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BS - Oceanography

What is an Oceanography degree?

Whether you want to develop a new way of restoring wetlands and shorelines, design and manage parks and sanctuaries, or solve the mystery of red tides, you can get there with a oceanography degree from Florida Tech. Here, you'll develop a strong background in applied oceanography and get hands-on experience in engineering and marine technology.

Our oceanography degree program is dynamic and focused. You'll get started right away, taking core courses like The Whole Earth Course and Oceanography as a freshman. Guided by highly accomplished faculty who care about your success, you'll hone your strengths and begin specializing as early as sophomore year. You'll even have the opportunity to collect and analyze oceanographic data using high-tech marine research vessels and instrumentation.

Oceanography degree majors may choose to concentrate in one of five unique, career-track subfields: biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, coastal zone management, marine environmental science, and physical oceanography.

Advantages

Why Florida Tech: The oceanography degree at Florida Tech includes:

• Atlantic Ocean and other marine environments
• Undergrads involved in faculty research initiatives
• Hands-on experience with high-tech instruments
• Perfect weather to study meteorology
• Interdisciplinary approach = experience employers look for

The Numbers: Oceanography degree and DMES classes are kept small (13-15 students in sophomore\, junior\, and senior level courses),The Department of Marine and Environmental Systems has 15 full-time faculty\, all with Ph.D.s

Facilities: Florida Tech has marine laboratories and field research sites both on the Indian River Lagoon and at the Vero Beach oceanfront marine research facility. The Ralph S. Evinrude Marine Operations Center houses a fleet of small craft. Small boats are available for class work and research, and scuba diving can be incorporated in research and course work. Other teaching facilities include a computer-aided design center, and numberical modeling and computer facilities for data analysis. The Marine Geology and Geophysics Laboratory provides facilities for core boring and sediment analysis, beach and hydrographic surveying, and oceanographic instrumentation for coastal research activities. The Underwater Technologies Laboratory has a 500-square-foot electronic workship with all of the systems necessary to design and maintain autonomous underwater vehicles. In the Surf Mechanics Laboratory, students have access to two wave tanks for theoretical and experimental measuring of water waves.

Learning

Clubs and Organizations: Beyond the classroom, oceanography majors often choose to enhance their experience through participation in organizations like:

• Florida Tech Sailing Club
• Florida Tech Diving Club
• Florida Tech Surfing Club
• Marine Technology Society
• Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Society)

Research: Every oceanography degree undergraduate has the opportunity to work with professors on funded research projects. Recent science and engineering projects include:

• the design and construction of a 30-foot high-speed research boat, a 30-by-20 twin hull research platform and a boat-mounted underwater camera
• testing of antifouling coatings
• instrumentation system design for waves and weather
• artificial reef designs and monitoring
• ocean instrumentation development
• lightning and thunderstorm forecasting
• the study of: tsunami wave inundation, harmful algal blooms, sediment transport and beach erosion, Earth remote sensing, and the Coastal Ocean Observing System (COOS)
• Research in the oceanography program includes aspects of tides, ocean waves, coastal processes, planktonic and benthic organisms, sea-level changes, climatic changes, remote sensing of ocean phenomena, oceanic circulation, and trace metal and pollution identification and distribution.

Internships and Cooperative Learning: Students majoring in oceanography, ocean engineering, meteorology and environmental science at Florida Tech are able to choose from a variety of hands-on internships. Undergraduates have recently completed internships at:

• American Airlines
• Brevard County Natural Resource Management
• Caribbean Marine Research Center
• Disney World's The Living Seas
• Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Mote Marine Laboratory
• National Park Service
• National Weather Service, Melbourne Forecast Office
• NASA's Kennedy Space Center
• NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and meteorological Laboratory
• Sea World
• Sierra Club
• Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce
• St. John's River Water Management District
• Army Corps of Engineers

Future Outcomes

Outcomes - Grad School: 20% of oceanography degree and DMES graduates go directly onto graduate school, many of them continuing their studies at Florida Tech. Recent graduates have also been enrolled at:

• MIT
• Stockton
• University of Alaska
• University of Rhode Island
• University of North Carolina
• Cambridge University (UK)

Outcomes - Career and Salary: Oceanography degree and DMES graduates are employed all over the world, in a variety of exciting positions. Most are employed as research scientists and coastal and oceanographic engineers for government and private companies. Employers of DMES alumni include:

• Rockwell Aviation
• Northrop Grumman
• Dynamac
• Boeing
• Epcot Center
• U.S. Environmental Protection Avency
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• NASA
• National Science Foundation
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Curriculum

Curriculum program plans shown reflect current degree requirements. Previous academic year requirements can be accessed from the catalog page by choosing the appropriate academic year.

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Bachelor of Science in Oceanography

The Department of Marine and Environmental Systems integrates the expertise and skills of ocean scientists, engineers and managers. The oceanography faculty includes highly qualified individuals devoted to research involving the study of ocean currents and waves,  coastal processes, planktonic and benthonic organisms, marine meteorology, hydroacoustic applications, and trace-metal pollution identification and distribution. How these research efforts impact the deep-sea, coastal and estuarine environment is the subject of numerous publications and technical reports, which have been prepared by both faculty and students.

Much of the instructional work on estuarine and coastal waters is conducted as part of applied research contracts that use the program’s small motor-powered skiffs and chartered vessels for river, estuarine and offshore work. Access to the ocean is through Port Canaveral and/or Sebastian Inlet; the Gulf Stream can be reached in about three hours. These routes to the sea also provide convenient access to the Bahamas and the Florida Keys.

The program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Oceanography combines classroom and laboratory work at the main campus in Melbourne with the analysis of oceanographic data collected by students using program research vessels and boats.

During the first two years, the student concentrates on building a strong foundation in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and the humanities. The student can then choose one of five concentrations: biological, chemical or physical oceanography, coastal zone management or marine environmental science. Transferring from one concentration to another during the first two years will incur little or no loss of academic credits. In all concentrations, emphasis is placed on a strong scientific background for the student so that he or she is prepared for more advanced studies in graduate school or employment by industry or government. The program promotes the concept of applied research through a summer Marine Field Project. Both programs are conducted under the direction of faculty members and are designed to help the student use previous academic coursework in a relevant manner. The marine studies/oceanography undergraduate curricula are designed to prepare the graduate for a professional scientific career and graduate studies, exploring the scientific implications of human activities in and near the oceans.

Oceanography offers five program concentrations:

Biological Oceanography: Provides training in all areas of oceanography with emphasis on biological aspects. Advanced courses in biology supplement those in oceanography.

Chemical Oceanography: Includes practical training in marine and environmental chemistry. Advanced courses in chemistry supplement those in oceanography.

Coastal Zone Management (CZM): Provides training in all areas of oceanography, while providing knowledge of decision-making and management concepts.

Marine Environmental Science: Offers a flexible curriculum that can be tailored to meet specific educational/professional goals within the broad field of marine science.

Physical Oceanography: The most quantitative concentration, it includes advanced courses in mathematics and engineering as well as oceanography.

Students interested in environmental sciences should also see “Environmental Sciences.”

Degree Requirements (all concentrations)

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

Junior Year

*CZM students may take a free elective
**CZM students may take OCN 4996 (Internship) or a Technical Elective

Senior Year

TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED 133

Concentration Courses (28 credit hours)

Not all humanities core courses are offered online or every term; check the current schedule of classes for humanities core options.