Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer

Types of Degrees Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	421
Undergraduate Certificate	34
Associate Degree	25

What Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to marine science/merchant marine officer 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 Science/Merchant Marine Officer Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• 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.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Majors

When studying marine science/merchant marine officer, 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 Science/Merchant Marine Officer Majors

Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer 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 Science/Merchant Marine Officer Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with marine science/merchant marine officer:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
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 Science/Merchant Marine Officer?

This major attracts more men than women. About 84% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of marine science/merchant marine officer 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 Science/Merchant Marine Officer 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 Science/Merchant Marine Officer

Some degrees associated with marine science/merchant marine officer 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for marine science/merchant marine officer careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	4.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	40.2%
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)	38.2%
Some College Courses	7.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	6.0%
Master’s Degree	0.7%
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.	0.8%

Online Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer 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)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	4	0
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 Science/Merchant Marine Officer

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to marine science/merchant marine officer.

Major	Number of Grads
Diver, Professional & Instructor	632
Other Marine Transportation	61

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.