Education · 1 of 5

The path

A four year engineering degree, then years of real design work. Very few schools teach it.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Calculus, physics, chemistry and computer science. Sailing, rowing or building boats is genuinely useful context.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   Naval architecture and marine engineering, or mechanical or ocean engineering. Fewer than a dozen schools in the country run the dedicated program.

3. 3

   Fundamentals of Engineering exam

   One exam

   Sit it in your final year while the math is fresh. Passing makes you an engineer in training and starts the clock on licensure.

4. 4

   Work under licensed engineers

   4 years

   Four years of design experience at a shipyard, design firm, classification society or federal agency.

5. 5

   Professional engineer license, if you want it

   One exam

   The NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying) offers a Principles and Practice of Engineering exam in naval architecture and marine engineering. Your state board issues the license.