Also called: Coastal and Ocean Engineer
Designs structures and equipment that survive in the ocean: moorings, buoys, subsea pipelines, and wave-energy devices.
Ocean engineers model how waves, currents, and corrosion will hit a structure, design anchoring systems, and go to sea to deploy and test equipment.
Estimated from BLS 'engineers, all other' and marine engineers data.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in ocean engineering (Florida Atlantic, Texas A&M, URI, UNH, Florida Tech) or a related engineering field.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Ocean Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Simulation and AI design aids grow; deploying moorings and buoys in real seas stays hands-on and judgment-heavy.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.