Architecture & Engineering
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Also called: Marine Architect, Marine Design Engineer, Marine Engineer, Marine Engineering Consultant
US median pay
$112,230
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+6.7%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
500
8,400 employed
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Preparation 4/5 · Considerable preparation
What this job is
Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.
What they do day to day
- Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives.
- Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, and economy.
- Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses.
- Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacement, and draft.
- Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost.
- Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety.
- Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems.
- Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel.
- Design layout of craft interior, including cargo space, passenger compartments, ladder wells, and elevators.
- Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Complex Problem Solving4.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Time Management3.5/5
- Operations Monitoring3.5/5
- Systems Evaluation3.4/5
- Systems Analysis3.4/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.4/5
- Coordination3.4/5
Knowledge
- Engineering and Technology4.3/5
- Mechanical4.2/5
- Design4.0/5
- English Language4.0/5
- Transportation3.7/5
- Physics3.6/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 4 of 5 — Considerable preparation. Usually a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Bachelor's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Bachelor's degree53%
- Post-secondary certificate16%
- First professional degree11%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.