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Architecture & engineering

Marine engineers and naval architects

Typically requires Bachelor's degree

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
MixedMedium uncertainty
top 8% of all 730 careers

Analyst take: Strong market prospects — +5.8% projected growth, moderate AI exposure (42/100).

62
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Narrow = some shelter, but AI can reach a real share of its tasks.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +High pay — above 90% of careers ($105,670).
  • +Strong projected growth — outpaces 80% of careers (+5.8%).
  • +Low AI exposure — resilient (42% of tasks exposed).
🐻 Bears say
  • Its softest spot: it carries some AI exposure (42% of tasks).
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected +8.4% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +2.4%. The forecast held up well — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+5.8%
Median pay
$105,670
AI exposure
42/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 14 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$71,291
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$27,000
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
2.6×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Selective schools offering these majors
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
MI · 16% admit rate
$34,654/yr
$83,648 grad pay
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · 34% admit rate
$9,168/yr
$90,610 grad pay
Stevens Institute of Technology
NJ · 48% admit rate
$79,790/yr
$108,772 grad pay
Maine Maritime Academy
ME · 54% admit rate
$31,046/yr
$89,964 grad pay
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
VA · 55% admit rate
$36,951/yr
$81,698 grad pay
Texas A&M University-College Station
TX · 57% admit rate
$32,696/yr
$72,097 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

engineeringdesignmathtechnical