Best degree programs for Motorboat Operators, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 18 schools train Motorboat Operators. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $47,520 median wage, 2,480 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 18 schools train motorboat operators, graduating 584 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer. The job pays a median of $47,520 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About motorboat operators
Operate small motor-driven boats. May assist in navigational activities.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 49.0309 | 501 | 85.8% | 10 | $74,822 | $24,686 |
| 2 | CIP 49.0399 | 83 | 14.2% | 9 | $74,822 | $24,686 |
Top 18 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What motorboat operators earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Yorklimited | $62,000 | — | — | 2 | 191 |
| Texasmoderate | $50,270 | 270 | 1.19× | 3 | 94 |
| Californialimited | $34,570 | 190 | 0.66× | 2 | 80 |
| Massachusettslimited | $45,160 | — | — | 1 | 51 |
| Michiganlimited | $46,760 | — | — | 1 | 35 |
| Washingtonlimited | $63,650 | 80 | 1.38× | 1 | 12 |
| Tennesseelimited | $42,360 | 60 | 1.20× | 1 | 8 |
| Louisianalimited | $45,800 | 160 | 5.25× | 1 | 6 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses.
- Direct safety operations in emergency situations.
- Secure boats to docks with mooring lines, and cast off lines to enable departure.
- Maintain desired courses, using compasses or electronic navigational aids.
- Organize and direct the activities of crew members.
- Follow safety procedures to ensure the protection of passengers, cargo, and vessels.
- Maintain equipment such as range markers, fire extinguishers, boat fenders, lines, pumps, and fittings.
- Report any observed navigational hazards to authorities.
Skills
- Monitoring3.4
- Speaking3.4
- Active Listening3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Active Learning2.8
- Writing2.5
- Learning Strategies2.4
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.4
- English Language4.1
- Education and Training3.9
- Public Safety and Security3.8
- Transportation3.8
- Mechanical3.5
Abilities
- Control Precision4.0
- Spatial Orientation3.9
- Far Vision3.8
- Perceptual Speed3.6
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.6
- Manual Dexterity3.6
Core activities
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.6
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.3
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.1
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.0
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.0
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.9
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Motorboat Operator
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Motorboat Operators2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 49.0309Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer
- 49.0399Marine Transportation, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Motorboat Operator?+
Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer, which awarded 501 degrees in 2024-25, 85.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Motorboat Operator?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Marine Transportation. Together they graduate about 584 people a year.
How much do motorboat operators earn?+
The median is $47,520 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $34,510 at the 10th percentile to $84,530 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for motorboat operators growing?+
BLS projects a +1.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
18 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do motorboat operators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records River Pilot, Boat Operator, Launch Operator, Water Taxi Business Operator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 53-5022.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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