Curriculum in Ocean Engineering

Ocean engineering is the application of basic engineering principles to the design, construction, planning and management of projects or systems that meet a specific need or perform a mission within the ocean environment. Typical application areas involving ocean engineers include: marine structures, mooring and towing systems, submersible vehicles, underwater acoustics, underwater construction, offshore petroleum recovery, ocean mining, monitoring of the ocean environment, search and salvage, port and harbor design, marine dredging, placement of material in the coastal and ocean environment, coastal structures, protection and renourishment of beaches, marine pipelines and cables, coastal erosion control, instrumentation for ocean applications and development of renewable ocean energy resources.

The Ocean Engineering Program mission is to conduct research, serve the public and educate students in a broad program of instruction encompassing traditional and emerging areas of ocean engineering. Graduates are prepared for entering engineering practice, continuing onto graduate study, life-long learning and professional development. Students develop a sense of professionalism and an appreciation of the obligations of a professional engineer. The Program offers ocean engineering continuing education activities for the people and industries of the state, nation, and international community and serves the public and engineering profession in Texas and the nation through participation by faculty and students in public and professional activities. Applied and fundamental research is conducted that contributes to the better understanding of ocean engineering and supports student educational development. Employment opportunities exist with private industry, defense contractors, consulting firms and government agencies.

Courses in written communication skills, humanities, social sciences and American heritage are required to ensure a well-rounded education. Areas of study which directly apply to ocean engineering include: fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, ocean wave mechanics, coastal processes, naval architecture, underwater acoustics, marine hydrodynamics, dynamics of ocean systems, underwater and moored system design, ocean engineering laboratory, offshore and coastal structures, oceanography, numerical methods, electrical circuits and instrumentation, and engineering design of offshore and coastal systems.

The laboratory facilities for the ocean engineering program are located in the Hydromechanics Laboratories, the Civil Engineering Laboratory Building, the Coastal Engineering Laboratory and the Offshore Technology Research Center on the main campus of Texas A&M. These facilities include a large three-dimensional deep water wave basin, two towing tanks, three two-dimensional wave channels, a variable-slope flume, a dredge pump test loop, two shallow water wave basins, data acquisition systems and a student computer laboratory.

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering is administered through the Department of Civil Engineering and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

To be admitted into the upper-division program in ocean engineering, a lower-division student must earn a grade of C or better in each of the common body of knowledge (CBK) courses (CHEM 107; ENGL 104; ENGR 111 and 112; MATH 151 and 152; and PHYS 208 and 218) and have a GPR in these CBK courses which meets or exceeds a standard set by the department to limit the number of students in the upper division consistent with the department's resources.