As an oceanography student at Florida Tech, you can anticipate small class sizes and the chance to collaborate closely with faculty on a range of environmental issues. Renowned for our accessible faculty, Florida Tech has a low student-to-faculty ratio, fostering a highly engaging and individualized educational environment.

Within the bachelor’s degree in oceanography you will choose from five degree concentrations, all aligned with oceanography career areas: biological, chemical or physical oceanography, coastal zone management (CZM) or marine environmental science. Technical electives within each concentration provide flexibility to further customize your program to your interests.

Faculty members from environmental science, marine biology and marine conservation, oceanography, meteorology and ocean engineering collaborate to provide an exceptional oceanography program. With a keen interest in preserving, protecting and enhancing natural resources and staying active in research, they share their knowledge and experience in their classrooms.

Faculty research areas include:

• Offshore oil spills
• Antarctic oil drilling
• Water and air quality
• Sea-level rise
• Endangered species
• Drinking water resources in Florida
• Managing environmental resources
• Harmful algal blooms
• Beach erosion
• Storm surge

Florida Tech students enjoy field research sites on the Indian River Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean. The Ralph S. Evinrude Marine Operations Center houses a fleet of small watercraft available for class work and research and provides direct access to the Indian River Lagoon.

High-tech ocean engineering and sciences laboratories provide facilities and instrumentation used for core boring and sedimentary analysis, beach surveying, the measurement and analysis of water waves, the processes of fouling by marine organisms and saltwater corrosion and more.

• The Marine Geology and Geophysics Laboratory provides facilities for core boring and sediment analysis, beach and hydrographic surveying, and oceanographic instrumentation for coastal research activities.
• The Underwater Technologies Laboratory has a 500-square-foot electronic workshop with all the systems necessary to design and maintain autonomous underwater vehicles.
• The Surf Mechanics Laboratory has wave tanks for theoretical and experimental water wave measurement.

Hands-on field experience is just outside our classroom doors. Florida Tech’s 130-acre campus is minutes from the biodiverse estuarine habitats of the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean's vast marine ecosystems.

Our location in a state with 1,350 miles of coastline provides us with many local, state and national agencies, marine environmental consulting firms, public aquaria, aquaculture companies, private marine-research organizations and other institutions offering internships and employment. The Florida Keys and the Everglades are just a short trip away.

As an oceanography student, you can take part in travel opportunities for study and research around the state or internationally. These adventures include such activities as an ocean cruise, trips to the Indian River Lagoon and its tributaries and a program of extraordinary summer field courses in locations such as Puerto Rico, the Pacific Northwest and the Galapagos Islands.

Student organizations are a great way to network, develop leadership skills and build lasting professional relationships. Oceanography students may be especially interested in the Marine Biological Society or the Student Organization for Sustainability Action (SOSA).

When it’s time to relax, kick back and enjoy our rich campus life with a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs and social activities. Whether you are interested in fishing, freediving, scuba, surf or swim—or activities on dry land—there is a group for you!