Graduate Marine Engineering is a postgraduate diploma course for a duration of one year to enable cadets to join the merchant navy. All colleges are headed and administered by the Director General of Shipping, a government body.

 The graduates of this course go on to become marine engineers. They start by working on merchant ships as a junior engineer. After the completion of 6 months sea time training, they become eligible for class IV MEO examination. Upon successfully passing this examination they receive a Certificate of Competency (CoC) from the Mercantile Marine department of the Government of India and are promoted to fourth engineer. 

 Graduate Marine Engineering courses are usually joined by those who have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or naval architecture. 

 Offshore oil rigs, tugs, freight ships, tankers are some of the vessels, graduates get to work on. The job profile usually entails design, construction and maintenance of sea going vessels. On shore jobs are also on the rise and are employed by educational institutions as professors and on shipyards. Opportunities in this field are set to increase in the future.