Marine Transportation
Featured schools near , edit
Types of Degrees Marine Transportation Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many marine transportation graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 592 |
Basic Certificate | 581 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 282 |
Associate’s Degree | 65 |
What Marine Transportation 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
When studying marine transport, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

- 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
Marine Transport majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

- 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 Transportation 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 Transportation?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of marine transport majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 18 |
Black or African American | 9 |
Hispanic or Latino | 46 |
White | 463 |
International Students | 7 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 49 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Marine Transport, too. About 1.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- Panama
- South Korea
- Bahamas
- Bermuda
- Turkey
How Much Do Marine Transportation Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a bachelor’s degree in marine transport was $77,900 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $72,950 (25th percentile) and $88,400 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to marine transport.
Salaries According to BLS
Marine Transport majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $59,470 to $82,380 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Marine Transportation
Some careers associated with marine transport require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
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 Transportation Programs
In 2018-2019, 30 schools offered a marine transport program of some type. 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) | 16 | 1 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 6 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 12 | 1 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 16 | 1 |
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 |
Is a Degree in Marine Transportation Worth It?
The median salary for a marine transport grad is $75,710 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 90% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $716,200 after 20 years!

Top Ranking Lists for Marine Transportation
Explore Major by State
Alabama
Arkansas
Connecticut
Florida
Idaho
Iowa
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Vermont
West Virginia
Majors Related to Marine Transportation
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to marine transport.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Ground Transportation | 18,786 |
Air Transportation | 8,449 |
Other Transportation & Materials Moving | 11 |
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.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |