Home › Florida Atlantic University › Ocean Engineering

Ocean Engineering at Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL · Public · Bachelor's Degree
72 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
74
Optimistic
72
Base Case
66
Pessimistic
Earnings $67,941/yr (-3% vs median)
AI Risk High (46% exposed)
Job Market Medium (27,900 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Ocean Engineering graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $937K $721K $515K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 48.0x 37.0x 26.4x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 13.5x 10.4x 7.4x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 74 72 66

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$19,516
Out-of-state: $69,296
Median Debt at Graduation
$27,000
4.8 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$88,902
31% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Ocean Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 27,900 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Engineers, all other $117,750 9,300 +2.1% 46%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%

Compare & Explore

Ocean Engineering at Other Schools

Texas A & M University-College Station ($71,788) University of Rhode Island ($70,939) Florida Institute of Technology ($68,475)

Other Majors at Florida Atlantic University

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($77,883) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($76,520) Computer Engineering ($72,029) Mechanical Engineering ($68,451) Civil Engineering ($64,671) Computer and Information Sciences, General ($58,379) Accounting and Related Services ($56,600) Special Education and Teaching ($56,009)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Ocean Engineering at Florida Atlantic University?
This program scores 72/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 74 (optimistic) to 66 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Ocean Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Ocean Engineering graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $515,037 (pessimistic) to $936,643 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Ocean Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Ocean Engineering have roughly 27,900 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Ocean Engineering at Florida Atlantic University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 37.0x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 26.4x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.