Certificate in Coastal & Oceanographic Engineering – Undergraduate

Ocean wavesThe undergraduate certificate program in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering is designed to give undergraduates engineering students the opportunity to document their educational achievement at the interface of engineering and marine sciences. The program is designed for engineering students who wish to combine both a theoretical and practical understanding of marine sciences and engineering systems. The Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering certificate program is interdisciplinary and is focused on the use of engineering principles in the marine environment rather than by the topic of study (e.g., physical oceanography, marine biology, chemical oceanography, or marine geology). The program has three tracks: (1) Marine Instrumentation, (2) Coastal and Near-shore Processes, and (3) Engineering in the Coastal Environment. The Marine Instrumentation track emphasizes the design of operational and research instruments for use in the marine environment. The Coastal and Near-shore Processes track seeks to understand and thus predict coastal and near-shore processes that impact both natural and artificial coastal systems. The Engineering in the Coastal Environment track assists students in acquiring some of the basic knowledge and understanding that engineers working in the coastal environment need. The educational goal of the program is to develop undergraduate engineering scholars with a theoretical and practical understanding of marine and engineering systems. Students successfully completing the requirements for this certificate are expected to have:

  • a fundamental understanding of marine and engineering systems,
  • the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue graduate work or employment in
    marine sciences, marine instrumentation or marine engineering depending on their
    undergraduate major, and
  • the knowledge and motivation to continue lifelong learning in coastal and oceanographic engineering.

Program Requirements

The undergraduate certificate program in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering requires at least 20 semester hours of course work in engineering and marine sciences. The requirements include a minimum of 17 semester hours in engineering and marine sciences courses and a minimum of three (3) semester hours of experience in a marine environment. The Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering Certificate undergraduate advisor must approve all engineering and marine sciences coursework for this certificate.

The program is open to UGA undergraduate engineering students meeting the admissions requirements. For a student to be admitted to the program, the student must have an overall GPA of 2.70 or greater and a GPA of 2.5 or greater in MATH 2250, MATH 2260, (PHYS 1211/1211L or 1311/1311L or 1251) and (PHYS 1212/1212L or 1312/1312L or 1252) with no grade lower than a “C” in any of these classes.

Ocean Processes Courses (9 Hours) – Required for All Tracks

  • MARS 4100: Geological and Physical Oceanography (3)
  • MARS 4200: Chemical and Biological Oceanography (3)
  • ENVE(MARS) 4175 Coastal Meteorology (3) or ENVE 4940 Coastal and Estuarine Processes with Engineering Applications (3)

Marine Environment Experience (3 to 12 Hours) – Required for All Tracks
Choose One of the Following:

  • CVLE 3900 Cooperative Work Experience (3 – 6) – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator.
  • CVLE 4910 & 4911: Capstone Design I & II (4) – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator
  • CVLE 4960R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research I – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator (1-3)
  • ELEE 4910 & 4911: Capstone Design I & II (4) – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator
  • ENEE 4960R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research I – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator (1-3)
  • ENGR 3900 Cooperative Work Experience (3 – 6) – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator.
  • ENGR 4910 & 4911: Capstone Design I & II (4) – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator
  • ENGR 4960R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research I – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator (1-3)
  • ENVE 4910 & 4911: Capstone Design I & II (4) – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator
  • ENVE 4960R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research I – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator (1-3)
  • ENGR 4960R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research I – must have a major marine component approved by Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering program coordinator (1-3)
  • MARS 4500: Field Study in Oceanography and Marine Methods (3 – 5)
Tracks (Choose one)

Marine Instrumentation Track (8 hours)

  • ELEE 3020: Electrical Engineering Design Laboratory (2)
  • ELEE 4120 Microelectronics Devices and Circuits
  • ELEE 4210 Linear Systems
  • ELEE 4230: Sensors and Transducers (3)
  • ELEE 4590: Principles of Communication Systems (3)

Coastal and Near-shore Processes Track (9 hours)
Choose Three of the Following:

  • ENVE(MARS) 4175 Coastal Meteorology (3) (If not taken above)
  • ENVE 4410 Open Channel Hydraulics (3)
  • ENVE 4435 Natural Resources Engineering (3)
  • ENVE 4450 Engineering Hydrology and Hydraulics
  • ENVE 4480 Instrumentation for Environmental Quality (3)
  • ENVE 4940 Coastal and Estuarine Processes with Engineering Applications (3) (If not taken above)
  • CLVE 4430 Groundwater Engineering (3)

Engineering in the Coastal Environment Track (10 hours)

  • CVLE 3460: Civil Engineering Laboratory – Hydraulics (1) – required

Choose three of the following:

  • CVLE 4330 Advanced Structural Analysis (3)
  • CVLE 4340: Design of Bridges (3)
  • CVLE 4390: Structural Dynamics (3)
  • CVLE 4450: Geotechnical Structures: Foundations and Retaining Walls (3)
  • CVLE 4520: Design of Masonry Structure (3)
  • CVLE 4530: Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures (3)
  • CLVE 4610: Design of Light Steel Structures (3)
  • CVLE 4620: Advanced Design of Steel Structures (3)
  • ENVE(MARS) 4175 Coastal Meteorology (3) (If not taken above)
  • ENVE 4940 Coastal and Estuarine Processes with Engineering Applications (3) (If not taken above)
  • MARS 4400: Introduction to Marine Policy

Program Administration & Contact Information

Contact Person
Dr. David Emory Stooksbury
Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering Advisor
College of Engineering
[email protected]
(706) 583-0156



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