Students are also required to learn the principles of archaeological conservation, with primary emphasis on the treatment of waterlogged artifacts.
The program has six full-time faculty members and many research associates who conduct surveys, excavations, conservation and reconstruction of ancient, medieval, and early modern shipwrecks.
All NAP students are required to take several core courses: History of Wooden Shipbuilding, Research and Reconstruction of Ships, Conservation of Cultural Resources, and Archaeological Methods and Theory.
CMAC is meant to be the Nautical counterpart of the Center for the Study of the First Americans (CSFA), a highly regarded research institute affiliated with Texas A&M which works closely with the terrestrial archaeologists in the Anthropology department.
[5] NAP professors direct most of INA's projects, since the security offered by their permanent positions allows a long-term commitment to excavation and publishing.