Ocean Careers

There are countless possibilities for a maritime-related career. Here we've begun to compile lists of career ideas and educational institutions that offer training in various ocean-related fields. If you have other ocean career ideas or schools that should be included, please contact us. For more information on ocean careers, visit the Sea Grant Marine Careers page.

Careers in Climate and Maritime-Related Fields


Aquaculture Engineering Photography
Archaeology Environmental Enforcement & Compliance Policy
Architecture Environmental Planning & Consulting Resource Management
Armed Services/Able Seamen Fabrication Safety
Art Filmmaking Science/Oceanography
Aquariast Fish & Game Warden Seafaring
Boatbuilding Geologist Shipwright
Charts, Mapping & Positioning Glaciology Technician
Climatology History Trade & Transportation
Computer Software Law Yacht Design
Ecology Marine Systems  
Economy Medicine  
Ecotourism Meteorology  
Education News/Reporting  

Maritime Academies


Maine Maritime Academy
Located on the coast in idyllic midcoast Maine, Maine Maritime Academy is a career-oriented college whose primary focus is on marine-related programs, preparing graduates for lifelong learning and leadership in maritime fields.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy
The Massachusetts Maritime Academy is one of the oldest maritime colleges in the U.S. The academy is located at the best strategic place for a maritime college and provides degrees such as marine engineering, marine safety and environmental protection, marine transportation etc. Some of the oldest and best maritime professionals serving the maritime industry are from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is one of the finest academies in the U.S for getting a naval architecture or ocean engineering degree. The academy has the finest technology and hi-tech support system to produce the best naval officers and engineers. The academy also has its own research facility which is also equipped with some of the best technologies in the marine world.

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
The U.S Merchant Marine Academy is also almost a century old. Located near the famous city of New York, the U.S Merchant Marine Academy provides degrees in the field of marine engineering, marine transport, marine engineering systems, marine operation and technology, shipyard management etc. This is one academy which offers a large variety of courses in the field of merchant marine.

United States Coast Guard Academy
The United States Coast Guard Academy provides naval architecture and marine engineering courses. The course is so structured that it provides a strong educational base to both to the coast guard students and to those pursuing marine engineering and naval architecture.
 

Maritime-Centric Colleges & Universities


Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University's Marine Science Department is the largest undergraduate marine science program on the East Coast and one of the lead departments in CCU's Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies graduate program. Their marine science is an interdisciplinary field that employs aspects of biology, chemistry, geology, and physical oceanography/atmospheric science toward the study of the ocean environment. Lecture, laboratory, and field experiences are integrated to provide an outstanding and well-rounded academic program. Within marine science, students may choose to concentrate studies in Marine Biology, Coastal Geology, Marine Chemistry, Atmosphere/Ocean Dynamics or Marine Analytical Technology.

Duke University Nicholas School for the Environment
Duke’s Department of Marine Science and Conservation, a division of the prestigious Nicholas School of the Environment, provides a number of valuable educational and research opportunities. The department gathers together one of the largest marine science communities in the U.S., regularly drawing noted influencers in the field. Many students from the U.S. and around the world come to Duke to spend just a single semester at the Department’s world-class Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Florida Institute of Technology
The Florida Institute of Technology provides several courses related to marine and environmental systems. Courses of study include: coastal zone management, environmental sciences, ocean engineering, and marine science. Most of the programs offer BS, MS and doctoral degrees.

Maritime College – State University of New York (SUNY)
SUNY's Maritime College has been rated one of the top maritime colleges in the United States. They have their own 565-foot training ship Empire State VI aboard which students travel to different parts of the world, gathering hands-on experience and sea time in the process. Maritime College offers  degrees in Engineering (Marine, Mechanical, Electrical and Facilities), Naval Architecture, Marine Transportation/ Business Administration; Ship Management and Maritime & Port Security, Maritime Studies, Marine Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Humanities, International Transportation and Trade, and a Master's degree in International Transportation Management. Don't pass on The Maritime College: an exceptional choice if you are considering a career in a maritime field.

Texas A&M – University of Galveston
Texas A&M  provides an interdisciplinary education in marine propulsion and maritime related engineering. Courses provide a blend of marine and mechanical engineering to offer the finest knowledge and training to its students.

University of Maine School of Marine Sciences | Darling Marine Center
Darling marine center – The Marine Laboratory of the University of Maine
Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Maine is among the top 100 research schools in the U.S. Those that choose the Marine Biology track encounter interdisciplinary topics whose breadth combines the normal coursework of a B.S. in Biology with a special focus on marine species, plus input from chemistry, geology and oceanographic science.

University of New Orleans
School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department

The Department of naval architecture and marine engineering of the University of New Orleans provides Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and even Ph.D. in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering. The institute has the best laboratories for research and education.
 

From Traditional Boatbuilding to Yacht Design


The Apprenticeshop
The Apprenticeshop is one of the oldest traditional boat building schools in the country. Not only do their students learn the fine art of traditional small boat construction, but they become confident mariners as well, learning to sail on a variety of traditional and modern-rigged vessels.

International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS)
IYRS is dedicated to teaching highly technical and deeply craft-oriented career skills. IYRS currently has three accredited schools: School of Boatbuilding & Restoration, School of Marine Systems, and School of Composites Technology. The skills acquired in these programs are transferrable to other maritime industries and applications.

The Landing School
Located in southern Maine, the Landing School is a full-time post-secondary school blending education in modern yacht design, boat building and marine systems technology. The school icorporates diploma and Associate’s degree curriculums with concentrations in: Wooden Boat Building;
Composite Boat Building; Yacht Design; and Marine Systems.

MITEC School of Boatbuilding & Marine Engineering
The United Kingdom is one of the world’s preeminent boatbuilding countries. Located in Pembrokeshire in the south west of Wales, MITEC offers a number of vocational courses leading to careers in marine engineering and traditional or composite boatbuilding. If a career at sea is what you crave, MITEC also offer an Extended Diploma in Marine Engineering. 

Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding
The NSWB is committed to providing students a quality education in traditional and contemporary wooden boatbuilding and marine systems. They impart practical knowledge in traditional and contemporary maritime skills through an emphasis on hands-on learning.

Traditional Boatbuilding Skills Virtual Learning Environment
The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an online learning tool for traditional boatbuilding skills. It is a free resource of information compiled by four organizations across three European regions. The tools are simple, based on the skill that you're interested. There are more than 3,000 learning assets devoted to teaching traditional skills.
 

Ocean Schools


Ocean School | Dalhousie University
Ocean School is a ground-breaking educational and public engagement program to foster ocean literacy: a understanding of our influence on the ocean, and the ocean’s influence on us. Ocean School’s programming focuses on ocean science, technology and innovation while also providing insight into marine careers and the social, economic and cultural dimensions of the human relationship with the ocean. Learn more: oceanschool.ca
 

World Ocean School

World Ocean School aboard the historic schooner Roseway creates and provides a method of experiential education at sea that affords students a practical application for their studies as well as cultivating teamwork, community service, environmental responsibility, and cross-cultural friendships, ultimately becoming empowered, motivated, and engaged citizens. World Ocean School programs include integrating core curriculum standards into sail training opportunities for young people, expeditions between ports, and summer programs with 18 days at sea.

Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies

The Bayfront Maritime Center is a not-for-profit, 501 ©(3) community-based educational organization designed to implement unique, experiential, maritime-themed educational, recreational and vocational opportunities for the community in a universally accessible waterfront facility. BCMS began operating in May 1998 and has worked with thousands of area youth and adults to create positive learning experiences through sailing, building boats, studying navigation, learning about the environment and having fun on beautiful Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie.

Port of Los Angeles High School

The Port of Los Angeles High School (POLAHS) is a not-for-profit, tuition-free charter high school open to all residents of California. Since 2005, POLAHS has fused a college preparatory program with electives in International Business and Maritime Studies. Their mission states that all students should receive an individualized course of study, have the opportunity to satisfy college entrance requirements and graduate from high school. POLAHS blends proven teaching techniques into a comprehensive educational philosophy, an approach which maximizes student achievement and instills students with an appreciation for life-long learning.

Rocking The Boat

Young people challenged by severe economic, educational, and social disadvantage develop into empowered and responsible adults by participating in hands-on wooden boatbuilding and on-water education programs. Young people in the South Bronx of New York City develop the self-confidence to set ambitious goals and the skills needed to achieve them.  Rocking the Boat was launched in 1996 as a volunteer project in an East Harlem junior high school. It has since developed into a fully sustainable independent non-profit organization annually serving over 2,500 young people and community members.

The Sound School

The Sound School is an accredited college preparatory public high school of choice in New Haven Connecticut serving students from New Haven and over 20 cooperating school districts. As a part of the Connecticut Vocational Agriculture System, the Sound School offers its students unique oportunites in marine and agricultural science and technology. Located on the banks of New Haven Harbor in historic Oyster Point, Sound School students take courses in maritime history, literature of the sea, boatbuilding, oceanography, marine biology, aquaculture chemistry andmarine technology. Since 1982, the school has demonstrated the success of using marine studies as a focus of curriculum and the development of critical thinking and professional skills. This site contains a complete course listing and an extensive articulation of the school’s philosophy.

The Harbor School

The New York Harbor School is a maritime-theme based New York City public school founded in 2002 by The Urban Assembly, South Street Seaport Museum and Waterkeeper Alliance, through an initiative of New Visions for Public Schools, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, and The Open Society. Students explore their connection to the New York Harbor by studying its history, its essence, and the relationship people have to the water surrounding them. By studying the harbor that gave life to the city, the school hopes to foster student inquiry of self, community and world. Situated in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the school strives to create an environment more conducive to learning, graduation, and student success by accessing the all of the waterways connected to the Harbor and by using marine studies as a means to broaden the learning experiences of its students. Student and teacher writings and reflections can be found on this site along with curriculum descriptions and course overviews.

Sail Training International

The purpose of Sail Training International is the education and development of young people of all nationalities, religions and social backgrounds through sail training worldwide. The organization does this through conferences and seminars, research, publications and DVD productions, as well as races and other events for sail training on Tall Ships in many parts of the world. There are sail training operators all over theworld using many different types of vessels, from racing yachts to the impressive square-riggers. This is the place to find a comprehensive listing of these operators and the kinds of training programs they offer.

American Sail Training Association

The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) is focused on youth education, leadership development and the preservation of the maritime heritage of North America. In addition to organizing the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Series, ASTA manages scholarship programs to make sail training experiences more affordable for young people, grant programs to assist crew of ASTA member vessels with the costs of professionaldevelopment courses and licensing requirements and publishes SAIL TALLSHIPS! A Directory of Sail Training and Adventure at Sea. With a list of national and international sail training programs, definitions of ships and rigging, and first-hand accounts of sailors’ experiences, the ASTA site represents a broad compendium of sail education topics.