Maritime Studies Degrees (2026 stats)

Last updated: April 29, 2026 Source: College Scorecard

TL;DR

Maritime Studies maps to BLS occupations averaging about $135,756, with roughly 2,930 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 59%; median in-state published tuition is about $10,573.

Key Statistics

433
Total Degrees Awarded (2023)
$10,573
Median In-State Public Tuition
$42,550
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$135,756
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
2,930
Workers (related occupations)
59.4%
Median Graduation Rate (4-yr schools)
15
Bachelor's Completions (IPEDS 2023)

Maritime Studies: what the data shows

Common questions about maritime studies degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a maritime studies degree?

A Maritime Studies program is classified under NCES CIP 00.3029 in the 00.0030 field family (00.30).

IPEDS counted 433 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of maritime studies degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

How long does it take to get a maritime studies degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.3029 in our file:

  • 15 Bachelor's (27.8% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
  • 39 Master's (72.2% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What do you learn in maritime studies?

O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Speaking, Active Learning, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.

What degree do you need?

For Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a maritime studies degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Maritime Studies to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary11,430$84,290
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary12,680$75,890

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a maritime studies degree worth it?

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,573 and median net price is $19,484.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Maritime Studies and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$10,573 Median In-State Public

$42,550 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Maritime Studies majors are, on average, $10,573 for in-state public colleges, and $42,550 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Maritime Studies programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

433 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Maritime Studies from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Maritime Studies.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

# School State Enrollment
1 Texas A&M University-College Station TX 59,099
2 East Carolina University NC 19,857
3 University of Maine ME 8,341
4 University of New England ME 2,189
5 SUNY Maritime College NY 1,242

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Maritime Studies programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

# School State Tuition
1 East Carolina University NC $7,361
2 SUNY Maritime College NY $8,540
3 University of Maine ME $12,606
4 Texas A&M University-College Station TX $13,099
5 University of New England ME $42,550

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Maritime Studies programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

# School State Net Price
1 Alaska Vocational Technical Center AK $12,071
2 East Carolina University NC $16,514
3 University of Maine ME $18,045
4 Texas A&M University-College Station TX $20,924
5 SUNY Maritime College NY $21,781

Schools with the lowest average net price for Maritime Studies programs.

Graduation Rates

59.36% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)

57.43% Average Graduation Rate

144 Institutions Reporting

43.88% - 71.16% Interquartile Range

Graduation/completion rates for Maritime Studies programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Degree Levels (IPEDS)

Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.3029 in the survey year used in our extract (54 total across levels below).

  • 15 Bachelor's (27.8% of IPEDS total)
  • 39 Master's (72.2% of IPEDS total)

Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.

Careers & Jobs

Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.

Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $135,756. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Maritime Studies graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation Mean annual wage U.S. employment
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$129,63011,430
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$141,27812,680

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Employment

Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$137,183 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Maritime Studies majors is $137,183.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Maritime Studies majors.

Occupations by Share

2,930 2023 Workforce

The number of Maritime Studies graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Maritime Studies by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Maritime Studies in the United States.

Workforce Age

N/A Average Age in 2023

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Maritime Studies.

Age distribution for Maritime Studies degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Gender distribution of Maritime Studies degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Racial and ethnic distribution of Maritime Studies degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Maritime Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Maritime Studies.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Maritime Studies field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Maritime Studies majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Maritime Studies majors.

Skills Bar Chart

This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.

Skill importance ratings for Maritime Studies majors.

About

Maritime Studies

In 2023, 433 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Maritime Studies.

CIP Code

00.3029 - Maritime Studies

What the data shows

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $135,756. The largest mapped role by headcount is Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (11,430 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,573 in-state at public colleges and $42,550 at private institutions for programs in this field.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.