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Marine Science Officer Major

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Marine Science Officer

22 Associates's Degrees Annually
388 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
#194 in Popularity (Associate's)
$75,710 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Marine Science Officer Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many marine science/merchant marine officer graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 388
Associate Degree 22
Undergraduate Certificate 2

What Marine Science Officer Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, marine science/merchant marine officer majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Majors

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

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  • 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

marine science/merchant marine officer majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • 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

A major in marine science/merchant marine officer will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • 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 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 an Associate’s Degree in Marine Science Officer?

22 Associate's Degrees Annually
9% Percent Women
27% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major tends to be male dominated. About 91% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of marine science/merchant marine officer majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 0
Black or African American 2
Hispanic or Latino 4
White 14
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 2

How Much Do Marine Science Officer Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $75,710 to $82,380 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to marine science/merchant marine officer. 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.

Median Salary for a Marine Science Officer Major  ( 75710 to 82380 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

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. 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 science/merchant marine officer have obtained the following education levels.

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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 Officer Programs

In 2020-2021, 12 schools offered a marine science/merchant marine officer 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) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 3 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 3 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

Is a Degree in Marine Science Officer Worth It?

The median salary for a marine science/merchant marine officer 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!

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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 734
Other Marine Transportation 57

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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