- The Short Answer: What the Letters Point To
- Reading the Name: National Master 200 GL and Inland
- Who Governs It: The National Maritime Center
- What the GLI05 Scope Covers
- The Five Module Groups Behind the Name
- Alternatives and Neighboring Modules You Should Not Confuse
- Why the Label Confuses People
- Who Pursues This Endorsement and Where It Is Used
- Matching Your Preparation to the Module Structure
- Where to Go Next
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NM2GI here means National Master 200 GL and Inland, a U.S. Coast Guard mariner endorsement for vessels under 200 GRT.
- The governing body is the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, and the scope code is GLI05.
- The full route has five module groups: Rules, Deck General, Deck Safety, Navigation General, and Chart Plot.
- Q100 and Q300 are alternatives, so they never count as two separate requirements.
The Short Answer: What the Letters Point To
On this site, NM2GI stands for National Master 200 GL and Inland. It is a shorthand for the mariner credential covering Master or Mate of vessels less than 200 gross register tons (GRT) on Great Lakes and Inland waters, administered through the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC). The Coast Guard's own scope identifier for this route is GLI05.
The acronym is a convenience label rather than an official Coast Guard abbreviation. If you have landed here after searching for the meaning, the rest of this article unpacks every piece of the name, explains what the credential actually requires, and clears up the common ways people mix it up with neighboring endorsements. For a quick companion read, see What Does NM2GI Mean? and NM2GI Meaning.
Reading the Name: National Master 200 GL and Inland
Each word in the label carries meaning. Breaking it apart is the fastest way to understand what the credential is and is not.
| Part of the Name | What It Signals |
|---|---|
| National | A U.S. national-level endorsement issued under Coast Guard authority, rather than an international convention (STCW) endorsement. |
| Master | The top deck license grade for the vessel size covered. The GLI05 scope addresses Master or Mate. |
| 200 | Vessels less than 200 gross register tons (GRT). |
| GL | Great Lakes waters. |
| Inland | Inland waters, which carry their own rules-of-the-road framework. |
Put together, the phrase describes a deck officer endorsement for a mid-sized class of vessels operating on the Great Lakes and inland waterways. For a plain-language overview of the credential as a whole, see What Is NM2GI? and What Is NM2GI Certification?.
Who Governs It: The National Maritime Center
The governing body is the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center. The NMC is the Coast Guard's centralized office for mariner credentialing and it publishes the examination modules and topic matrices for each route. That public availability matters: the content scope is not a secret. The NMC lists the modules and the topics each one covers, so candidates can see precisely what is examined.
Two practical points follow from this:
- Your approval controls your exam. The NMC determines which modules you personally must take. The approval to test you receive is the authoritative statement of your requirements.
- Published guidance has a date. The deck and engineering examination guide referenced for this route is the published document reflecting regulations effective March 24, 2014. It is not a freshly issued 2026 blueprint, although current NMC matrices corroborate the same module headings. The relevant reference in that guide is section 2.1.2.3, printed page 27.
What the GLI05 Scope Covers
GLI05 is the Coast Guard's scope designation for Master or Mate less than 200 GRT on Great Lakes and Inland waters. When people ask what NM2GI "stands for" in practice, GLI05 is the closest official anchor: it ties the endorsement to a defined set of examination modules.
Those modules are published by the NMC and are organized by subject: collision-avoidance rules, general deck knowledge, safety, navigation general, and chart-plot navigation problems. The sections below walk through them one at a time. If you want the domain-by-domain treatment in more depth, our NM2GI Exam Domains guide covering all five content areas goes further.
The Five Module Groups Behind the Name
For the full route, preparation breaks into five module groups. These are issuer-published examination modules, grouped here as unweighted, route-aware preparation areas. No percentage weighting is established for them, so treat each as something you must be ready for rather than something to ration by assumed weight.
Domain 1: Rules of the Road, Inland and International (Q100)
The collision-avoidance rules module. Great Lakes and Inland routes use Q100, which covers both Inland and International rules.
- Inland-only Q300 is an alternative for the applicable restricted route
- Q100 and Q300 are never both required at once
- Candidates must know which rules framework governs the waters they will work
Domain 2: Deck General (Q340)
Broad deck-department knowledge expected of a master or mate of a vessel in this size class.
- Seamanship and vessel operations fundamentals
- General deck practices and responsibilities
Domain 3: Deck Safety (Q341)
The safety-focused module for deck officers.
- Shipboard safety knowledge and emergency preparedness
- Responsibilities of the licensed officer for vessel and crew safety
Domain 4: Navigation General, Great Lakes and Inland (Q342)
Navigation theory and practice relevant to Great Lakes and Inland waters.
- Charts, publications, and aids to navigation
- Navigation concepts specific to these waters
Domain 5: Navigation Problems, Chart Plot (Q343)
The hands-on plotting module. It is required in the full-exam structure and must not be omitted from your preparation.
- Working practical chart-plot problems
- Applying navigation concepts to produce answers on a chart
The exact full-route module sets are:
| Route | Module Set | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes and Inland | Q100, Q340, Q341, Q342, Q343 | 5 modules |
| Inland | Q100 OR Q300, Q340, Q341, Q342, Q343 | 5 modules |
Notice the "OR" in the Inland row. That single word is the source of much confusion, which the next section addresses.
Alternatives and Neighboring Modules You Should Not Confuse
One reason the name causes trouble is that several related Coast Guard module codes sit near each other. Keeping them straight prevents over-studying and miscounting.
Q100 versus Q300
These are alternatives, not two extra domains. Great Lakes and Inland uses Q100. An Inland route may use Q300 when the applicable COLREGS limitation is accepted. Do not add them together when counting your requirements.
Q345 and Q346 are separate routes
- Q345 (Navigation and Deck General/Safety) is a separate raise-of-grade module for moving from Master under 100 GRT to Master/Mate under 200 GRT.
- Q346 is a separate route for an OUPV moving to Mate under 200 GRT. It is not an extra module bolted onto a Master-original exam.
Key Takeaway
Upgrade, raise-of-grade, and route-extension modules are not additional domains of the full original exam. The "five groups" figure describes the full-route structure only; it is not a universal count of exams for every applicant. Always defer to the modules named in your own NMC approval to test.
If you are weighing how demanding the whole package is, our NM2GI difficulty guide discusses what makes certain modules harder than others.
Why the Label Confuses People
There are three recurring sources of confusion worth naming directly.
- It is a nickname, not an official title. The Coast Guard speaks in scope codes like GLI05 and module codes like Q342. "NM2GI" is a compact label used for search and study purposes.
- Module counting goes wrong. People see five groups and assume five exams for everyone. In reality the number depends on your route, your existing credentials, and what the NMC approves.
- Alternatives get stacked. Q100 and Q300 are options, and treating them as simultaneous requirements inflates the workload in the candidate's mind.
You will see related phrasing across our site. If a variant of the question brought you here, these short explainers cover the same ground from slightly different angles: What Does NM2GI Stand For?, What Is A NM2GI?, and NM2GI Certification.
Who Pursues This Endorsement and Where It Is Used
The endorsement is aimed at deck officers who command or serve as mate on vessels under 200 GRT operating on the Great Lakes and inland waters. That covers a wide range of commercial operations on those waters. Rather than guessing at employer lists or pay figures, it is more reliable to look at the actual job market for your region and vessel type. Our pages on NM2GI jobs and the NM2GI salary guide discuss career context, and Is the NM2GI Certification Worth It? frames the decision.
On the cost side, current fees are not established in the material behind this article, so rather than quote numbers that may be out of date, check the issuer's current fee information directly. Our certification cost breakdown explains the categories of expense to expect.
Eligibility is a separate matter from the exam itself. Sea service, documentation, and other prerequisites are handled through the NMC application process, and the NM2GI requirements guide outlines how candidates typically qualify. Registration flows through that application: you apply, the NMC reviews, and you receive an approval to test that names your modules.
Matching Your Preparation to the Module Structure
Because the five groups differ in character, it helps to sequence them deliberately. This is the one place in the article where we lean on a study framework, and only in service of the module structure above.
Rules of the Road (Q100 or Q300)
- Confirm from your approval whether you are assigned Q100 or Q300
- Learn the rules framework first, since collision avoidance underpins later navigation work
Deck General and Deck Safety (Q340, Q341)
- Work through general deck knowledge, then safety topics
- These are knowledge-heavy and pair well together
Navigation General (Q342)
- Build the theory that the chart-plot module will apply
Chart Plot (Q343)
- Practice plotting repeatedly, since it is a hands-on skill
- Revisit weaker modules from earlier weeks
The logic: Chart Plot sits last because it depends on Navigation General, and Rules comes first because it frames everything else. For a fuller plan, see our NM2GI Study Guide and the one-page NM2GI cheat sheet. Candidates who want structured drilling can also use the NM2GI practice test site to rehearse in an exam-style setting, and our training overview covers broader preparation options.
Where to Go Next
Now that the name is decoded, your next moves depend on where you are in the process. If you are still deciding, read the worth-it analysis. If you are ready to qualify, start with requirements. If you are scheduling, check the exam dates guide. And if you are curious about outcomes, our pages on the passing score and pass rate explain what is and is not publicly established. To start practicing right away, head to the main practice test.
Key Takeaway
Treat the NMC's published module list and your own approval to test as the final word. Use this site's five-group structure as an organizing aid, and verify details against the issuer's pages before you commit time or money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here it stands for National Master 200 GL and Inland, a U.S. Coast Guard endorsement for Master or Mate of vessels less than 200 GRT on Great Lakes and Inland waters. The Coast Guard's scope code for it is GLI05.
No. It is a shorthand label. The National Maritime Center uses scope codes such as GLI05 and module codes such as Q100, Q340, Q341, Q342, and Q343 rather than the NM2GI acronym.
The full route is organized into five module groups, but that is not a universal count for every applicant. Your National Maritime Center approval to test names your assigned modules, and alternatives like Q100 and Q300 are never counted together.
They are alternative rules-of-the-road modules. Great Lakes and Inland uses Q100, while an Inland route may use Q300 when the applicable COLREGS limitation is accepted. You would not be required to take both for the same route.
No. Q345 is a separate raise-of-grade module from Master under 100 GRT to Master/Mate under 200 GRT, and Q346 is a separate route from OUPV to Mate under 200 GRT. Neither is an extra domain in a Master-original full exam.