciting them
Domain 2: Deck General (Q150)
Deck General covers the broad seamanship and vessel-operations knowledge expected of a licensed deck officer.
- General shipboard deck practices and terminology
- Vessel operation and handling fundamentals
- Responsibilities associated with licensed deck officers
Domain 3: Deck Safety (Q151)
Deck Safety addresses safe operation and emergency readiness aboard vessels.
- Safety equipment and emergency procedures
- Prevention of casualties and pollution
- Safe working practices on deck
Domain 4: Navigation General: Oceans or Near Coastal (Q152)
The official title of Q152 spans Oceans or Near Coastal. For this credential it is applied to the Near Coastal route, and it should be read as one module, not as a second general-navigation requirement stacked on top of another.
- Core navigation concepts and publications
- Reasoning about position, course, and environmental effects
- Navigation judgment at the Near Coastal level
Domain 5: Navigation Problems: Chart Plot (Q153)
Q153 is specifically Chart Plot. It is hands-on chart work, not a generic stand-in for every navigation problem the Coast Guard publishes.
- Plotting positions, courses, and bearings on a chart
- Working compass, distance, and time relationships accurately
- Precision and neatness under the pressure of a timed sitting
Because Chart Plot is a skill performed with tools rather than a body of facts to memorize, many candidates find it rewards repetition differently than the rules and safety modules do. If you are weighing how demanding the whole set is, our piece on how hard the NM2N exam is discusses where candidates tend to struggle.
Why Not Everyone Takes All Five Modules
The five-module figure describes the full original Near Coastal route. It is not a universal count of examinations for every applicant. The NMC also publishes reduced module sets for increases in scope or grade. Two published examples illustrate the idea:
- Extending from Great Lakes/Inland to Near Coastal: a reduced set built around Q150 plus Q152, with Q100 added if a COLREGS limitation applies.
- Raising grade from Master Near Coastal under 100 GRT to Near Coastal under 200 GRT: a set that includes Q156.
These upgrade, raise-of-grade, and route-extension modules are not additional domains of the full original exam. Do not add Q156 to your mental list of "the five" and do not assume every candidate sits for all of them. Likewise, alternative Rules or Navigation General modules must never be counted together as simultaneous requirements; they are alternatives that apply to different situations.
Key Takeaway
Write down the exact module codes on your NMC approval to test before you begin studying. Then map only those codes to the five preparation groups on this page, and set aside anything that is not on your list.
Near Coastal vs. Oceans: Avoiding the Mix-Up
The Oceans or Near Coastal family shares several module titles, which is a common source of confusion. The cleanest way to keep them separate is to remember which module belongs to which option.
| Item | Near Coastal route (this credential) | Oceans option |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation General | Q152, applied to Near Coastal | Q152 title also spans Oceans |
| Chart-based problems | Q153 Chart Plot | Not the Near Coastal chart module |
| Navigation Problems: Oceans | Not part of this scope | Q154 |
The practical rule: Q154 Navigation Problems: Oceans is not part of the Near Coastal scope. If a study resource tells you to master ocean-navigation problem sets for this credential, it is mixing up the options. Stay on the Q153 Chart Plot side.
Who Hires Mariners With This Credential
A Master license on the Near Coastal route points toward operations that run in coastal waters rather than on unlimited ocean voyages. The kinds of employers that typically value this credential include:
- Towing and tug operators working coastal and harbor routes
- Charter, passenger, and excursion vessel operators
- Offshore support and supply vessel companies running shorter coastal legs
- Pilot-boat, ferry, and workboat operators
- Commercial fishing and research vessel operators needing a licensed Master
We will not attach specific earnings to these roles here, because the source packet for this credential does not establish pay figures and we do not invent them. If compensation is your main question, our NM2N salary guide and analysis of whether the certification is worth it frame the decision, and you can browse realistic role types on our NM2N jobs page. For fee mechanics, note that current fees are not established in this packet, so confirm them directly with the NMC; our certification cost overview explains the categories of expense to budget for.
Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Modules
Generic study advice is plentiful, so this section ties scheduling strictly to the five groups. The logic is to put reading-and-judgment modules first and the tool-based chart work last, once your foundations are steady.
Rules of the Road (Q100)
- Learn Inland versus International applicability first
- Practice applying rules to scenarios, since this module rewards application
Deck General and Deck Safety (Q150, Q151)
- Cover these together since seamanship and safety concepts overlap
- Build a terminology list you can revisit
Navigation General (Q152)
- Establish the navigation reasoning that Chart Plot will depend on
Chart Plot (Q153) and mixed review
- Drill plotting repeatedly with your actual tools
- Finish with mixed practice across all five groups
Adjust this to your own approved module list. If you only need Q150 plus Q152, compress accordingly. For a fuller preparation framework, see our NM2N study guide, and when you want realistic repetition, our NM2N practice tests let you drill each group separately before attempting a mixed set. A quick-reference companion is available in the NM2N cheat sheet.
What Is and Is Not Publicly Established
Being honest about the limits of the public record protects you from bad information. Based on the NMC sources reviewed on October 11, 2026, here is what we can and cannot say:
- Published: the module codes, module titles, and topic matrices for the Oceans or Near Coastal family. These are not secret.
- Not established in our packet: percentage weightings per domain, a single overall question count or duration, current fees, and any population pass rate.
That last point is why we avoid quoting a pass rate or a single passing threshold as fact. If you want to understand how people think about those numbers and why they are hard to pin down, read our discussions of the NM2N pass rate and the NM2N passing score. For scheduling, check the NMC and your regional exam center directly, and use our exam dates overview as context rather than as an official calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site it refers to National Master 200 NC, a U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center credential on the Near Coastal route. It is unrelated to other certifications that happen to use a similar abbreviation. See our what is NM2N overview for more.
Five: Q100, Q150, Q151, Q152, and Q153. These cover Rules of the Road, Deck General, Deck Safety, Navigation General, and Chart Plot respectively.
No. Q154 belongs to the Oceans option and is not part of the Near Coastal scope for this credential. Your NMC approval to test confirms exactly which modules you must take.
Not necessarily. The five-module set describes the full original route. Applicants raising grade or extending a route may receive a reduced set, such as Q150 plus Q152 for an extension from Great Lakes/Inland, or a set including Q156 for a raise from under 100 GRT to under 200 GRT.
Not in the sources behind this article. The NMC publishes module headings and topic matrices, but we do not state weightings, a single overall question count or duration, current fees, or a population pass rate. Confirm current details directly with the NMC.