Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
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Overview
Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.
Highlights
Undergraduate program resulting in the highest median salary ($106K): Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Largest undergraduate program (26.1% of workers): Mechanical Engineering
Explore Pathways
Titles for this career often contain these words
EngineerMarineDesignerEquipmentArchitectNavalSpecialistEngineeringStructuralConsultantDesignServiceSurveyorAutomationBoatConsultingTechnicianResearchTestPipingPortProjectPropulsionMachineryShipShipsSupplierQualitySQE
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Responsibilities and activities

Marine engineers typically do the following:

  • Prepare system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics
  • Inspect marine equipment and machinery, and draw up work requests and job specifications
  • Conduct environmental, operational, or performance tests on marine machinery and equipment
  • Design and oversee the testing, installation, and repair of marine equipment
  • Investigate and test machinery and equipment to ensure compliance with standards
  • Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure that repairs and alterations are done safely and at minimal cost
  • Prepare technical reports for use by engineers, managers, or sales personnel
  • Prepare cost estimates, contract specifications, and design and construction schedules
  • Maintain contact with contractors to make sure that the work is being done correctly, on schedule, and within budget

Naval architects typically do the following:

  • Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of a ship, such as its size, weight, and speed
  • Develop sectional and waterline curves of the ship’s hull to establish the center of gravity, the ideal hull form, and data on buoyancy and stability
  • Design entire ship hulls and superstructures, following safety and regulatory standards
  • Design the complete layout of ships’ interiors, including spaces for machinery and auxiliary equipment, passenger compartments, cargo space, ladder wells, and elevators
  • Confer with marine engineers to design the layout of boiler room equipment, heating and ventilation systems, refrigeration equipment, electrical distribution systems, safety systems, steering systems, and propulsion machinery
  • Lead teams from a variety of specialties to oversee building and testing prototypes
  • Evaluate how ships perform during trials, both in the dock and at sea, and change designs as needed to make sure that national and international standards are met

Marine engineers and naval architects apply knowledge from a range of engineering fields to the entire water vehicles’ design and production processes. Marine engineers also design and maintain offshore oil rigs and may work on alternative energy projects, such as wind turbines located offshore and tidal power.

Marine engineers and naval architects who work for ship and boat building firms design large ships, such as passenger ships and cargo ships, as well as small craft, such as inflatable boats and rowboats. Those who work in the federal government may design or test the designs of ships or systems for the Army, Navy, or Coast Guard.

Marine engineers should not be confused with ship engineers, who operate or supervise the operation of the machinery on a ship. For more information on ship engineers, see the profile on water transportation workers.

Salary
Median salary: $95,440 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $76,750 and $118,790.
$95K$0$50K$100K$150K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for marine engineers and naval architects
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$98K$83K$90K$95K$56K$88K$94K$75K$113K$0$50K$100K$150K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
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About Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Communication skills
Marine engineers and naval architects must give clear instructions and explain complex concepts when leading projects.
Ingenuity
Marine engineers and naval architects must use operations analysis to create a design to perform the ship’s functions. They then employ critical-thinking skills to anticipate and correct any deficiencies before the ship is built or set to sea.
Interpersonal skills
Marine engineers and naval architects meet with clients to analyze their needs for ship systems. Engineers must discuss progress with clients to keep redesign options open before the project is too far along.
Math skills
Marine engineers and naval architects use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
Problem-solving skills
Marine engineers must design several systems that work well together in ships. Naval architects and marine engineers are expected to solve problems for their clients. They must draw on their knowledge and experience to make effective decisions.
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by marine engineers and naval architects
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), marine engineers and naval architects typically hold a bachelor's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as marine engineers and naval architects as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for marine engineers and naval architects

Programs in marine engineering and naval architecture typically include courses in calculus, physics, computer-aided design, fluid mechanics, ship hull strength, and mechanics of materials. Most programs also include time at sea, where students gain hands-on experience on a vessel.

Some marine engineering and naval architecture programs are offered at state maritime academies. Students studying at the maritime academies spend time at sea, usually during the summer, to gain onboard operating experience. For more information about state maritime academies, visit the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Programs in engineering and naval architecture are accredited by ABET.

Students interested in preparing for this occupation benefit from taking high school courses in math, such as algebra, trigonometry, and calculus; and science, such as chemistry and physics. For aspiring naval architects, drafting courses are helpful.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for marine engineers and naval architects

Along with earning a bachelor’s degree, students at states’ maritime academies take exams for licensure from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Another type of engineering license is the Professional Engineering (PE) license, which allows for higher levels of leadership and independence and can be acquired later in one’s career. Licensed engineers are called professional engineers (PEs). A PE can oversee the work of other engineers, sign off on projects, and provide services directly to the public. State licensure generally requires

  • A degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program
  • A passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
  • Relevant work experience, typically at least 4 years
  • A passing score on the Professional Engineering (PE) exam

The initial FE exam can be taken after earning a bachelor’s degree. Engineers who pass this exam are commonly called engineers in training (EITs) or engineer interns (EIs). After meeting work experience requirements, EITs and EIs can take the second exam, called the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE).

Education level of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
About 75% of marine engineers and naval architects have at least a bachelor's degree.
Education attained by marine engineers and naval architects
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
Top college degrees
Here are the top college degrees held by the 74% of people in this job who have at least a bachelor's degree. Some of degrees may link to multiple programs due to the way Census classifies college majors. Click on a program to learn more about career opportunities for people who major in that field.
  1. Mechanical Engineering
  2. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
  3. Electrical Engineering
  4. Engineering
  5. Civil Engineering
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College majors held by marine engineers and naval architects
This table shows the college majors held by people working as marine engineers and naval architects. If you see "**" before the name of a degree/program, that means this field is one that the Department of Education believes is preparatory for this career. However, you can see from this list that those recommendations are far from your only path to this job!
Salary comparison for bachelor's only
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Career salary (tail) versus Career/Major salary (dot)
Does the bachelor's-only salary rise or fall with this major?
$79K$106K
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Salary for all workers
For people with this career and major
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Education for Career and Major
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The link between degrees and this career
With the following sankey diagram, you can follow the top ten bachelor's degrees held by people working as marine engineers and naval architects, and then, in turn, you can see the 10 occupations that hire the most of each degree's graduates. We hope this provides ideas for similar jobs and similar fields of study.
Expand degrees
Mechanical Engineeri...Naval Architecture a...Electrical Engineeri...General EngineeringCivil EngineeringAerospace Engineerin...Chemical EngineeringBusiness Management ...PhysicsIndustrial and Manuf...All other degreesThis jobTop 10 majors
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects per 1,000 workers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most marine engineers and naval architects? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as marine engineers and naval architects. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where marine engineers and naval architects earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for marine engineers and naval architects compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for marine engineers and naval architects.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which marine engineers and naval architects earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
2% of Marine engineers and naval architects are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 2% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 94% of careers.
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Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of marine engineers and naval architects by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$85K$85K$86K$0$50,000$100,000$150,000Federal governmentPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Marine engineers and naval architects and gender
With 10% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 80% of careers.
Gender of Marine engineers and naval architects
Men (90%)
Women (10%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$74K$87K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
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Context: Salary inequity
The median salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%. The situation is a little better for marine engineers and naval architects, with the median salary for men 17% higher than the median salary for women.
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Race/Origin
Race and origin of Marine engineers and naval architects
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Marine engineers and naval architects.
Race/origin of marine engineers and naval architects
White (82% )
Asian (8% )
Black (7% )
Multiracial (2% )
Other (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Hispanic (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$61K$85K$87K$88K$0$50K$100K$150KBlackAsianWhiteMultiracial
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.