Post job

Tug boat captain education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a tug boat captain. Tug boat captains usually study marine transportation, business, or maritime studies. 39% of tug boat captains hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 104 real tug boat captain resumes to see exactly what tug boat captain education sections show.

The most common colleges for tug boat captains are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.

There are also many online tug boat captain courses to help get the education required to be a tug boat captain.

What education do you need to become a tug boat captain?

What degree do you need to be a tug boat captain?

The most common degree for tug boat captains is bachelor's degree, with 39% of tug boat captains earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 32% and high school diploma degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 39%
  • High School Diploma, 32%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 11%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a tug boat captain?

You should major in marine transportation to become a tug boat captain. 16% of tug boat captains major in marine transportation. Other common majors for a tug boat captain include business and maritime studies.

Most common colleges for tug boat captains

Tug boat captains often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University, Nicholls State University, and Santa Monica College. Here are the most common colleges for tug boat captains in the US based on their resumes.
Tug boat captain common collegePercentages
Texas A&M University16.67%
Nicholls State University8.33%
Santa Monica College8.33%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro8.33%
Massachusetts Maritime Academy8.33%

Best majors for tug boat captains

Best colleges for tug boat captains

1. SUNY Maritime College

Throggs Neck, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,283

Enrollment

1,581

20 best online courses for tug boat captains

Advertising disclosure

1. Ace Your 104, Bareboat Cruising Written Sailing Exam

udemy
4.9
(352)

Essential knowledge for living the sailing cruising life...

2. Fire Safety and Prevention Planning

udemy
4.4
(1,467)

Become an expert in understanding Fire Safety and Prevention Planning for your workplaces and organizations...

3. Functional Safety for Safety Instrumented Systems

udemy
4.1
(263)

The most complete course available on Functional Safety. 2+ hours of videos, case studies, assignments, & more...

4. NEBOSH FIRE SAFETY

udemy
4.4
(252)

Managing Fire Safety in Workplace...

5. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

udemy
4.4
(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

6. Ace Your 105, Coastal Navigation Written Sailing Exam

udemy
4.8
(278)

Essential coastal navigation knowledge for safely living the sailing cruising life...

7. Fun food safety and sanitation course

udemy
4.6
(539)

The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...

8. Ace Your 103, Basic Coastal Cruising Written Sailing Exam

udemy
4.7
(446)

Convenient way to accelerate your sailing knowledge, add to your seamanship, safety and improve your 103 exam score...

9. Occupational Health & Safety Training

udemy
4.4
(1,198)

Workplace Health and Safety Course For Employees & Managers...

10. OSHA Safety Pro: Personal Protective Equipment

udemy
4.5
(1,881)

Impress management or get that job with you your ability to display life and dollar saving work place safety practices...

11. Learn Military Close Combat Training Captain Chris Pizzo

udemy
4.5
(2,610)

Military Hand-To-Hand Self Defense System Lets You Humiliate Younger, Tougher, BIGGER and More Experienced Attackers...

12. Hands on With Docker & Docker Compose From a Docker Captain

udemy
4.4
(739)

v19.03. Everything you need to build, run and compose Docker containers so you can start using Docker for your web apps...

13. Refresher course of Safety Management Systems

udemy
4.7
(390)

A quick overview for aviation managers and safety professionals about basic concepts and philosophy of SMS...

14. Basic Fire Safety Awareness

udemy
4.3
(776)

Basic Fire Safety Awareness - Your Gateway towards Career in Fire Safety...

15. Docker Mastery: with Kubernetes +Swarm from a Docker Captain

udemy
4.6
(60,381)

Build, test, deploy containers with the best mega-course on Docker, Kubernetes, Compose, Git Hub Actions CI using Dev Ops...

16. NEBOSH health and safety Management System

udemy
4.3
(448)

It Shows the Start point to Build your Health & safety Career and how to Join the field and becoming HSE Specialist...

17. Fire Safety: Become A Fire Safety Expert

udemy
4.3
(484)

Become an expert in Fire Safety, Fire Hazards Control, Fire Evacuation Plans, and Fire Risk Assessment...

18. Basic Certificate in Health Safety & Environment-HSE Level 2

udemy
4.4
(355)

A comprehensive course for Safety Officers, Supervisors, Managers and Aspiring Safety Professionals...

19. OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics

udemy
4.3
(727)

A quick yet detailed certification in OSHA safety with a focus on Trenching, Excavation, & Soil Mechanics...

20. OSHA Safety Training: Conducting Safety Meetings

udemy
4.5
(958)

A Brief Safety Management Course for Current and Aspiring Safety Professionals...

Top 10 most affordable universities for tug boat captains

1. SUNY Maritime College

Throggs Neck, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,283

Cost of attendance

25,308

2. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Cost of attendance

28,314

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for tug boat captains

1. SUNY Maritime College

Throggs Neck, NY • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,176

2. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

1,291

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for tug boat captains

1. SUNY Maritime College

Throggs Neck, NY • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,176

2. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

1,291

Average tug boat captain salary by education level

According to our data, tug boat captains with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $63,647 annually. Tug boat captains with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $54,282.
Tug boat captain education levelTug boat captain salary
High School Diploma or Less$51,966
Bachelor's Degree$63,647
Some College/ Associate Degree$54,282

Tug boat captain education FAQs

Search for tug boat captain jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse transportation jobs