<p>Hello all,
I was looking at the majors at one of the schools I was accepted into, and I realized that they have a major in ocean engineering. I know many peers of mine who have gone into engineering, but when I mentioned this field to them, they didn't know much about it. So, I have a few questions about the field.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is the field more closely related to mechanical, civil, or electrical engineering?</p></li>
<li><p>Why do so few people go into the field, and why haven't most people heard of the field?</p></li>
<li><p>How are the job opportunities and pay for people in the field? Is the pay and demand high because the amount of people who graduate with the degree so low, or is it the opposite and there just no demand for naval or coastal engineers?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>1) Mechanical, and in many schools it is simply an option in that department.</p>
<p>2) Because there is not a ton of innovation going on, much of the work is done by mechanical engineers rather than specialist ocean/naval engineers, and because the Navy fills much of the demand by sending prospective or current officers into these programs.</p>
<p>3) There is certainly demand, but I cannot comment knowledgably on the relative strength of the field against other engineering disciplines.</p>
<p>Not sure which major you’re talking about, but our local college, University of New Orleans, has a naval architecture/engineering major, which I hope has not been shut down since Katrina, but this is an excellent major and extremely lucrative. Husband’s friend got this degree from this not so prestigious university and worked in both shipyards and with oil rigs. He is now earning close to 7 figures a year, with less than 10 years experience, and with only a bachelor’s. He does have to travel a lot, weeks and months at a time, and has to go out to the actual rigs to do tests, but they are rolling in the dough!</p>
<p>Hey, UNO is an awesome school! I spent many weekends in the dorms there in the 80’s visiting friends :)</p>
<p>If you get into the oil rig business, it’s useful. Or into underwater construction and the like. If you’re looking to build the next cruise ship, things get iffy because there’s only a handful of companies doing this. </p>
<p>Also there used to be a lot of naval engineering work done for the US Navy and such, but check to see whether the usual list of subcontractors are actually hiring Naval Engineers. Look for places or companies like Electric Boat Division (etc) who build or maintain such big ships. </p>
<p>Also see what opportunities are available for expat work overseas.</p>
<p>And now you know why I’m not an aerospace engineering major… </p>
<p>Look at trade publications /organization web sites and newspapers around major shipyard cities and see what is happening. I have quite a few aerospace engineering friends that are now working automotive or other areas because there are not that many jobs in the field.</p>