Ocean Engineering, M.S.

Florida Tech’s ocean engineering faculty bring deep industry and research experience into the classroom.

Their expertise spans areas at the forefront of the field, such as materials and composites, corrosion control, anti-fouling technologies, ocean energy and underwater and surface vehicles.

Small class sizes foster close faculty mentorship and hands-on learning in one of the world’s most dynamic coastal environments.

Research is central to the ocean engineering graduate experience, with hands-on opportunities to contribute to the field through applied, faculty-led projects. Students can align their work with areas of personal and professional interest across a wide range of research topics.

Areas of research interest at Florida Tech include:

• Coastal engineering and resilience: Coastal structures (breakwaters, revetments, seawalls), nature-based solutions (reef balls, oysters, vegetation), hazards and morphodynamics (e.g., beach erosion, barrier island dynamics)
• Marine materials and sustainability: Corrosion, materials science, mineral exploitation and waste disposal
• Naval and ocean vehicle systems: Naval architecture, shipbuilding (including small craft) and underwater vehicle development
• Hydrodynamics and marine instrumentation: Fluid dynamics, ocean energy, engineering of instrumentation and marine positioning

The university is an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), and divers become AAUS certified, giving them opportunities to dive from research vessels throughout the world.

As an ocean engineering student at Florida Tech, you’ll gain hands-on experience in one of the world’s most active coastal regions.

Just minutes from campus, the Mertens Marine Center, where Crane Creek meets the Indian River Lagoon, serves as a hub for fieldwork and training. The Ralph S. Evinrude Marine Operations Center provides access to small craft and workboats for shallow-water testing, while ocean-going vessels are chartered for larger-scale research.

With 1,350 miles of coastline, Florida offers unmatched opportunities for coastal and offshore studies. The region also hosts major high-tech firms and government agencies, creating strong pathways for research partnerships, internships and career placement.

At Florida Tech, you’ll gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art labs focused on fluid mechanics, wave dynamics, underwater technology, corrosion and more.

Facilities include the structures lab for materials testing, the fluid mechanics lab for analyzing flow and pressure and the underwater technology lab, where students work with robotic systems and advanced electronics. Our marine materials exposure site in the Indian River Lagoon provides real-world testing for biofouling and corrosion resistance.

The on-campus L3Harris Student Design Center supports ocean engineering projects with access to machine and welding shops, fabrication areas and materials testing rooms.

Applicants typically have an undergraduate degree in a field of engineering or in one of the physical sciences.

Applicants should have a mathematics background through differential equations along with introductory courses in physics, chemistry and computer programming.

Students who graduated from non-engineering programs may be required to complete additional coursework as part of the master’s degree program.

For more information, please see our graduate admission requirements.

Although not required for admission, an on-campus interview is highly recommended.