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Operational Oceanography

Types of Degrees Operational Oceanography Majors Are Earning

Those studying Operational Oceanography can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	13

What Operational Oceanography Majors Need to Know

Studies in Operational Oceanography develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Operational Oceanography graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Operational Oceanography emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Operational Oceanography program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Operational Oceanography careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Operational Oceanography graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Operational Oceanography professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—
Data acquisition software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Operational Oceanography graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Fiber Optics Design Technician (Fiber Optics Design Tech)
• Optics Test Technician (Optics Test Tech)
• Electro-Optics Technician (Electro-Optics Tech)
• Optical Manufacturing Technician (Optical Manufacturing Tech)
• Medical Laser Technician (Medical Laser Tech)
• Laser Scanners Technician (Laser Scanners Tech)
• Mobile Laser Technician (Mobile Laser Tech)
• Laser Operator
• Certified Laser Technician (Certified Laser Tech)
• Optoelectronic Technician (Optoelectronic Tech)
• Fiber Technician (Fiber Tech)
• Splicing Technician (Splicing Tech)
• Fiber Optics Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Operational Oceanography graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	47.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	25.4%
Bachelor’s degree	9.2%
Postsecondary certificate	6.9%
Some college courses	6.8%
Master’s degree	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Operational Oceanography?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 69.2% of Operational Oceanography degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4	30.8%
Men	9	69.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Operational Oceanography graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	12	92.3%
Race Unknown	1	7.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Operational Oceanography Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Operational Oceanography graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$89,751
5 years	$58,787

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $58,787 — roughly -34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Military Applied Sciences	29.03
Combat Systems Engineering	29.0301
Directed Energy Systems	29.0302
Engineering Acoustics	29.0303
Low-Observables and Stealth Technology	29.0304
Military Applied Sciences, Other	29.0399
Space Systems Operations	29.0305
Undersea Warfare	29.0307

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.