Coast Guard Officer Career Development

Engineering Logistics
A technically-oriented career field, engineering logistics offers the challenge to apply and expand knowledge and experiences by working in a variety of demanding assignments. Nearly every billet is open to an officer with an engineering and logistics specialty and background. Moreover, in many assignments that do not specifically call for engineering and logistic specialists, you will be able to plan a career while keeping options open; the choices are yours as an engineer or logistician.

Coast Guard Engineering contains seven principal specialties:

• Naval Engineering (OBC 52 & 53)
• Civil Engineering (OBC 55)
• Ocean Engineering (OBC 51) Ocean engineers support long- and short- range aids to navigation, and marine environmental protection programs.
• Industrial Management (OBC 56) Industrial managers work closely with their customers to support the total engineering plant.
• Command, Control and Communications (OBCs 22, 26, 58 and 74)
• Aeronautical Engineering (see Aviation career pattern)/(OBC 62)

Qualifications
To qualify for a Coast Guard engineering career, you should have a bachelor's degree in engineering or the sciences from an accredited college or university or have experience in an enlisted engineering or technical rating. Those interested in aeronautical engineering must first qualify as a Coast Guard aviator. Specific engineering billet requirements vary depending on specialty and grade.

Advanced Education and Specialization Opportunities
Graduate education is an integral part of a career in the Coast Guard's engineering program because it expands the base of expertise in a chosen field. Increasingly, many mid- and upper-level engineering billets require a master's degree. The Coast Guard's advanced education program fulfills the Service's specialty requirements while matching your capabilities, interests, and personal goals for achievement.

Advanced education opens some assignment avenues and closes others. The chosen field of specialization influences the various assignment options available. The more scientific or technical the curriculum, the greater the degree of specialization and fewer specialty assignment opportunities. Management-oriented curriculum qualify you for a wide variety of billets in many program areas.

The Coast Guard Officer Career Guidebook contains a detailed list of Advanced Education Opportunities.