Naval architecture and marine engineering programs prepare people to design ships, small boats, and other craft used in water. Students learn about materials and power systems. They learn to build structures such as platforms. They also learn about ocean and nearshore dynamics.

Row, row, row your boat - that just takes muscles. But design and build your boat - that takes brains. And it requires an education in naval architecture and marine engineering, too!

When you study this field, you start with a large dose of math and science, especially physics. You study the properties of materials that are used to build ships and boats. You need to be able to apply scientific formulas to predict, for example, how the hull of a ship will react to a certain amount of water pressure.

You also need to know laws relating to heat and motion and apply them to the engines that propel a ship. You have to understand principles that govern the flow of water. You must be able to predict whether it will flow smoothly or turbulently around a ship - or around another marine structure, such as a dock.

Since the goal of this knowledge is to develop a good design, you learn how to use computers to simulate a design and to produce drawings and specifications. Engineering considers not just how the design works, but also the economics of the design and how the structure will be built.

A bachelor's degree is the normal preparation for a job in this field. With four or possibly five years of full-time study beyond high school, you can earn this degree. About ten colleges in the U.S. offer this program.

Another route is to study naval architecture and marine engineering at the master's level. First, get a bachelor's in another field of engineering. Then, enter a master's degree program in this field. Fewer than ten graduate schools of engineering offer this program.