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The differences between marine engineers and project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a marine engineer, becoming a project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a marine engineer has an average salary of $101,152, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a marine engineer include marine engineering, autocad and HVAC. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Marine Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,152 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $48.63 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 11,675 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
Marine engineers are licensed engineers who specialize in designing marine infrastructure. These marine infrastructure or vessels are usually naval ships, sailboats, cruise ships, tankers, or even submarines. Marine engineers draft plans for these vessels. They take into consideration the various sciences involved in building these ships. Marine engineers need to have a good grasp of physics, statistics, and other sciences that they need to craft a vessel. Marine engineers also create designs for controls and other mechanisms. They oversee the building process and ensure that the vessels are working properly.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Marine engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Marine Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,152 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $147,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | Washington |
| Best paying company | Chevron | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a marine engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Marine Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Marine Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between marine engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Marine Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |