Dwight Look College of Engineering
Curriculum in Ocean Engineering
Ocean engineering is the application of basic engineering principles to the analysis, design, construction, and management of systems that operate in the ocean environment. Typical ocean engineering application areas include: beach protection and nourishment, coastal structures, coastal erosion, development of ocean energy resources, instrumentation for coastal and offshore measurements, marine dredging and dredged material placement, moored and towed systems, ocean mining, offshore petroleum recovery, offshore structures, ports and harbors, search and salvage, suspended and dissolved constituent transport, subsea pipelines and cables, submersible vehicles, and underwater acoustics. Employment opportunities exist with private industry, defense contractors, consulting firms, and government agencies. Ocean engineering students are encouraged to pursue summer internships and may participate in the University cooperative education program. The curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering is administered by the Coastal and Ocean Engineering Division of the Department of Civil Engineering and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
The mission of the Ocean Engineering Program 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 for the obligations of a professional engineer. The Program offers ocean engineering continuing education activities for the people and marine industry of the state, nation and international community. The Program serves the public and engineering profession in Texas and the nation through participation of 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.
The objectives of the Ocean Engineering Program are to graduate students that are qualified to contribute to the ocean engineering profession and society, gain employment in ocean engineering and related engineering fields with private and government organizations, and advance to positions of increased responsibility. Some graduates become professional engineers and members of ocean engineering related professional societies, pursue company training and continuing education activities, and attend technical conferences. Some graduates pursue graduate studies in ocean engineering and related fields and receive post baccalaureate degrees.
The ocean engineering curriculum includes courses in written communication skills, humanities, social sciences and American heritage to ensure a well-rounded education. Courses that directly apply to ocean engineering include: coastal engineering, dynamics of ocean systems, engineering design of offshore and coastal systems, fluid mechanics, marine hydrodynamics, naval architecture, numerical methods, ocean engineering laboratory, ocean wave mechanics, oceanography, offshore and coastal structures, underwater acoustics, and underwater and moored system design.
The laboratory facilities for the Ocean Engineering Program are among the most comprehensive in the nation for testing offshore and coastal systems. The facilities are located in the Reta and Bill Haynes `46 Coastal Engineering Laboratory, Offshore Technology Research Center, Civil Engineering Laboratory Building, and the Hydromechanics Laboratory. These facilities include a large deep water wave basin, two towing tanks, three wave channels, a variable slope flume, dredge pump test loop, two shallow water wave basins, and data acquisition systems. Additional information is available on the website edge.tamu.edu.
(See Freshman Year)
SOPHOMORE YEAR
| First Semester | (Th-Pr) | Cr | Second Semester | (Th-Pr) | Cr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGR 221 Statics and Particle Dynamics | (2-2) | 3 | CVEN 305 Engr. Mech. of Materials | (3-0) | 3 | |
| MATH 251 Engineering Mathematics III | (3-0) | 3 | ENGR 212 Conserv. Prin. in Thermal Sci. or ENGR 215 Prin. of Electrical Engr. |
(2-2) | 3 | |
| STAT 211 Prin. of Statistics I | (3-0) | 3 | ENGR 213 Prin. of Materials Engr. | (2-2) | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum electives 1 | 6 | MATH 308 Differential Equations | (3-0) | 3 | ||
| 15 | OCEN 201 Intro. to Ocean Engineering 4 | (2-0) | 2 | |||
| University Core Curriculum elective 1 | 3 | |||||
| 17 |
JUNIOR YEAR
| First Semester | (Th-Pr) | Cr | Second Semester | (Th-Pr) | Cr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVEN 302 Comp. Appl. in Engr. and Const. | (3-0) | 3 | CVEN 345 Theory of Structures | (3-0) | 3 | |
| CVEN 311 Fluid Dynamics | (3-0) | 3 | CVEN 365 Intro. to Geotech. Engineering | (2-3) | 3 | |
| CVEN 336 Fluid Dynamics Lab. | (0-2) | 1 | OCEN 300 Ocean Engr. Wave Mech. 4 | (3-0) | 3 | |
| MEEN 363 Dynamics and Vibrations | (2-2) | 3 | OCNG 410 Intro. to Physical Oceanography | (3-0) | 3 | |
| OCNG 401 Intro. to Oceanography | (3-0) | 3 | OCEN 462 Hydromechanics 4 | (3-0) | 3 | |
| Writing skills elective 2 | 3 | 15 | ||||
| 16 |
SENIOR YEAR
| First Semester | (Th-Pr) | Cr | Second Semester | (Th-Pr) | Cr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCEN 301 Dyn. of Offshore Structures 4 | (3-0) | 3 | ENGR 482 Ethics and Engineering | (2-2) | 3 | |
| OCEN 400 Basic Coastal Engineering 4 | (3-0) | 3 | OCEN 407 Design of Ocean Engr. Facilities 4 | (1-6) | 4 | |
| OCEN 401 Underwater Acoustics for Ocean Engineers 4 | (3-0) | 3 | OCEN 410 Ocean Engineering Lab. 4 | (0-3) | 1 | |
| OCEN 402 Naval Architecture 4 | (3-0) | 3 | Technical electives 3 | 6 | ||
| OCEN 481 Seminar | (1-0) | 1 | University Core Curriculum elective 1 | 3 | ||
| Technical elective 3 | 3 | 17 | ||||
| 16 |
NOTES:
- To be selected from the University Core Curriculum. Of the 18 hours shown as University Core Curriculum electives, 3 must be from visual and performing arts, 3 from social and behavioral sciences, 6 from U.S. history, and 6 from POLS 206 and 207. The required 6 hours from international and cultural diversity may be met by courses satisfying the visual and performing arts, social and behavioral sciences, and the political science and history requirements if they are also on the approved list of international and cultural diversity courses (see University Core Curriculum, item 6).
- This elective is to be selected from ENGL 210 or 301.
- The technical elective program must be approved by the department head or the undergraduate advisor. Technical electives are chosen from the approved technical elective list, and at least 3 credit hours must be engineering design.
- A grade of C or better is required for these ocean engineering courses.
The Systems Safety Engineering Specialty is available for students pursuing this degree.