Marine Transportation Major

Marine transportation is a major that typically falls into the Transportation & Materials Moving category.

There are 13 programs available throughout the country that offer an associate’s degree in marine transport, 7 that offer a bachelor’s degree, and 0 that offer a master’s degree.

Who Is Getting a Marine Transport Degree?

Marine transportation is one of the least chosen majors in the country, ranked #192 in popularity. About 500 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in the field in 2017. This major tends to be male dominated. About 87.6% of recent graduates are men.

Racial Distribution

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

• Asian: 3.6%
• Black or African American: 1.8%
• Hispanic or Latino: 8.6%
• White: 77.4%
• Non-Resident Alien: 3.3%
• Other Races: 5.1%

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in marine transport. About 3.3% of those graduating in 2017 were international students. The most popular countries sending marine transport majors to the U.S. are Panama, South Korea and Bahamas.

What Will You Learn as a Marine Transportation Major?

An O*NET survey asked people with careers related to marine transport 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 Marine Transport Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

Skills for Marine Transport Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to marine transport:

Abilities for Marine Transport Majors

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

What Can You Do With a Marine Transport Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with marine transport:

Careers Related to Marine Transportation

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

Marine Transportation Major Salary

Marine transport majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $59,000 to $82,000. 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.

The area of the country you choose to work in will also affect your career and salary prospects. Getting a graduate degree may open up more options with higher salary potential.

Amount of Education Required for Marine Transportation Major Jobs

Some careers associated with marine transport 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 education 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 Levels for Careers Associated With Marine Transportation

Level of Education	Percentage of Workers
Less Than a High School Diploma	3.4%
High School Diploma or Equivalent	34.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate	43.8%
Some College Courses	7.2%
Associate's Degree or Equivalent	4.5%
Bachelor's Degree	5.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate	0%
Master's Degree	0.6%
Post-Master's Certificate	0%
First Professional Degree	0.6%
Doctoral Degree	0%
Post-Doctoral Training	0%

Online Marine Transportation Programs

There are 7 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation, 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.

Online learners benefit from being able to watch lectures remotely and complete coursework on their schedule, but they also take longer to graduate than average and are more likely to dropout.

Is a Marine Transportation Major Worth It?

The median salary for a marine transport grad is $76,000 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 95% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $736,200 after 20 years!

Related Majors

• Air Transportation
• Ground Transportation
• Marine Transportation
• Transportation & Materials Moving

References

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