Ocean Engineering Major

Ocean engineering is a major that typically falls into the Engineering category.

There are 0 programs available throughout the country that offer an associate’s degree in OE, 6 that offer a bachelor’s degree, and 11 that offer a master’s degree. There are also at least 9 schools in the nation where you can get your doctorate degree in the field.

Who Is Getting an OE Degree?

This is a less frequently chosen major. Only 200 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering in 2017. This major tends to be male dominated. About 71.1% of recent graduates are men.

Racial Distribution

At the countrywide level, the racial distribution of OE majors is as follows:

• Asian: 6.7%
  
• Black or African American: 1.5%
  
• Hispanic or Latino: 9.3%
  
• White: 72.2%
  
• Non-Resident Alien: 3.6%
  
• Other Races: 6.7%
  
  

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in OE. About 3.6% of those graduating in 2017 were international students. The most popular countries sending OE majors to the U.S. are China, India and South Korea.

What Will You Learn as an Ocean Engineering Major?

An O*NET survey asked people with careers related to OE to rate how important certain subject areas were to their job. The following are some of the results of that survey. Importance was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for OE Majors

OE majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

Skills for OE Majors

OE majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

Abilities for OE Majors

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

What Can You Do With an OE Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with OE:

Careers Related to Ocean Engineering

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Biochemical Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720

Ocean Engineering Major Salary

OE majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $99,000 to $149,000. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, the typical high school graduate makes between $29,000 and $57,000 a year. The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $44,000 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,000 and $120,000.

Your salary will be largely dependent on the career path you follow and what area of the country (or world) you work. Getting a graduate degree may open up more options with higher salary potential.

Amount of Education Required for Ocean Engineering Major Jobs

Some careers associated with OE 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for OE careers below.

Education Levels for Careers Associated With Ocean Engineering

Level of Education	Percentage of Workers
Less Than a High School Diploma	0%
High School Diploma or Equivalent	0%
Post-Secondary Certificate	1.2%
Some College Courses	0%
Associate's Degree or Equivalent	0.8%
Bachelor's Degree	47.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate	4.8%
Master's Degree	20.8%
Post-Master's Certificate	3.3%
First Professional Degree	1.2%
Doctoral Degree	17.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.3%

Online Ocean Engineering Programs

There are 6 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering, with 0 of them offering at least some courses online.

Online learners must listen or watch video lectures, participate in group chats or forums, submit papers and assignments electronically, take tests, and meet deadlines.

Getting your degree online is not easy and includes watching and listening to hours of lectures, participating in group charts, submitting papers by the appropriate deadline and taking tests. Some online programs will also feature internships or in-person clinical hours.

Is an Ocean Engineering Major Worth It?

The median salary for an OE grad is $114,000 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 192% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,495,600 after 20 years!

Related Majors

• General Engineering
  
• Aeronautical Engineering
  
• Agricultural Engineering
  
• Architectural Engineering
  
• Biomedical Engineering
  
• Ceramic Engineering
  
• Chemical Engineering
  
• Civil Engineering
  
• Computer Engineering
  
• Electrical Engineering
  
• Engineering Mechanics
  
• Engineering Physics
  
• Engineering Science
  
• Environmental Engineering
  
• Materials Engineering
  
• Mechanical Engineering
  
• Metallurgical Engineering
  
• Mining Engineering
  
• Marine Engineering
  
• Nuclear Engineering
  
• Ocean Engineering
  
• Petroleum Engineering
  
• Systems Engineering
  
• Textile Engineering
  
• Polymer & Plastics Engineering
  
• Construction Engineering
  
• Forest Engineering
  
• Industrial Engineering
  
• Manufacturing Engineering
  
• Operations Research
  
• Surveying Engineering
  
• Geoscience Engineering
  
• Paper Science & Engineering
  
• Electromechanical Engineering
  
• Robotics Engineering
  
• Biochemical Engineering
  
• Engineering Chemistry
  
• Biological Engineering
  
• Other Engineering
  
  

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
O*NET Online
Image Credit: Jplourde umaine via License