Marine Transportation at United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
72
Optimistic
72
Base Case
70
Pessimistic
Earnings
$69,847/yr (-16% vs median)
AI Risk
Low (13% exposed)
Job Market
Small (6,100 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Marine Transportation graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $1,095K | $840K | $663K |
| Earnings Multiple | 289.8x | 222.2x | 175.4x |
| Viable Career Paths | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 72 | 72 | 70 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition
$3,780
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$101,017
45% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Marine Transportation graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 6,100 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship engineers | $101,320 | 1,100 | +1.6% | 17% |
| Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels | $85,540 | 4,300 | +0.5% | 26% |
| Commercial divers | $61,130 | 400 | +8.5% | 7% |
| Motorboat operators | $51,880 | 300 | +1.4% | 0% |
Compare & Explore
Marine Transportation at Other Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Marine Transportation at United States Merchant Marine Academy?
This program scores 72/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 72 (optimistic) to 70 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Marine Transportation career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Marine Transportation graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $662,969 (pessimistic) to $1,095,373 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Marine Transportation graduates?
The career paths mapped to Marine Transportation have roughly 6,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a small job market.
Is Marine Transportation at United States Merchant Marine Academy worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 222.2x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 175.4x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.