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Marine Engineers

Make your career go swimmingly!

Also called marine design engineers or marine mechanical engineers, marine engineers build, design, and maintain both interior and structure of marine vessels. Working half on land and half at sea, they are often on site for testing and construction, but design is typically done in an office setting. They often act as the main project managers during ship construction, maintaining lines of communication and accurate schematics between other engineers, architects, and workers.

Apart from ships, marine engineers are also responsible for building and maintaining wind turbines or oil rigs, especially along the gulf coast.

The number of new marine engineers in the Gulf Coast region is projected to increase by 18 percent with an annual job opening of 69!

No of Jobs Marine Engineers & Naval Architects

annual openings marine engineers & naval architects

Marine engineers earn over DOUBLE the region's average annual wage for all occupations with steadily climbing salaries!

What areas of interest would marine engineering satisfy?*

These skills, interests, and knowledge areas are recommended for a career in marine engineering. The following data describes the relative importance of each knowledge/skill area from the opinion of those in the industry.

91.2%

Engineering & Technology

Knowledge and interests in practical applications of engineering sciences to apply to the production of construction.

84.2%

Design

Techniques, tools, and principles of design involved in the production of technical plans, drawings, and models

82.4%

Mechanics

About machines' and tools' designs, uses, repair, and maintenance, specifically for marine based engines and systems.

80%

Problem Sensitivity, Reasoning, and Comprehension

The ability to evaluate a potential or occurring problem to find its source, causation, and potential solution.

*Source: Texas Career Check.

If You're Interested, Make Waves Early

High School Endorsement: STEM

Marine engineering can be started early with advanced math and science courses in highschool to prep for college!

The minimum requirement to be a marine engineer is to gain a bachelor's degree in marine engineering, marine systems engineering, or marine engineering technology from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Courses specific to marine engineering, fluid mechanics, material mechanics, and electrical engineering are useful.

For higher levels of occupational independence in the future, chemical engineers can obtain a Professional Engineer (PE) license. The following must be obtained to get a PE license from the State Board of Professional Engineers:

a bachelor's degree from a program approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
four years of experience working under a licensed Professional Engineer
pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination

Multiple certifications are available to demonstrate specialties in the field of marine engineering offered from a variety of organizations. Click here for a full list.

Useful Tech for a Head Start

Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software: Autodesk AutoCAD, ShipConstructor, Structural Dynamics StruCAD*3D
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software: SAP
Project Management Software: Microsoft Project
Document Management Systems: Adobe Acrobat

Marine Engineering Programs and Opportunities available in or surrounding the region

Universities

Texas A&M University - Galveston

Major Employers

Additional information on engineering careers can be found at the Texas Society of Professional Engineers .

If you have questions about our Industry/Occupation Profiles or are an organization in the Gulf Coast Region, please contact webmaster@wrksolutions.com.

*Includes the following counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton.

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