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Marine Engineering Major

Marine Engineering

391 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
34 Master's Degrees Annually
#220 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Marine Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many marine engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 326
Master’s Degree 33
Undergraduate Certificate 16
Graduate Certificate 8
Doctor’s Degree 6
Associate Degree 1

What Marine Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to marine engineering were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Marine Engineering Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in marine engineering should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

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  • Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Skills for Marine Engineering Majors

When studying marine engineering, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Marine Engineering Majors

As you progress with your marine engineering degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

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  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Marine Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with marine engineering:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers 5.5% $140,760
Engineering Professors 14.7% $101,720
Marine Architects 12.2% $92,560
Marine Engineers 12.2% $92,560

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Engineering?

326 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
18% Percent Women
18% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 391 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering in 2021, making it rank #220 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 82% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of marine engineering majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 16
Black or African American 7
Hispanic or Latino 20
White 254
International Students 6
Other Races/Ethnicities 23

Geographic Diversity

Marine Engineering appeals to people across the globe. About 1.8% of those with this major are international students.

Some degrees associated with marine engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to marine engineering have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 0.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 3.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 3.0%
Some College Courses 1.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 1.0%
Bachelor’s Degree 47.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 3.8%
Master’s Degree 15.8%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 2.6%
Doctoral Degree 17.8%
Post-Doctoral Training 2.6%

Online Marine Engineering Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 1 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 1 0
Bachelor’s Degree 4 2
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 4 2
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to marine engineering.

Major Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering 43,522
Electrical Engineering 27,809
Civil Engineering 20,728
Computer Engineering 18,973
Biomedical Engineering 14,006
General Engineering 12,241
Chemical Engineering 11,830
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 9,220
Industrial Engineering 8,722
Systems Engineering 4,148
Materials Engineering 3,397
Other Engineering 3,221
Environmental Engineering 3,012
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 1,988
Operations Research 1,907
Robotics Engineering 1,759
Engineering Science 1,338
Agricultural Engineering 1,328
Construction Engineering 1,284
Architectural Engineering 1,090
Engineering Physics 1,047
Manufacturing Engineering 942
Petroleum Engineering 941
Nuclear Engineering 885
Biological Engineering 411
Geoscience Engineering 315
Mining Engineering 300
Textile Engineering 292
Ocean Engineering 290
Polymer & Plastics Engineering 290
Engineering Mechanics 209
Metallurgical Engineering 195
Energy Systems Engineering 187
Biochemical Engineering 141
Surveying Engineering 123
Ceramic Engineering 60
Forest Engineering 57
Paper Science & Engineering 48
Electromechanical Engineering 47
Engineering Chemistry 27

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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