Program Overview

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Program Details

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

School

Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science

Department

Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering

Available

On campus

Advance 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

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

The Stevens Advantage: Widen Your Career Options

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.

• Graduate Cooperative Education Program: Available with two tracks, your co-op experience can serve as a starting point for a research project or augment your on-campus research with complimentary experience.
• International Student Experience: Tap into our expanding worldwide network of research, academic and alumni partners and mentor with our expert faculty in a number of federally-designated STEM degree programs. Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is available to gain work experience in your major/field of study.
• State-of-the-Art Research Labs and Facilities: Build, tinker and test your designs in Stevens' MakerCenter, Prototype and Object Fabrication Lab, or numerous other research facilities.
• Research Opportunities: Renowned faculty, labs and research centers – as well as industry partnerships and funding from leading national agencies – support strategic and interdisciplinary research in engineering and science.
• Assistantships and Fellowships: Stevens offers funding to select graduate students in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships and fellowships. Limited in number, these highly competitive opportunities are awarded to exceptional candidates based on merit.
• Expanded Learning Options: The Schaefer School offers new opportunities for doctoral students to do coursework at universities in the New York City area – and around the world – through our growing list of academic partnerships with other prestigious universities.

Program Admission Requirements

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.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.0, from an accredited institution
• Transcripts from post-secondary institutions attended
• Two letters of recommendation (academic or professional only; Select Ph.D. programs require a third letter of recommendation)
• Statement of Purpose
• $60 non-refundable Application Fee
• Proof of English language proficiency
• A competitive GRE or GMAT score (required for both part-time and full-time applicants)
• Resume/CV
• Writing sample(s). All applicants are encouraged to submit a lab report (preferable) or paper that they wrote, individually, for an engineering course. Applicants who have published a journal article are also encouraged to submit a copy of their article.

Curriculum Overview

View objectives, outcomes, and other Ph.D. curriculum details in the most recent academic catalog.

Fellowships & Assistantships

Information about assistantships and fellowships can be found here.

STEM Designated Degree Programs

The four fields comprising STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – offer a wide variety of professions that are classified as some of the highest-growing and highest-paying jobs right now and in the future.

A Tech Forward Education

At Stevens, you’ll be supported by strong mentorship from renowned faculty members who are major grant recipients, multiple patent holders and editors of prestigious journals.

Hands-On Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering Research

At Stevens, you have the ability to join research groups with students at a variety of levels of experience, and outstanding faculty so you can learn cutting-edge technology as a team, just like in the real-world. In our state-of-the-art research labs and facilities, you'll have the opportunity to engage in experiential learning.

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