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Undersea Warfare

Types of Degrees Undersea Warfare Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Undersea Warfare may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	40

What Undersea Warfare Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Undersea Warfare 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

Skills developed in a Undersea Warfare 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Undersea Warfare 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, Undersea Warfare 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 Undersea Warfare professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Undersea Warfare graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Fiber Optics Cabling Specialist
• Laser Operator
• Laser Technician (Laser Tech)
• Photonics Engineer
• Fiber Optics Instructor
• Optical Fabrication Technician (Optical Fabrication Tech)
• Fiber Technician (Fiber Tech)
• Photonics Laboratory Technician (Photonics Lab Tech)
• Mobile Technician (Mobile Tech)
• Installation Technician (Installation Tech)
• Splicing Technician (Splicing Tech)
• Photonics Technician (Photonics Tech)
• Strain Technician (Strain Tech)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Undersea Warfare 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 Undersea Warfare?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 80% of Undersea Warfare degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8	20.0%
Men	32	80.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Undersea Warfare graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	28	70.0%
Hispanic or Latino	3	7.5%
Black or African American	1	2.5%
Two or More Races	1	2.5%
International Students	7	17.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Undersea Warfare Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Undersea Warfare graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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
Operational Oceanography	29.0306
Space Systems Operations	29.0305

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.