Naval Architecture

If you want to design marine vessels, including research boats, yachts, large ships or offshore platforms, SUNY Maritime College is one of the few places in the country you can learn how.

Accreditation

The Naval Architecture program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org.

Degree Awarded

Bachelor of Engineering

Professional Experience Available

• U.S. Coast Guard Deck License

• U.S. Coast Guard Engine License

• Intern Option

As a naval architect, you will be responsible for designing strong, stable, seaworthy and effective vessels. To prepare you for that important role, Maritime’s talented faculty will teach you specialized and technical knowledge and skills.

Before you graduate, you will spend your last year and a half working on a special capstone project in which you and a team of other students design your own unique vessel.

Academic Program

Naval Architecture blends math, physics and other physical science courses, with a variety of different engineering disciplines. Many of your professors are active naval architects and others have years of industry experience.

In addition to the traditional coursework, students at Maritime have unique opportunities to apply what they learn through hands-on training and education.

If you are interested in working onboard a commercial vessel, you may pursue a U.S. Coast Guard deck or engine license. If you choose to pursue a license, you will work and sail onboard the college Training Ship Empire State VI. Both license programs also require membership in the college’s regiment of cadets. Earning a Coast Guard license does not require military service.

• In the deck program, you will focus on learning navigation, cargo handling and a variety of ship systems.

• The engine program focuses on powering and controlling a ship’s engine and energy systems.

If you plan to pursue a career on land, the Naval Architecture program also offers a industry internship option. In that option, you will pursue two professional internships, which will allow you to apply what you have learned in the classroom and build your network of professional connections. 

Program Educational Objectives

The objectives of this program are for graduates to:

1. become engineers who have the ability to practice the design, service, or operation of ships, other marine vehicles and marine structures, and

2. have the ability to take professional leadership positions that require an extensive engineering background

Student Outcomes

Naval Architecture graduates of Maritime College will possess:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics

2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors

3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences

4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts

5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives

6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions

7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

8. The structure of the curriculum must provide both breadth and depth across the range of engineering topics in Naval Architecture.

9. The curriculum must include applications of probability and statistics, fluid mechanics, dynamics, and engineering design at the system level.

10. The curriculum must include hydrostatics, structural mechanics, materials properties, energy/propulsion systems, and instrumentation appropriate to naval architecture.

Naval Architecture Enrollment and Degree Data

For more information, contact the Office of Admissions.