Skilled Trades
Ship Engineers
Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
Median salary (BLS)
$109,530
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$58k – $165k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Ship Engineers
Education
Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Ship Engineers
Entry / Junior
$57,870
~2 yrs to advance
Ship Engineers
Established
$109,530
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Ship Engineers
Senior
$137,510
Key skills
A typical day
- •Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff.
- •Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed.
- •Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified.
- •Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.
- •Perform or participate in emergency drills, as required.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.