![Campus center atrium, wide hero — Landing page imagery, admissions/home.](/sites/default/files/2026-01/Campus_Plaza.png?alternateWidths=/sites/default/files/styles/canvas_parametrized_width--%7Bwidth%7D/public/2026-01/Campus_Plaza.png.avif%3Fitok%3Dci4dL2wN) Case Study # Marine Engineering An engineering degree first and a marine one second. You will build a vehicle, test it in the basin, and probably break one before you graduate. [ Start an application ](/standard-page/how-to-apply) [ Download the handbook ](/standard-page/admissions) Marine Engineering is an engineering degree with saltwater in it. The first two years are statics, fluid mechanics, materials and control — the same foundations any mechanical engineer needs — taught with marine examples throughout. The last two apply them to vehicles and structures that have to work in an environment that offers no second chances. ## What you study Statics and marine structures, then fluid mechanics, then naval architecture. From the third year the program splits toward two ends: underwater robotics on one side, coastal engineering design on the other. Most students take both and specialize late. You will design, build and test an underwater vehicle. The Marine Robotics and Test Basin opened in 2026 for exactly this reason — the department spent four years arguing that it was teaching vehicle design to students who had never watched one fail somewhere recoverable. A failure in the basin costs an afternoon. The same failure offshore costs a day of ship time and leaves no evidence. ## Where it leads Offshore and subsea engineering, vehicle and instrument manufacturers, coastal protection and consulting practice, naval architecture, and graduate study. The MS in Ocean Engineering here takes a number of graduates each year. Students often ask whether this degree limits them to marine work. It does not. The control, structures and systems training is standard engineering; the marine context is what makes it distinctive on an application. ## What to expect A heavy load in the first two years, and a lot of time in a building with a crane in it. The student competition team is optional and takes over the lives of the people who join it. ## Curriculum MENG 120 [Statics and Marine Structures](/course/statics-and-marine-structures)Forces, moments and equilibrium, applied from the first week to structures that sit in moving water. 1 OCEA 110 [Introduction to Oceanography](/course/introduction-to-oceanography)The ocean as a physical, chemical, geological and biological system. Taken by students across every program here. 1 MENG 230 [Fluid Mechanics](/course/fluid-mechanics)Fluid statics and dynamics, boundary layers, drag and lift — the physics every underwater vehicle and coastal structure obeys. 1.5 MENG 310 [Naval Architecture](/course/naval-architecture)Hull form, stability, resistance and seakeeping, for surface vessels and submerged vehicles alike. 1 MENG 340 [Underwater Robotics](/course/underwater-robotics)Designing, building and testing an underwater vehicle. Weekly sessions in the test basin, and most teams break something. 1.5 MENG 420 [Coastal Engineering Design](/course/coastal-engineering-design)Designing coastal protection for a shoreline that will not stay where it is, including the consequences that land in the next jurisdiction. 1.5 ## Common questions ### Click to expand accordion Is housing guaranteed for first-year students? Yes, for all students entering directly from high school. Transfer students are housed as space allows, and the waitlist usually clears by mid-July. [Housing and residence life](#) ### Click to expand accordion How do I get between campuses? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What is the weather actually like? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What if I get seasick? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### At a glance Credential awardedBS Degree levelundergraduate Program length4 years Start termsfall ## Program Lead ![Undergraduate portrait, dormitory common room background — Person `person_portrait`.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Undergraduate_portrait_common_room.png.avif?itok=sIaRP6oh) ### Dr. Priya Iyer Professor of Ocean Engineering Related ## Other programs ![Conservation hero — saltmarsh replanting at golden hour — Program imagery, policy/conservation cluster.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Conservation_Saltmarsh_Restoration.png.avif?itok=3M8_uBKz) MS ### Ocean Engineering A research master's in autonomous marine systems and coastal engineering, built around the test basin and the vehicles that live in it. - 2 years - Graduate Starts Fall [](/program/ocean-engineering) ## Come and see the tidal flats for yourself Open days run four times a year, and the Wrightsville tour always includes the field station. [ Book an open day ](/standard-page/visit-campus) [ Contact the department ](/standard-page/contact-us)