The Texas coastline is over 350 miles long stretching from near Beaumont southwest towards Brownsville. Texas has one of the longest coastlines in the United States with over 3,000 miles of bays and estuaries. I enjoy being at the beach and ocean and I really enjoy science and nature. I believe I can benefit coastal environments in Texas by becoming a coastal engineer.
A degree in coastal engineering can be obtained either through the Civil Engineering program as a specialty or through the Ocean Engineering program at Texas A&M. Typical coastal engineering application areas include: beach protection and nourishment, coastal structures, coastal erosion, development of coastal energy resources, instrumentation for coastal and offshore measurements, marine dredging and dredged material placement, moored and towed systems, ocean mining offshore petroleum recovery, offshore structures, ports and harbors, search and salvage, suspended and dissolved constituent transport, subsea pipelines and cables, submersible vehicles, and underwater acoustics.
Math, statistics, and physics are important classes to become a coastal engineer. In 2012, a Coastal Engineers pay was about $88,100 annually. Job outlook for a Coastal Engineers is projected to grow 10% by 2022 which is about as fast as the average for all jobs. Most job opportunities exist within consulting firms, government agencies, and private industry.
The information I found for Coastal Engineering was from college websites and federal labor websites. Through this process, I found out what classes I will need to take to become a Coastal Engineer. I also learned what classes I need to excel in during my high school education.
"Marine Engineers and Naval Architects". US. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Patterson, Jerry. "Caring of the Coast." Caring for the Coast. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.
Texas A&M Engineering Communications. "Civil Engineering." Coastal & Ocean Engineering. Web. 15 Dec. 2014
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