undergradly.
Major · Transportation & Materials Moving

A licensure-gated bachelor’s with rare six-figure earnings ceilings

Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer prepares students to sit for U.S. Coast Guard licensing as deck or engine officers on commercial vessels. About 543 degrees are awarded each year across 9 colleges, and the five-year bachelor’s earnings median is $117,912 — among the highest of any undergraduate major on this site.

Schools offering
9
Annual completions
543
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$118k

About this major

Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer is a licensure-gated bachelor’s built around U.S. Coast Guard officer-credential requirements and the international STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) framework. The CIP definition covers maritime traditions and law, maritime policy and economics, commercial marine operations management, basic naval architecture, shipboard power systems engineering, crew supervision, and administrative procedures. Coursework is paired with cadet cruises and cadet shipping rotations that build the sea time required to sit for the entry-grade USCG license — Third Mate on the deck side or Third Assistant Engineer on the engine side. The degree is the gatekeeping credential that, in turn, gates the gatekeeping credential: the USCG Merchant Mariner Credential.

Program scale is small and concentrated. About 543 degrees are awarded each year across 9 colleges, and seven USCG-approved maritime academies do almost all of the work. SUNY Maritime College leads with 139 completions, followed by California State University Maritime Academy (94), the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point (94), Massachusetts Maritime Academy (56), Maine Maritime Academy (54), Texas A&M University-College Station (53, through the Galveston campus), and Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes Maritime Academy (41). USMMA is the only federal academy — tuition is free in exchange for a Naval Reserve commission and a required maritime-industry service obligation. The state academies charge tuition but lead to the same license.

The earnings picture is unusual for an undergraduate major. The five-year bachelor’s median is $117,912 — substantially higher than most undergraduate destinations on this site — and the BLS career list points at three SOC destinations: ship engineers (53-5031, $101,320 median, 1.6% projected growth), captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels (53-5021, $85,540, 0.5% growth), and motorboat operators (53-5022, $51,880, 1.4% growth). The pay reflects a structural feature of U.S. maritime labor: the Jones Act reserves coastwise commercial trade for U.S.-flag, U.S.-licensed-officer vessels, and unionized U.S.-flag deep-sea wages for Third Mate and Third Assistant Engineer positions regularly clear $90K–$130K within the first few years of sailing, with senior officer pay reaching $150K–$300K+ on rotation contracts.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels $86k +0.5% Postsecondary nondegree award
Ship engineers $101k +1.6% Postsecondary nondegree award
Motorboat operators $52k +1.4% Postsecondary nondegree award
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$118k

Who this major is for

Students drawn to ships, navigation, and the practical mechanics of running a vessel — rather than the academic side of marine science — are the strongest fit. Acceptance of a 60-to-90-day-at-sea rotation lifestyle, in exchange for entry-level officer wages above $90K, signals real readiness for the field. Mechanical and procedural work tends to suit the curriculum better than abstract theory. The credential ladder is clear and structured (Third Mate to Captain on the deck side, Third Assistant Engineer to Chief Engineer on the engine side), which appeals to students who want a defined progression rather than an ambiguous career path. Applicants should also be prepared to apply specifically to one of seven USCG-approved maritime academies, including USMMA Kings Point, where free federal tuition comes paired with a Naval Reserve commission and a service obligation.

Reconsider this major if extended time away from family or partners would damage your wellbeing, because that schedule is the defining tradeoff of the highest-paying jobs in the field and is the leading reason graduates exit the industry within their first ten years. This route is also a poor fit if your real interest is designing ships rather than operating them — Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (CIP 14.2201) is the ABET engineering track for shipbuilding work and does not produce a USCG license. Broad career optionality outside maritime is limited because the curriculum and credential are tightly specialized and don’t translate cleanly into non-maritime roles. Verify USCG medical and physical eligibility before enrolling — vision, certain cardiovascular conditions, and some treatment histories can disqualify applicants from sailing under a Merchant Mariner Credential, and the medical exam should happen before the first significant tuition or training investment, not after.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY 2 137 139
California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA 0 94 94
United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY 0 94 94
Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA 0 56 56
Maine Maritime Academy Castine, ME 3 51 54
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 53 53
Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City, MI 0 41 41
San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX 12 0 12
Alpena Community College Alpena, MI 0 0 0
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General

5,383 completions/yr

Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew

1,633 completions/yr

Aviation/Airway Management and Operations

1,211 completions/yr

Air Traffic Controller

153 completions/yr

Airline Flight Attendant

21 completions/yr

Flight Instructor

20 completions/yr

Marine Transportation, Other

6 completions/yr

Diver, Professional and Instructor

4 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does this major actually train you to do?
Train as a watchstanding officer on commercial vessels — the people who navigate the ship, run the engine room, or supervise crew under maritime law. The CIP definition covers maritime law and tradition, maritime policy and economics, basic naval architecture, shipboard power systems, crew supervision, and administrative procedures, but the practical core is preparing for U.S. Coast Guard officer-license exams. The bachelor’s funnels into a Merchant Mariner Credential at either Third Mate (deck) or Third Assistant Engineer (engine) grade, plus the international STCW endorsements required to sail outside U.S. waters. Programs build the required sea time into the degree through summer cruises and cadet shipping rotations, which is why almost all degrees come from seven USCG-approved maritime academies.
Why is the $117,912 five-year bachelor’s median so high for a small major?
Because the credential it produces — a USCG officer license — feeds directly into a unionized labor market where senior pay reaches $150K–$300K+. Three SOC destinations anchor the major: ship engineers (53-5031, $101,320 median, 1.6% growth), captains/mates/pilots of water vessels (53-5021, $85,540, 0.5% growth), and motorboat operators (53-5022, $51,880, 1.4% growth). Entry-level Third Mate or Third Assistant Engineer wages on U.S.-flag deep-sea vessels (MEBA, MM&P, or SIU contracts) regularly clear $90K–$130K within the first few years, which is consistent with the $117,912 figure. The median pay reflects a structural feature of the labor market: U.S.-flag merchant vessels are protected under the Jones Act and require U.S.-licensed officers, which keeps wages at the licensed-officer level high relative to most undergraduate destinations.
Which schools award this degree, and does the choice between them matter?
Nine colleges report completions, but seven USCG-approved maritime academies dominate the field. SUNY Maritime (139 completions) and California State University Maritime Academy (94) lead, followed by the United States Merchant Marine Academy (94) at Kings Point, Massachusetts Maritime Academy (56), Maine Maritime Academy (54), Texas A&M-Galveston (53 within the larger Texas A&M-College Station unit), and Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes Maritime Academy (41). USMMA is the only federal academy — tuition is free in exchange for a service obligation that includes a Naval Reserve commission and required maritime-industry employment after graduation. The state academies (SUNY Maritime, Cal Maritime, Mass Maritime, Maine Maritime, Texas A&M Galveston, Great Lakes Maritime) charge tuition but lead to the same USCG license. Choice of academy shapes which oceans you train on (Great Lakes vs. blue-water), which unions and employers recruit on campus, and whether you graduate with a service obligation.
What does the actual career structure look like after graduation?
Most graduates sail under a rotation schedule rather than a 9-to-5 work week, which is the defining lifestyle tradeoff of the field. A typical pattern is 60–90 days at sea followed by an equal block ashore, with full pay through the rotation. Career progression on the deck side runs Third Mate → Second Mate → Chief Mate → Master (Captain), and on the engine side Third Assistant Engineer → Second Assistant → First Assistant → Chief Engineer; each step requires accumulated sea time plus a USCG upgrade exam. Industry sectors split into deep-sea cargo (limited U.S.-flag fleet, mostly Jones Act and government-subsidized), inland tug-and-barge on the rivers and Gulf, offshore oil-and-gas and offshore wind support, ferries, and the Military Sealift Command (civilian-crewed Navy support vessels). The 0.5%–1.6% projected growth in the BLS data accurately reflects a stable rather than expanding industry; the upside in this major is wage level and benefits, not headcount expansion.
How does this major differ from related marine and maritime CIP codes?
Four CIP codes sit close to this major and serve different purposes. CIP 49.0309 (this major) is the deck-officer track on the merchant marine licensing pathway. CIP 49.0303 Marine Engineering is the engine-officer counterpart, also USCG-licensed but focused on shipboard power plants and engineering watch. CIP 49.0399 Marine Transportation, Other (only 6 completions per year) catches programs that don’t fit the deck or engine officer molds. CIP 14.2201 Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering is the design and shipbuilding engineering track — an ABET-accredited engineering degree, not a USCG license — and graduates work for shipyards, classification societies, and naval architecture firms rather than sailing as officers. Students who want to design ships should look at 14.2201; students who want to operate ships should choose between 49.0309 (deck) and 49.0303 (engine).
What lifestyle and automation realities should you weigh before committing?
Two structural realities deserve attention. First, the rotation lifestyle — long stretches at sea with no family contact beyond limited ship communications — is the central tradeoff and the leading reason graduates leave the field within ten years. Some sectors (ferries, harbor pilots, port captains, MSC shore tours) offer non-sailing or local-rotation paths once an officer license and sea time are in hand, but the highest-paying deep-sea positions require extended absences. Second, autonomous shipping is in early commercial pilots on small coastal routes, but deep-sea autonomous ships face a 20-plus-year horizon because of maritime law (officers must be aboard for liability and insurance reasons), port maneuvering complexity, and weather and crew-management decisions that resist automation. The license, sea time, and IMO compliance knowledge remain durable; the graduates who build those credentials retain career flexibility into shoreside maritime roles (port operations, pilotage, marine surveying, classification societies) regardless of automation pace.