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Marine engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a marine engineer. Marine engineers usually study marine engineering, mechanical engineering, or engineering. 65% of marine engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 864 real marine engineer resumes to see exactly what marine engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for marine engineers are the Maine Maritime Academy and the Maine Maritime Academy.
There are also many online marine engineer courses to help get the education required to be a marine engineer.
What education do you need to become a marine engineer?
What degree do you need to be a marine engineer?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 11%
- High School Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a marine engineer?
- Marine Engineering, 34%
- Engineering, 13%
- Business, 5%
- Other Majors, 31%
Most common colleges for marine engineers
| Marine engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Maine Maritime Academy | 20.29% |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy | 18.12% |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy | 18.12% |
| New York University | 5.80% |
| SUNY Maritime College | 4.35% |
Best majors for marine engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marine Engineering | 34.0% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 17.1% |
| 3 | Engineering | 13.2% |
| 4 | Business | 4.8% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 4.3% |
Best colleges for marine engineers
The best colleges for marine engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A marine engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for marine engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become marine engineers.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
5. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
6. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ • Private
In-state tuition
$52,202
Enrollment
3,420
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
20 best online courses for marine engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for marine engineers
The most affordable schools for marine engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, city college of new york of the city university of new york, the, and university of south florida.
If the best universities for marine engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for marine engineers.
1. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$1,080
Cost of attendance
6,646
2. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
3. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for marine engineers
The hardest universities for marine engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for marine engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for marine engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for marine engineers
The easiest schools for marine engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and pennsylvania state university - dubois.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a marine engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for marine engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
3. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,079
4. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
5. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Buzzards Bay, MA • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,127
6. Lamar University
Beaumont, TX • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,043
7. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
8. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
9. Wright State University
Dayton, OH • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
1,100
10. Widener University
Chester, PA • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,115
Average marine engineer salary by education level
| Marine engineer education level | Marine engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $115,378 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $100,383 |
| Doctorate Degree | $130,088 |
Marine engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025