Underwater acoustics and ocean engineering at the University of Rhode Island

Abstract

Underwater acoustics is one of the primary areas of emphasis in the Ocean Engineering Department at the University of Rhode Island, the first Ocean Engineering program in the United States. The program offers Bachelors, Masters (thesis and non-thesis options) and Ph.D. degrees in Ocean Engineering. These programs are based at the Narragansett Bay campus, providing access to a living laboratory for student learning. Some key facilities of the program are an acoustics tank, a 100-foot-long wave tank, and currently the R/V Endeavor, a UNOLS oceanographic research vessel operated by the University of Rhode Island. A new Regional Class vessel is anticipated in 2021. At the graduate level, students are actively involved in research focused in areas such as acoustical oceanography, propagation modeling, acoustic positioning and navigation, geoacoustic inversion, marine mammal acoustics, ocean acoustic instrumentation, and transducers. An overview of classroom learning and ongoing research will be provided, along with information regarding the requirements of entry into the program.