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Transportation equipment engineers

How to become a Naval Architect

Plans ships to meet the requirements of shipowner customers at a shipbuilding company, agrees the contract specifications with them, and carries out the whole design process, from designing performance that meets those specifications to producing the production information needed to build the ship.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

The work involves a range of physics calculations and drawing with three-dimensional structures in mind, so most new graduates entering the job have studied science or engineering, such as naval architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering or ocean systems engineering, at university, postgraduate level or a kosen (college of technology), though high school leavers from shipbuilding, mechanical, electrical and other technical courses are also hired. Mid-career hiring is through Hello Work (public employment service), job advertisements and so on. Mechanical design experience or CAD experience is often required, but sometimes being able to use basic PC software such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint is enough, and some people move from other industries. Once hired, you build a track record while being taught practical work by experienced staff and learning techniques on various courses. Many companies have arrangements to teach people who have never used CAD. There is also a wide range of training: shipbuilding engineer continuing education (basic course and mid-level engineer course) run by the Shipbuilders' Association of Japan's continuing education centre; induction training for new graduates and mid-career hires (mainly those who have not studied shipbuilding), production design training for young staff, naval architecture and ocean engineering training, a future technology development school and courses for the professional engineer exam, run by the skills training centres of the Cooperative Association of Japan Shipbuilders; and a design engineer development package and a maritime data scientist course run by ClassNK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai). With strong backing from outside bodies as well as your own company, the whole industry is working to develop engineers so that even beginners can build a solid career. On top of this, to use the latest technology to build ships with the latest features, you need up-to-date information and must study what other shipyards are doing and technology trends in related industries. Gaining the Professional Engineer qualification in the marine and ocean field, certified by the Institution of Professional Engineers, Japan, helps your career. If you use CAD, you can prove your skills through the machine and plant drafting skilled worker qualification of the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, or the CAD Utilization Engineer exam run by the Association of Computer Aided Design Education. The latest information on regulations is published in English, and communication with overseas customers and specifications are in English, so English skills are essential. A typical career path is a few months of practical training on the production floor after hiring to understand the whole shipbuilding process, then a year of one-to-one guidance from a senior colleague, working with support until the second year. In the third year you are given your main area of responsibility, and by the fifth year you can work as a fully skilled engineer. By age, people typically become mid-level (supervisor) in their 30s, subsection chief in their early 40s and section manager in their late 40s, guiding staff. During this time people move between basic design, detailed design and production design, and some later move to sales or corporate planning. Some go on to manage design and development or become managers of a factory or the whole organisation. Designing and developing ships is project work and teamwork is valued. Many people from different departments and jobs work in a shipyard, and it is essential to cooperate and communicate with them and hand over work accurately as each stage progresses, so coordination, cooperation, a sense of balance, passing on information and communication skills are important. In particular, when a shipowner asks for sudden or difficult changes to the specification, every department must work closely together so the whole organisation can respond quickly. To stay in the job for a long time, it helps to be interested in making things. Ships are built to order, and the work protects quality and customers' trust, so you need to work steadily and be responsible and trustworthy.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Naval Architect?

The work involves a range of physics calculations and drawing with three-dimensional structures in mind, so most new graduates entering the job have studied science or engineering, such as naval architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering or ocean systems engineering, at university, postgraduate level or a kosen (college of technology), though high school leavers from shipbuilding, mechanical, electrical and other technical courses are also hired. Mid-career hiring is through Hello Work (public employment service), job advertisements and so on. Mechanical design experience or CAD experience is often required, but sometimes being able to use basic PC software such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint is enough, and some people move from other industries. Once hired, you build a track record while being taught practical work by experienced staff and learning techniques on various courses. Many companies have arrangements to teach people who have never used CAD. There is also a wide range of training: shipbuilding engineer continuing education (basic course and mid-level engineer course) run by the Shipbuilders' Association of Japan's continuing education centre; induction training for new graduates and mid-career hires (mainly those who have not studied shipbuilding), production design training for young staff, naval architecture and ocean engineering training, a future technology development school and courses for the professional engineer exam, run by the skills training centres of the Cooperative Association of Japan Shipbuilders; and a design engineer development package and a maritime data scientist course run by ClassNK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai). With strong backing from outside bodies as well as your own company, the whole industry is working to develop engineers so that even beginners can build a solid career. On top of this, to use the latest technology to build ships with the latest features, you need up-to-date information and must study what other shipyards are doing and technology trends in related industries. Gaining the Professional Engineer qualification in the marine and ocean field, certified by the Institution of Professional Engineers, Japan, helps your career. If you use CAD, you can prove your skills through the machine and plant drafting skilled worker qualification of the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, or the CAD Utilization Engineer exam run by the Association of Computer Aided Design Education. The latest information on regulations is published in English, and communication with overseas customers and specifications are in English, so English skills are essential. A typical career path is a few months of practical training on the production floor after hiring to understand the whole shipbuilding process, then a year of one-to-one guidance from a senior colleague, working with support until the second year. In the third year you are given your main area of responsibility, and by the fifth year you can work as a fully skilled engineer. By age, people typically become mid-level (supervisor) in their 30s, subsection chief in their early 40s and section manager in their late 40s, guiding staff. During this time people move between basic design, detailed design and production design, and some later move to sales or corporate planning. Some go on to manage design and development or become managers of a factory or the whole organisation. Designing and developing ships is project work and teamwork is valued. Many people from different departments and jobs work in a shipyard, and it is essential to cooperate and communicate with them and hand over work accurately as each stage progresses, so coordination, cooperation, a sense of balance, passing on information and communication skills are important. In particular, when a shipowner asks for sudden or difficult changes to the specification, every department must work closely together so the whole organisation can respond quickly. To stay in the job for a long time, it helps to be interested in making things. Ships are built to order, and the work protects quality and customers' trust, so you need to work steadily and be responsible and trustworthy.

How much does a Naval Architect earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥7,253,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Transportation equipment engineers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Naval Architect?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 70% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Naval Architect?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026