Marine Transport

Types of Degrees Marine Transport Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	426
Bachelor’s Degree	421
Basic Certificate	276
Associate Degree	50

What Marine Transport Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to marine transport and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Marine Transport Majors

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

• Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills for Marine Transport Majors

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

• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• 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.

Abilities for Marine Transport Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a marine transport student include the following:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Marine Transport Major?

People with a marine transport degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Commercial Divers	9.8%	$49,140
Mates- Ship, Boat, and Barge	8.8%	$69,180
Pilots, Ship	8.8%	$69,180
Ship and Boat Captains	8.8%	$69,180
Ship Engineers	6.9%	$71,130

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

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 388 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation in 2021, making it rank #221 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 84% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	13
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	27
White	333
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	42

Geographic Diversity

Marine Transport appeals to people across the globe. About 0.7% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Marine Transport

Some degrees associated with marine transport may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	34.9%
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)	43.8%
Some College Courses	7.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	5.9%
Master’s Degree	0.6%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.6%

Online Marine Transport 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)	10	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	13	1
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Marine Transport

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

Major	Number of Grads
Ground Transportation	24,115
Air Transportation	10,445
Other Transportation & Materials Moving	18

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.