Marine Transportation

Types of Degrees Marine Transportation 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
Bachelor’s Degree	544
Basic Certificate	527
Undergraduate Certificate	383
Associate Degree	39

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

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in marine transport should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

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

• 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?

Below is a list of occupations associated with marine transport:

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 an Associate’s Degree in Marine Transportation?

Marine Transportation runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #48 out of all the trade school majors we track. In 2021, about 47 graduates completed their associate’s degree in this field. This major attracts more men than women. About 90% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	9
White	26
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Marine Transportation Majors Make?

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 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, 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for marine transport careers below.

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

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)	9	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	12	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

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!

Trades 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	21,480
Air Transportation	10,326
Other Transportation & Materials Moving	7

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.