A Recent Change in the Program
The majority of Marine Engineering majors selected a career path in the nuclear navy. Beginning in the late 1980's, Marine and Mechanical Engineering evolved into similar academic programs. In the 1990's, the Systems Engineering major introduced a nuclear engineering option. At about the same time, the number of midshipmen selecting nuclear power at service selection began to decrease. As a result, interest in the Marine Engineering major declined. The Class of 2000 was the last class to graduate designated Marine Engineering majors. For the Class of 2001 and beyond, the Marine Engineering program has been merged with the Mechanical Engineering major, which includes a Marine Propulsion Track and a Nuclear Engineering Track.
As of August 2000, the Mechanical Engineering major will include the following specialty "tracks": Energy Systems, Engineering Mechanics, Marine Propulsion, Materials Engineering, and Nuclear Engineering. Midshipmen who major in Mechanical Engineering are invited to designate a track, but are not required to do so. A minimum of three specialized courses is required to complete a particular track.