Ocean Engineering

Ocean Engineering program has 6 credit hours of summer internship in the curriculum. Internships provide students with valuable work experience and allow them to connect with employers in the region at federal agencies and engineering firms in the area.

Engineering learning continues outside the classroom and Ocean Engineering students will get the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired through coursework before they graduate and will be stronger candidates for employers because of it.

USM is at the forefront in developing and implementing new capabilities to use autonomous platforms to explore the ocean. Our students have access to unique assets like an 18’ Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) (C-Worker 5), a 100” Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) (Iver3), an explorer class AUV rated for 2000m, among other systems.

Senior Ocean Engineering students will take project and design and capstone courses and will have the chance to apply their knowledge and skills to design and application oriented research projects. Ocean Engineering program will also provide Honors College students the chance to participate in cutting edge undergraduate research.

Mission

The mission of the Ocean Engineering program is to provide students with the best possible preparation to excel in an ocean related industry as highly competent engineers or to pursue advanced degrees.

Vision

The goal of the Ocean Engineering BS Program is to become an established provider of high-quality education in the field of ocean engineering and to be recognized for its well-prepared graduates who can become leaders in their field. Our vision is to become the premier institution for the development of uncrewed systems and the modeling and monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico.

• Graduates use the knowledge and skills to successfully develop engineering solutions to complex current and future problems considering the unique challenges of the ocean environment. 
• Graduates take economic, environmental, and societal factors into account as they arrive at an engineering solution. 
• Graduates gain the trust and respect of peers as effective and ethical members of diverse teams. 
• Graduates advance intellectually and professionally through lifelong learning building upon their education. 
• Graduates are prepared to seek out positions of leadership within their profession, their organization, and their community. 

(1) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.

(2) an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.

(3) an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

(4) an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.

(5) an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

(6) an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

(7) an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.