# Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

> Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/captains-mates-and-pilots-of-water-vessels
- SOC code: 53-5021.00
- Career family: Transportation
- Median annual pay: $92,460 (10th percentile $47,420, 90th percentile $170,640)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +4.0%
- Openings a year: 3,800
- Typical entry education: Postsecondary certificate
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 77 |
| Investigative (I) | 27 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 15 |
| Enterprising (E) | 54 |
| Conventional (C) | 59 |

## What you'd do

- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 89/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 85/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 81/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 80/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 78/100)
- Getting Information (importance 78/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 75/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 71/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 71/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 68/100)

## Skills

Operation and Control, Monitoring, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Operations Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Management of Personnel Resources

## Knowledge

Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Law and Government, English Language, Geography, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Mathematics

## Also called

Able Bodied Seaman (AB Seaman), Able Bodied Tankerman (AB Tankerman), Area Relief Pilot, Bar Pilot, Barge Captain, Barge Master, Barge Mate, Barge Pilot, Boat Captain, Boat Master

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- Marine Transportation (CIP 4903, 21 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Northwestern Michigan College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northwestern-michigan-college-1963) | Marine Transportation | $119,546 | $136,748 | $24,880 |
| [Texas A & M University-College Station](https://www.collegesref.com/college/texas-a-m-university-college-station-2694) | Marine Transportation | $112,927 | $124,645 | $13,500 |
| [Massachusetts Maritime Academy](https://www.collegesref.com/college/massachusetts-maritime-academy-1616) | Marine Transportation | $105,742 | $119,916 | $24,715 |
| [California State University Maritime Academy](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-maritime-academy-363) | Marine Transportation | $101,735 | $117,176 | $24,000 |
| [SUNY Maritime College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-maritime-college-2656) | Marine Transportation | $111,266 | $115,831 | $25,000 |
| [United States Merchant Marine Academy](https://www.collegesref.com/college/united-states-merchant-marine-academy-2848) | Marine Transportation | $65,371 | $107,654 | $5,500 |
| [Maine Maritime Academy](https://www.collegesref.com/college/maine-maritime-academy-1574) | Marine Transportation | $109,483 | $103,417 | $27,000 |

## Related careers

- [Sailors and Marine Oilers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sailors-and-marine-oilers): $51,520 median pay
- [Motorboat Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/motorboat-operators): $47,520 median pay
- [Ship Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/ship-engineers): $109,530 median pay
- [Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/airline-pilots-copilots-and-flight-engineers): $232,140 median pay
- [Commercial Pilots](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/commercial-pilots): $123,220 median pay
- [Transportation Inspectors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transportation-inspectors): $92,100 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.