BS in Ocean Engineering

What is an Ocean Engineering Degree?

Ocean engineering is a multidisciplinary field of technology applied to the ocean environment that combines aspects of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering with naval architecture and applied oceanography.

Students working toward an ocean engineering degree gain fundamental expertise in chemistry, math, and physics, and build in-depth knowledge of coastal processes, ocean systems, and design technologies. Whether you want to become a naval architect or develop a new way of preventing coastal erosion, design jetties, and seawalls, an ocean engineering degree from Florida Tech develops a strong background in engineering with experience in environmental science and instrumentation.

Accreditation

The undergraduate ocean engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

100% of Our Professors Hold Doctorates in the Field

Another benefit to choosing Florida Tech as your ocean engineering university is being able to work alongside the top ocean, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineers, as well as renowned oceanographers, meteorologists, and environmental scientists. Our faculty is a big reason we are considered a top ocean engineering university. All of them have PhDs, and they teach all the classes offered in the program. They are always available to students for advice. Many professors are also registered professional engineers and are active researchers who encourage eligible students to join their research teams.

Because Florida Tech has an intimate learning environment with small class sizes and low faculty-to-student ratios, students develop active working relationships with professors and are often hired to assist their professors in research work. Ocean engineering at Florida Tech is hands-on, field and laboratory intensive, and seagoing. Seniors also participate in faculty-led research projects that have included topics in ocean energy, beach erosion, sediment transport, and design of the high-speed small craft.

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-Tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a BS in Ocean Engineering. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America, and the Florida Keys and the Everglades are only a few hours’ drives away.

The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, ocean engineering degree students build leadership and professional experience through participation in academic organizations like Tau Beta Pi (the engineering honor society), student government, and over 100 other campus-wide student organizations.

The Florida Tech chapters of the Marine Technology Society and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers work to establish networking opportunities between students and professionals in the field. This can help members find ocean engineering internship positions and possible career opportunities.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a student-run organization that participates in engineering challenges and competitions utilizing the knowledge they gain at Florida Tech.

It All Started With 37 Cents

Florida Tech was founded in 1958 as "Brevard Engineering College." It all started as an idea in the mind of Jerome P. Keuper, a visionary physicist working at Cape Canaveral.

As university lore would have it, Keuper expressed his desire to create a scientific and technological university to a friend over drinks at a local pub. Overhearing the conversation, a fellow patron pushed 37 cents in change across the bar and said, “There’s your first donation, Jerry. Now, go and build that college.”

So, Keuper did. And what started with 37 cents as a night school for the early “missilemen” of the U.S. space program is now a comprehensive national research university recognized worldwide for excellence in preparing students for careers of the future.

Core Values

• Research for the Benefit of All Humankind
• Education for a Lifetime of Success
• Global Citizenship for a Better World

Mission Statement

Florida Institute of Technology’s mission is to provide high-quality education to a culturally diverse student body in order to prepare students for entering the global workforce, seeking higher-education opportunities, and serving within their communities. The university also seeks to expand knowledge through basic and applied research and to serve the diverse economic, cultural, and societal needs of our local, state, national and international constituencies.

In support of this mission, we are committed to:

• Promoting student development by fostering and sustaining a productive institutional culture of assessment that leads to the continuous improvement of academic and administrative programs
• Developing an organizational culture that values and encourages intellectual curiosity, a sense of belonging and shared purpose among faculty, students, and staff, and the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors
• Recruiting and developing excellent faculty to become leaders in their respective fields and internationally recognized scholars
• Achieving recognition as an effective, innovative, technology-focused educational and research institution
• Recruiting and retaining an excellent, highly select, and culturally diverse student body
• Continually improving the quality of campus life for all members of the university community
• Providing personal and career growth opportunities for both traditional and nontraditional students and members of the faculty and staff
• Securing and maintaining professional accreditation for all appropriate programs

We Are Florida Tech

What we are is a private, coeducational, residential, research-intensive, doctoral-granting university located in Melbourne on Florida’s sunny “Space Coast.” But who we are is so much more. We are a community of researchers, scholars, and learners hailing from all around the world. We are engineers, aviators, innovators, leaders, educators, athletes, and astronauts. We have the brains of rocket scientists and the hearts of Panthers. We are Florida Tech.

We Are Relentless

Florida Tech is a university of leaders and learners—a diverse community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are united in the relentless pursuit of greatness.

We Are International

Students from more than 90 countries worldwide choose to live and learn at Florida Tech, making us a truly global university. When we say #YouAreWelcomeHere, we mean it.

We Create The Future

One of the primary tenets of Florida Tech’s mission is advancing science and technology for the benefit of Earth and all of its inhabitants. So, that’s what we do.

We Have Panther Pride

You may feel it the first time you visit the campus, the day you graduate, or at some point in between. But when you do, you’ll see that Panther Pride is more than school spirit. It’s a family.

We Make Connections

Florida Tech is proud to be part of the Brevard County community and welcomes its neighbors to explore the many personal, professional, corporate, and cultural opportunities we have to offer.

We Are STEM

There's a reason Florida Tech is known as Florida's STEM University™. To put it simply: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are in our DNA. This makes STEM a driving force behind who we are, what we do, and why we exist.