Marine engineering

Marine engineering is the engineering of boats, ships, submarines, and any other marine vessel. Here it is also taken to include the engineering of other ocean systems and structures – referred to in certain academic and professional circles as "ocean engineering". After completing this degree one can join a ship as an officer in engine department and eventually rise to the rank of a chief engineer. This rank is one of the top ranks onboard and is equal to the rank of a ship's captain. Marine engineering is the highly preferred course to join merchant Navy as an officer as it provides ample opportunities in terms of both onboard and onshore jobs.

Marine engineering applies a number of engineering sciences, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, and computer Engineering, to the development, design, operation and maintenance of watercraft propulsion and ocean systems. It includes but is not limited to power and propulsion plants, machinery, piping, automation and control systems for marine vehicles of any kind, as well as coastal and offshore structures.

Archimedes is traditionally regarded as the first marine engineer, having developed a number of marine engineering systems in antiquity. Modern marine engineering dates back to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (early 1700s).

In 1807, Robert Fulton successfully used a steam engine to propel a vessel through the water. Fulton's ship used the engine to power a small wooden paddle wheel as its marine propulsion system. The integration of a steam engine into a watercraft to create a marine steam engine was the start of the marine engineering profession. Only twelve years after Fulton's Clermont had her first voyage, the Savannah marked the first sea voyage from America to Europe. Around 50 years later the steam powered paddle wheels had a peak with the creation of the Great Eastern, which was as big as one of the cargo ships of today, 700 feet in length, weighing 22,000 tons. Paddle steamers would become the front runners of the steamship industry for the next thirty years till the next type of propulsion came around.

There are several educational paths to becoming a marine engineer, all of which includes earning a university or college degree, such as a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng. or B.E.), Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. or B.S.), Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.), Bachelor of Technology Management and Marine Engineering (B.TecMan & MarEng), or a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Marine Engineering.

Depending on the country and jurisdiction, to be licensed as a Marine engineer, a Master's degree, such as a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master of Science (M.Sc or M.S.), or Master of Applied Science (M.A.Sc.) may be required.

Some marine engineers join the profession laterally, entering from other disciplines, like Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Geomatics Engineering and Environmental Engineering, or from science-based fields, such as Geology, Geophysics, Physics, Geomatics, Earth Science, and Mathematics. To qualify as a marine engineer, those changing professions are required to earn a graduate Marine Engineering degree, such as an M.Eng, M.S., M.Sc., or M.A.Sc., after graduating from a different quantitative undergraduate program.

The fundamental subjects of marine engineering study usually include: