Ocean Engineering Doctoral Program
Program Details
Degree
Doctor of PhilosophyAvailable
On campusAdvance your expertise in naval engineering and coastal resilience at one of the nation’s foremost ocean engineering programs.
Stevens’ premier location offers Ph.D. students unique opportunities to participate in large-scale studies and projects focused on coastal flood protection and offshore wind energy. You’ll have access to cutting-edge facilities like the Stevens Urban Ocean Observatory and the Davidson Laboratory—one of the world’s fastest towing tanks. In addition, you’ll learn from Stevens’ expert faculty—like Professor Emeritus Daniel Savitsky, a pioneer in the method of theoretical resistance estimations—who have led the advancement of naval architecture for several decades.
The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering offers dynamic opportunities to explore leading-edge research within a close community of faculty mentors. You'll be able to study under a faculty mentor in the area that you find most exciting:
Coastal Engineering
Physical Oceanography
Naval Architecture
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Living Shorelines
Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering Research at Stevens
Major advantages of studying civil, environmental, or ocean engineering at a premier research institution like Stevens include support for your ideas, great mentors and the best tools for your research. Learn more about research in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering.
The Stevens Advantage
Stevens’ location on the Hudson River and near New York Harbor gives students a unique vantage point for studying marine transport systems. Institutional partnerships with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations allow students to pursue research and projects that deliver real-world benefits—experience that serves our graduates well on the job market.
More Advantages to Our Program
Students have rare opportunities to interface with city governments and other stakeholders, with Stevens Urban Ocean Observatory and with related research projects that have a potential impact on a metropolitan area of 22 million people
The program provides the infrastructure to conduct field, laboratory and numerical analyses across all three of its focus areas
Within 50 miles of Hoboken, researchers have the opportunity to study ocean/coastal/back bay systems ranging from highly urbanized to completely natural
The Davidson Laboratory high-speed towing tank is one of the few on-campus towing tanks in the United States and one of the fastest towing tanks in the world
The program offers unique courses, such as Urban Oceanography; Design of Living Shorelines; and, Laboratory in Naval Architecture
Creation and analysis of observation data sets and forecasts
Classes that incorporate authentic design examples and research problems
Research on widely used, real-time forecasting systems
Additional Information
Who Should Apply
The ocean engineering Ph.D. program welcomes applicants who possess a strong foundation in fluid mechanics and a passion for examining the effect of built and natural structures on the ocean environment. Students best suited to the program should have a master’s degree in science, mathematics or engineering such as mechanical engineering, coastal/ocean engineering, oceanography, naval architecture/engineering/ship science, aerospace engineering, applied physics/mathematics or environmental engineering.
Program Admission Requirements
Bachelor’s degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.0, from an accredited institution
Official college transcripts
Two letters of recommendation
Resume or curriculum vitae
A statement of purpose
For international students: An excellent TOEFL/IELTS score
A competitive GRE or GMAT score (required for both part-time and full-time applicants)
For information about fellowships and assistantships, contact Graduate Admissions. Contact >
Ocean Engineering Doctoral Program Curriculum Overview
The ocean engineering doctoral degree is an advanced graduate program designed to develop the student’s capability to perform research and design engineering solutions for the blue economy. The program is comprised of three branches: Naval Architecture, Coastal Engineering and Physical Oceanography.
By the end of this program, students will be able to:
Numerically model complex surface and subsurface flows
Collect and analyze field data
Conduct experimental towing tank testing
Work independently and in groups to solve actual, complex problems related to the ocean
Degree Requirements
Completion of the doctoral program requires 84 credits of graduate work in an approved program of study beyond the bachelor's degree. Up to 30 credits obtained in a master's program can be included in this program. Of the remaining 54 credits, 15 to 30 credit hours of coursework, as well as 30 to 45 credit hours of dissertation work, are required. The preliminary requirements for the doctorate are regarded not as ends in themselves, but rather as preparation for the dissertation in which the student demonstrates ability.
Thirty credits beyond the master's degree are required for the degree of ocean engineer. Eight to 15 of those credits must be on a design project. A student will be assigned an advisor who will help him/her develop a study plan and who will supervise his/her design project. The study plan, which should include details of the professional experience and of the design project, must be submitted to the departmental committee on the ocean engineer degree for approval. Upon completion of the design project, (s)he will submit a written report to the departmental committee for approval, and the student will be required to take an oral examination on the substance of the design project.
Qualifying Examination
Within two years from the time of admission, a student must take a qualifying examination that tests his/her basic knowledge and ability to critically analyze the research literature. Upon satisfactory performance in the qualifying examination, and completion of the required course work, (s)he must take an oral preliminary examination. This examination is primarily intended to evaluate the student’s aptitude for advanced research and examine his/her understanding of the subjects associated specifically with the dissertation topics.
Doctoral Dissertation and Advisory Committee
Upon satisfactory completion of the preliminary examination and all course work, a student will become a doctoral candidate and start his/her dissertation research. Doctoral research work must be based on an original investigation and the results must make a significant, state-of-the-art contribution to the field, and must be worthy of publication in current professional literature. At the completion of the research, a student must defend his/her thesis in a public presentation.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GENERAL REQUIREMENTS >
If you have existing graduate credits or experience in this area of study, contact [email protected] to discuss opportunities to include it in the curriculum.
A Tech Forward Education
Philip Orton researches estuary and coastal ocean physics, storm surges and sea level rise, urban flood adaptation, and other areas of coastal engineering.
Philip Orton
Civil, Environmental, & Ocean Engineering Research Scientist
Alaa Ahmed, a Stevens Ph.D. candidate and graduate research assistant is working with professor Muhammad Hajj at the Davidson Laboratory to design and test a new energy converter that turns wave power into usable electricity. If they’re successful — and, so far, things are looking positive — the new converter will double the energy output of its closest competitor for about 60% of the cost.
Alaa Ahmed
Ocean Engineering Ph.D. Student
Muhammad Hajj is the chair of the department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering as well as the director of the Davidson Laboratory.
Muhammad Hajj, Department Chair and Director of Davison Laboratory
Civil, Environmental, & Ocean Engineering Faculty
Jon Miller is on the Board of Directors for ASBPA, Jersey Shore Partnership, and the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Consortium. He researches coastal processes, shoreline changes, storm impacts, nearshore hydrodynamics and other areas of coastal engineering.
Jon Miller
Civil, Environmental, & Ocean Engineering Research Scientist
Philip Orton researches estuary and coastal ocean physics, storm surges and sea level rise, urban flood adaptation, and other areas of coastal engineering.
Philip Orton
Civil, Environmental, & Ocean Engineering Research Scientist
Alaa Ahmed, a Stevens Ph.D. candidate and graduate research assistant is working with professor Muhammad Hajj at the Davidson Laboratory to design and test a new energy converter that turns wave power into usable electricity. If they’re successful — and, so far, things are looking positive — the new converter will double the energy output of its closest competitor for about 60% of the cost.
Alaa Ahmed
Ocean Engineering Ph.D. Student
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