At MIT you can earn your "Pirate Certificate" by taking courses in pistol use, archery, sailing, and fencing.

MIT, or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a private university with five schools and one college, with a total of 32 academic departments. If you’ve been on the internet long enough, you’ve probably heard someone say something favorable about MIT. MIT’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation now issues pirate certificates to students who complete the requirements. 

In order to earn a pirate certificate, one has to pass the four physical education courses above, and also (allegedly) take a secret oath. What do students get for it all? Well aside from an accomplished feeling gained from converting Facebook to pirate mode, students are awarded certificates on fake parchment. Of course all of this is for “entertainment purposes only,” so it doesn’t really come with any other perks. Still, “I got my pirate degree” is a pretty good icebreaker. 

(Source)