A.A.S. Degree in Marine Engineering

My suggestion: find a way to pay for the SUNY AAS program.

In less than 3 years you will have a license, degree and a job in an engine room.

Something else. The several diesel courses will help you down the road in your career & help you grasp things better starting out. But about every halfass engineer is a basic diesel mechanic & won’t be assigning diesel repair jobs to an oiler or QMED because propulsion is critical equipment with little room for error. But a QMED who knows his way around a HVAC plant is worth his weight in gold. There’s plenty of maritime academy grads & 20 year engineers who can hardly keep the air conditioning & walk-in coolers/freezers going. I’d bend over backwards to get a motivated, ambitious oiler who had worked a couple a years as a commercial AC/Refrigeration technician.

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I don’t know your targeted timeline but another option is AMO’s TECH Program. AMO 2 year TECH Program

And STCW. That will greatly increase your employability and will be difficult and expensive to get elsewhere.

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Always welcomed an asst engineer with ac and refrigeration experience, GOM was gosh darn hot.

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Having the education may or may not make a difference getting hired. In fact the company might look at it and assume you intend to go elsewhere.

Getting promoted is another issue. I’m non-academy and sailed deep-sea. There’s no way I would have made it past chief mate without some education on my resume.

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As previously stated by others, the wording of the CFR only gives credit for an ABET 4 year engineering degree. Now, a 4yr ABET electrical, mechanical, or marine engineering degree opens tons of doors in life as well, but it is hard, long, and expensive. Most maritime academy grads that do get the USCG unlimited engineering license do not get an ABET engineering degree (and some academies don’t even offer ABET degrees).

ABET has accredition for engineering programs (4yr degrees) and engineering technology programs (2 & 4 years). The difference lies in the curriculum and ability to seek a PE (professional engineer) license. What Programs Does ABET Accredit? - ABET

There are many pathways to earning an USCG engineering license. Some of these paths are faster than others. However, some of the longer paths also will give you training, skills, and experience that may be desired for shore based jobs.

If the goal is to get a USCG unlimited 3rd engineer license as quickly/cheaply as possible and ship deep sea on nice paying union jobs for the remainder of your life and career, then the shortest path possible that also grants STCW OICEW would make the most sense. MITAGS currently has an unlimited mate apprenticeship program, and their website says they are working on an engineering program. A year or two ago I was informed the program cost is $30,000-40,000, not including housing/food for classroom. If one doesn’t want a degree, it seems like a steal to me.

If obtained outside a “program”, the STCW OICEW, requires approximately $15,000 worth of classes, plus whatever seatime requirments. If you want to ship great lakes or inland, this will not be needed.

The best pathway greatly depends on the desired end goal.

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If one goes to an in state school an engineering degree is not any more expensive than a degree in art history, it does require a bit more study. When I went to school one was expected to pass the EIT/FE exam in your senior year. Wasn’t required but it was the norm at that time and it made sense to take it then. A few years of sailing after graduation and obtaining a USCG license would make you golden.

Thanks johnny.dollar, your input was very helpful. I did not realize that most maritime academy grads that do get the USCG unlimited engineering license do not get an ABET engineering degree. Also, thanks for the link to the ABET websitel. I’m unfamiliar with MITAGS so I will check out their website. Thanks again.

tenengineer1 thanks for your information. I’m a Florida native and will be staying here. So, I looked on the state of Florida website to find information on the FE/EIT and PE exams. From what I can tell, 4 years of experience is required along with passing the PE exam to earn the professional designation. I have a couple of buddies who are engineers who told me this also. However, neither of them knew whether time spent on a deep sea vessel in the engine room would count towards qualifying professional experience to sit for the PE exam. Do you know of anyone who has successfully applied sea time towards the PE experience requirements? Thanks.

No I do not simply because you have to work under a PE regimen before you can sit for the PE exam and USCG engineers for the most part are not PEs. The point I was trying to make is this. If you graduate from an ABET school and pass your FE exam and then go on to obtain a USCG license your options are wide open . You could go the PE route with an engineering firm or quickly advance thru the maritime industry or both! But It is two entirely different skill sets.

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The requirements for work experience vary by state. Some states are very strict and one must work 4 years directly for a PE (with some states understudy must have same discipline as bossman). Other states are “professional engineering level” work with no stipulation to work under a PE…operator and project managment experience are sometimes specifically excluded.

[ABET] engineering school is hard. And if you truly desire to be a mechanical/electrical/marine naval arch, I suggest going to regular engineering school. It will have many more opportunities, better R&D programs, better design projects/clubs, and way more industry connections.

However, if one wants to work in operations on ships or power plants, isn’t really into take differential equations, the maritime academies provide the best pathway.

There were some ABET/FE/PE discussions in this thread starting around message 137: Cheating on the USCG Unlimited Masters Exam - #137 by powerabout

I’ve always appreciated opportunity to learn in a classroom but Generally it is not opportune for most people.
As mentioned, if the school also gets you some sea time then you may be ahead but remember, if you sail for the govt. (msc, noaa, corps eng, etc. ) you can sail one grade higher than you hold. I got JR. engineer certs and sailed as 3ae for years !!

I did not know “professional engineering level” work was a qualifier in some states. It actually makes sense because when I was an aspiring PE I was approved to examine by the company PE who knew me by name but little else about me. Evidence of PE level work is a much better qualifier than a rubber stamp IMO.

I want to sincerely thank everyone for your input and help. Trying to sort out what’s what as a newbie is quite challenging and I’ve learned a lot from the many helpful comments.

Looking at the replies and thinking about what I would like to do, I think the best route for me is to return to college and pursue an ABET approved mechanical engineering degree. I have a bachelor’s in business and I took a few of the engineering core classes along the way. I should have majored in engineering to begin with.

Fortunately, I live only a few miles from both a 4-year state college and a state university. I can take some of the remaining engineering core courses at the state college at night and then transfer to the university while continuing to live where I currently reside.

Realistically, it will take about 4-years to complete the coursework, first part-time in the evenings and then full time for the remainder. The time and cost are both feasible. And, since I live in Florida, completing the necessary STCW training is not a problem.

However, my one concern is that I am currently 35 years old and will be almost 40 when I could realistically expect to complete the program.

So, one last question, would anyone be willing to employ me at that age or am I over-the-hill to be considered for an entry level position?

Work ethic is what matters out here, not so much age. Most supervisors don’t care how old a person is as long as they can do the work & have a good attitude. But with the money you can earn with the education & credentialing you’re seeking you’ll probably change your mind about starting out near the bottom in the maritime industry. Good luck.

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Age has nothing to do with it if that’s what you want, I’m 48. Get into the Distance Mechanical Engineering program at UA. I’m there myself at this age. If I was in Florida, would have went the Daytona 2+2 route. There are several options, but hard to get it all in one place working through the lower level stuff. I can send you the program if you send a PM. I’m not sure where you are in your studies, but if all of the undergrad lowers were covered you can finish out under one roof at UA.

Thanks anchorman. I checked out the online program in M.E. at Bama. However, given my proximity to both a state college and state university here in Florida, it is less expensive and more convenient to pursue a degree locally. However, Bama, Purdue, or the Merchant Marine Academy might be an option for an online master’s in the future depending on what’s available at the time here in Florida.