The Oceanographic Engineering Program of the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) forms professionals trained in engineering and science, for the study and design of solutions to problems inherent to oceanic and marine-coastal zones of the country. The field of the activity of the program is framed within the objectives of creation of the ESPOL that is "the superior teaching in sciences and the investigation of phenomena and natural resources of the littoral region, including the territorial sea".
Mission
Train professionals of excellence, leaders, entrepreneurs, with solid moral and ethical values that contribute to the development of the country, to improve it socially, economically and environmentally. Do research, technology transfer and links with society, especially with regional governments, local and coastal communities. To contribute to the sustainable development of the marine-coastal zone with highly trained professionals with a new vision of the planning and development of Ecuador.
Core Components of the Program
The ESPOL institutional Learning Results (RA) aim to prepare students for professional activity through the acquisition of skills. This professional preparation in the Oceanography career is carried out based on 3 main axes, as we mention below:
1) Engineering: design of structures and infrastructure on the coastline.
2) Oceanography: study of the dynamics of the oceans and the marine-coastal zone.
3) Coastal management: analysis, conflict resolution, and sustainable development of the marine-coastal zone.
International Accreditation
The Oceanographic Engineering degree program is accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission
The Oceanography program is accredited with the EUR-ACE quality seal, by the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).
* Undergraduate tuition/fees:
The Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador in its Article 356, among other principles, establishes that third-level public higher education will be tuition/fees free. Zero cost education is linked to the academic responsibility of the students.
Number of admitted students per academic year
Number of graduates per year
Number of enrolled students per academic year
Graphs show the figures in real time, at the time of the query
The applicant must have skills in basic sciences (mathematics, physics and chemistry), with critical and analytical thinking. In addition, they should have a vocation for work in the sea, which includes the design of solutions to problems that arise in the marine-coastal zone, the investigation of ocean-atmospheric processes for a better understanding of these environments, and the implementation of strategies for a sustainable use of the resources of the marine-coastal zones.
Educational Objectives
- Led multidisciplinary teams, solving oceanographic engineering problems.
- Solved complex problems that require an understanding of oceanic and marine-coastal processes, and their social, ethical, and environmental implications.
- Innovated in the oceanographic engineering area, developing new techniques and technologies that demand permanent professional improvement.
- Contributed to the development of ocean sciences through the continuous study and research of its processes.
Student Outcomes
1. Ability to identify, formulate and solve complex oceanographic engineering problems through the application of engineering principles, science and mathematics.
2. Ability to apply oceanographic engineering designs to produce solutions that meet specific needs, considering public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3.a. Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish with diverse audiences.
3.b. Ability to communicate effectively in English with diverse audiences.
4. Ability to recognize the ethical and professional responsibilities in Oceanographic Engineering situations and make informed judgments, considering the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and social contexts
5. Ability to function effectively in a team, whose members collectively provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, set goals, plan tasks, and accomplish objectives.
6. Ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use Oceanographic Engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. Ability to acquire and apply new Oceanographic Engineering knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
8. Design real Oceanographic Engineering solutions that propose unique value in response to specific needs considered from the stakeholder's point of view.
First Year
Descripción:
It is a core course for Engineering, Natural Sciences, Exact Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities, students. Topics, such as, topological notions, limits and continuity of real variable functions, derivatives and their applications, antiderivatives and integration techniques, and the definite integral with its applications, are examined. This course is aimed to the development of student’s skills and know-how in the derivation and integration processes, as a fundamental basis for the following upper level courses in its academic training process
Descripción:
Physics: Mechanics is a basic, theoretical-practical training course aimed at engineering students, with laboratory experimentation activities, which provides the fundamentals of particle mechanics, rigid bodies and fluid mechanics, in an environment of active learning.
Descripción:
In this course, students apply the Design Thinking methodology to identify, analyze real-life problems or needs, to design innovative solutions. Students work in multidisciplinary teams to present solution proposals that add value to customers/users from private companies, public organizations and non-profit organizations.
Descripción:
This basic and general education subject presents grammatical structures to produce a simple paragraph based on a writing program. Additionally, it allows the identification of a specific argument in oral and written communication. It also considers learners’ personal opinions about different topics related to social, academic, and professional aspects. It includes the necessary vocabulary to make comparisons between present and past, books or movies description, creation of simple students’ profile, opinions about inventions, formal apologies and tell past events.
Descripción:
General Chemistry is a theoretical-practical course aimed at the basic training of professionals in the areas of Engineering and Natural Sciences, which provides a scientific basis of the matter and its interactions, and seeks to develop in students the ability to solve problems related to the content of the subject. It begins with an Introduction to Thermochemistry, then the analysis of the physicochemical properties derived from the state of aggregation of matter: liquids, solids and solutions, the study of the Kinetics and Equilibrium of reactions and solubility.
Descripción:
This subject of basic instruction is a theoretical-practical course that covers the fundamental basis of mechanical and electromagnetic waves, geometrical optics, wave and corpuscular optics, temperature, thermal expansion and ideal gases, heat, and laws of thermodynamics, in an environment of active learning.
Descripción:
Vector calculus is a course aimed at the basic training of professionals in the areas of Engineering, Exact Sciences and Natural Sciences who developed problem-solving and problem-solving skills in the n-dimensional context. For this purpose, the course consists of 5 general themes: three-dimensional analytic geometry and functions of several variables, differential calculus of scalar and vector fields, optimization of scalar functions of several variables, line integrals and multiple integration, surface integrals and theorems of the vector theory; being the main applications of this course: the optimization of functions of several variables applied to practical problems, the calculation of lengths, area, volumes, work and flow, using objects of the plane and space.
Descripción:
The course presents students with strategies to solve common problems in various professional fields through the design and implementation of solutions based on the use of a programming language. It covers the basic principles so that the student can read and write programs; emphasizing the design and analysis of algorithms. In addition, it introduces students to the use of development and debugging tools.
Descripción:
This professional training course provides an overview of coastal and port engineering and its relationship to Oceanography. Topics such as: underwater acoustics, ports, and coastal engineering are part of this course. Emphasis is placed on the role of these disciplines for country development. This course is has a theoretical component wich includes (units 1-2) and the application of the design process (design thinking) throughout the whole course (unit 3).
Descripción:
This subject of professional training is an introduction to Oceanography which offers an integrated view from physical, chemical, biological and geological perspective. In addition, it presents the current state of research at local, regional and global level, including contemporary issues such as Climate Change, Ocean health, sustainable fishing, integrated management of marine-coastal resources, 14 goal of sustainable development (submarine life), El Niño-Southern Oscillation Phenomenon, International decade of Oceans, and many other related topics.
Descripción:
This subject of basic formation and general education presents the grammatical structures for the production of an academic paragraph, through the development of the writing program in a transversal way. In addition, it allows the identification of specific arguments in oral and written communication, considering the production of one's own criteria on different topics of a social, academic or professional nature. The necessary vocabulary is also applied to refer to the different forms of communication, share work experiences and the use of digitl technology, tell short stories about interpersoanl relationship and personalities, and comment on the future of the environment.
Second Year
Descripción:
This professional training course aims to provide participants the basic knowledge of Weather and Climate that allows them to understand the processes that occur in the atmosphere giving them the ability to make decisions in order to reduce the climate impact on socio-ecological systems.The participant enrolled in this course will learn about adaptation and mitigation measures that can be applied to face climate change and variability, so to reduce negative impacts and take advantage of positive ones. Relevant topics such as the greenhouse effect, the ozone hole , El Niño-Southern Oscillation, among others, and how these affect our society will be presented. The emphasis rather than on the memorization of basic knowledge will be on the development of critical thinking so that at the end of the course the participant can discuss about related topics.
Descripción:
In this subject, we study the development of the academic prosumer profile of the students, which should be consolidated throughout each individual's life, based on the processing of complex, holistic, and critical thinking. We aim to foster understanding and the production of academic knowledge through rigorous analysis of realities and readings from various academic/scientific sources.
Descripción:
This is a training basic course training and provides the knowledge to the engineering and science student can convert data into information, associate everyday situations with statistical processes, and determine scientific conclusions through experimental observations, applying descriptive statistics, notions of probability, models of random variables and inferential analysis.
Descripción:
This transversal course is aimed at the basic training of students in the engineering area who require mathematical foundations to analyze the differential equations that arise in the process of modeling natural phenomena in the different areas of study. The course combines classical quantitative methods, such as integration of linear and non-linear differential equations and systems of equations and Laplace transforms, with qualitative methods that make use of relevant topics in linear algebra, which in turn are developed in an integrated and effective way.
Descripción:
The cross-sectional course of Numerical Methods is aimed at the basic training of professionals in the areas of engineering and science, which require developing skills in planning and solving problems using numerical methods. For this purpose, the subject addresses the following topics: nonlinear equations, systems of linear equations, interpolation, differentiation and integration, and, resolution of ordinary and partial differential equations. The emphasis is on the computational analysis and implementation of numerical algorithms to solve engineering problems with a controlled error.
Descripción:
This subject of basic instruction and general education presents grammatical topics for the elaboration of an outline and a structured composition, through the development of the writing program in a transversal way. In addition, it allows the identification of arguments in oral and written communication on contemporary and academic topics. Additionally, appropriate vocabulary is applied to discuss issues related to different cultures, places where we live, everyday news, entertainment media, and past and future opportunities.
Descripción:
This course is an introduction to the mechanics of fluids, and contributes to the professional training of engineering students, with emphasis on the understanding and application of the concepts, laws and equations of conservation of mass, momentum and energy, integral, differential and dimensional analysis methods, and of the techniques for solving problems in the field of engineering. The topics to be covered include fundamental concepts, fluid properties, pressure distribution across fluids at rest and their applications, integral, differential, and dimensional analysis techniques for engineering problem solving, and study of incompressible viscous flow in pipelines and around blunt and aerodynamic bodies.
Descripción:
This basic training course for entry-level engineering based on classical mechanics is the basis for mechanical design. The course describes the behavior of rigid bodies under the action of forces. In the first part of the course, Newton's laws are used to determine the static equilibrium of structures, machines, beams and cables. Concepts of point forces, moments, distributed loads, and friction are applied in solving engineering problems. In the second part of the course the movement of rigid particles and bodies under the action of external forces that produce acceleration is studied. Furthermore, alternative energy and momentum methods are presented for the solution of particular cases.
Descripción:
The chemistry section of this professional training course provides basic knowledge of chemical structure composition, distribution and behavior in its different phases (gaseous, dissolved and particulate) of the oceans in all its regions, particularly the aquamarine-coastal-situ bodies of Ecuador. It determines the conservative and non-conservative compounds/elements; and their processes. It examines the broad oceanic cycles of Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Silicon, and Iron. The Biological section describes the different habitats and spatial distribution of marine ecosystems. It describes and classifies different types of marine organisms. It describes how they interact through food chains and energy flows. It relates organisms with roles in marine biogeochemical processes. The development of research projects will apply acquired knowledge and learn or strengthen new skills. This project will be relevant in academic and social-environmental terms. The course will contribute to the development of oceanographic engineers, providing knowledge in an argumentative and assertive way that will be associated to the investigation of a relevant case in the social and environmental aspects.
Descripción:
This professional training course analyzes internal and external processes of planet Earth that have generated the marine, terrestrial and transitional environments throughout geological time, as well as the current processes that modify them. It explains the use of technologies, procedures and basic criteria for the study or exploration of non-living resources of ocean soil and subsoil and continental margins for societies development.
Descripción:
This professional training course is designed to provide the student an overview of ocean dynamics, as well as the temporal and spatial variability of the ocean-atmosphere system. This is achieved through the analysis of the properties of seawater (temperature, salinity, density), water masses, the equation of motion and its different balances, as well as the main equatorial processes focused on the Equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Descripción:
This subject of basic formation and general education, presents the grammar structures to produce a persuasive essay, through the transversal development of the writing programme. In addition, it allows students to identify specific arguments in the oral and written communication, as well as, to express their own opinions about different topics of social, academic, or professional fields. It also includes the necessary vocabulary to stablish a conversation, narrate situations of their environment, activities to reach their goals, analyze cause and effect and personal and professional opportunities.
Third Year
Descripción:
This transversal course addresses the conditions required to innovate and the process associated with developing an innovation from an entrepreneurial point of view. Subsequently, topics such as the identification of opportunities, value creation, and prototyping and validation of products/services proposals are reviewed, as well as the elements of the business model and financial considerations that are essential for the feasibility and adoption of an innovation. Finally, entrepreneurial competences and process associated with the development and adoption of an innovation are studied.
Descripción:
This professional Civil Engineering course covers theoretical foundations and techniques for the analysis of flexible bodies exposed to the action of external loads, essential for the design of structures. The mechanical behavior of isostatic and hyperstatic structures is evaluated and practical methods are introduced for the determination of stresses and deformations.
Descripción:
This course is aimed at teaching the students the mechanical behavior of soils and rocks, including the check of soil suitability to be used as construction material. The course emphasizes the physical and mechanical properties of soils and rocks, gives an overall picture of the available sampling methods, describes the stress and deformation states of soil and rock masses, and familiarizes the students with analytical methods of slope stability.
Descripción:
This professional training course studies ocean wave phenomena, including capillary waves, seiches, tsunamis and tides, specially on wind generated waves on which gravity is the restoring force. This content is complemented by the analysis of local wave regime, as well as the exploration of practical applications of wave mechanics, including wave prediction and forecasting.
Descripción:
This intermediate level professional course in Civil Engineering addresses the structural study of civil works, from their fundamentals to the appropriate use of the flexibility (or forces) and stiffness (or displacements) methods. Principles of structural mechanics are exposed, including the different types of structures and energy methods for the calculation of deformations.Subsequently, an introduction to the flexibility and stiffness methodsis made, with emphasis on the determination of the corresponding matrices. In addition, the methods mentioned above are applied in real problems and the stiffness method is automated and compared with models developed in structural analysis programs.
Descripción:
This course teaches the fundamental techniques of oceanographic data analysis at the spatial and temporal scales in order to establish cause-effect relationships of different climate phenomena (oceanic-atmospheric); as well as to identify potential applications related to risk assessment.
Descripción:
This course covers the major sources of marine pollution, particularly pollution caused by anthropogenic agents. It gives special importance to water pollution, ballast ships, plastics, hydrocarbons, heavy metals and domestic and industrial wastewater treated and untreated. In addition, it deals with the most common treatments for the containment and elimination of oil spills. It also includes general concepts of ballast water treatment, domestic and industrial urban waste and its evacuation to sewerage systems or natural water bodies as well as through underwater emissaries.
Descripción:
This professional training course studies the physical processes involved in the dynamics of coastal zones, sand transport and determination of beach profiles. This gives to the student a comprehensive vision of the processes that dominate and shape the marine-coastal strip, for its better understanding and conservation.
Descripción:
This transversal training course for all students of the institution has five chapters. It introduces the key principles of sustainability and the path to sustainable development. Addresses ecological principles by deepen into biodiversity, ecosystems, human population and ecosystem services. Study the fundamentals of renewable and non-renewable resources as well as the alternatives for sustainable use. Analyzes environmental quality specifically in the air, water and soil components, delving into issues such as climate change, eutrophication and deforestation. Finally, it emphasizes on the economic axis with topics such as circular economy and on the social axis on topics such as governance and urban planning.
Fourth Year
Descripción:
This course of medium level in the career of civil Engineering, addresses the behavior of elements of reinforced concrete, oriented to the design of structural elements based on the current buildingregulations. The topic is addressed in reinforced concrete elements subject to compressing, tensile, bending, shear and torsion stresses, as well as the study of deflections under loads in service conditions. Subsequently, the design of the structural reinforcementof columnswith axial loads and eccentric loads with uniaxial and biaxial flexion is covered. Finally, armed Ss are analyzed and designed in one and two directions.
Descripción:
This professional training course covers topics related to ports that will allow students to analyze maritime transport characteristics. It also covers different criteria, methods and recommendations to determine port dimensions, considering ship operation and load handling, as well as procedures for port construction.
Descripción:
This professional training course considers environmental management issues on which relevant elements for environmental impact studies are analyzed. The terms and definitions used in environmental practice are presented and outstanding topics in Ecuadorian environmental normative are reviewed. In this course, different methodologies are used to identify, evaluate and assess environmental impacts, which are mitigated through measures set out in an environmental management plan.
Descripción:
This professional training course reviews dedging state of art in Ecuador, some definitions and stages that define it. It studies the application of hydrography and acoustics as an indispensable support in a necessary bathymetry in a dredging in estuarine environments and coastal zone. The objectives of each one of the stages of dredging planning are analyzed, the factors that affect their performance and the design of a dredging area is practiced. Finally, the knowledge of the types of dredges in general is presented. The course is strengthened with observation practices of field work aboard a dredge and the elaboration of a technical report as a result of the field visit.
Descripción:
This professional training course covers the study of physical and biogeochemical principles that govern the ecology of estuaries, as well as their interrelationships. The module includes the study of types of habitats and factors that govern the productivity in the estuaries. In addition, the analysis of the pressure factor over those ecosystems associated to climate variability and environment pollution, for a better understanding of its adaptation and response mechanisms.
Descripción:
This professional training course covers the study of hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes in coastal environment applying computational numerical models. To do this, first, its necessary to do a brief review the mechanisms that produce changes in the coastal area and secondly, the analysis of the equations that use numetical models to study processes as a function of time. The module also explores the stregnths of computational numerical models.
Descripción:
This professional training and advanced level course include topics related to ports, allowing design of infrastructure elements (piles, heads, retaining walls, sheet piles, breakwaters) and superstructure (slabs, beams, screens and dikes, fenders, crane rails) of a port work.
Descripción:
This course studies different types of coastal structures and their applications to problems for an adequate coastal protection and development. For this, the student recognizes the type of oceanographic and coastal information that needs to be determined and calculated in order to be able to conceptually dimension a structure so that it can fulfill its function safely.
Descripción:
This professional training course uses management process as a tool applied to the development of dredging works. The different uses of dredged material and the compliance with environmental aspects within management are reviewed. Technical requirements to be fulfilled at the beginning of the projects are also reviewed. Finally, legal aspects involved in a dredging contract are reviewed, as well as the role of the administrator and supervisor in management of compliance with a dredging contract. The course is strengthened with observation practices boarding a dredger and finally, the student will develop a technical report as a result of the field visit.
Descripción:
In this subject of professional training, students discover different tools used for integrated coastal management execution, such as strategic planning, to coherently face coastal zone problems. Knowledge of these tools is complemented with an analysis of experiences of integrated coastal management both in Ecuador and in other parts of the world framed in essential concepts of integrated coastal management and sustainable development.
Descripción:
This professional training course enables the student to formulate a project by analyzing the financial part and its profitable and social evaluation through the selection of financial tools such as net present value, internal rate of return and payback period. This evaluation is complemented by learning project planning techniques: bar graph, arrow diagram, precedence diagram and PERT.
Fifth Year
Descripción:
In this subject of professional training, students recognize different management strategies used to manage marine coastal areas. These are framed into the world agendas, fundamentals of the integrated coastal management process and management tools, in order to face coastal area problems in a coherent and relevant way. With these tools, the student will be able to carry out a management process adapted to the reality of the coastal marine space to be managed.
Descripción:
In this capstone course, students conduct a project applying oceanography, engineering and coastal resources management. The project shows a process of creativity, organization and relevance that involves students in a professional design experience. In the first part of the course, the needs of a client/user/ public are identified. Then, the problem/opportunity is defined, data is collected and critical factors are analyzed. In the second part, alternative solutions are created framed within regulations and restrictions defined each user. It concludes with the design and/or implementation of a feasible solution or elaboration of prototype as well as an analysis and validation of results.
Additional
ARTS, SPORTS AND LANGUAGES ELECTIVE COURSES
1 credits - 1.9 ECTS
SELECTED ELECTIVE COURSE
3 credits - 5.8 ECTS
SELECTED ELECTIVE COURSE
3 credits - 5.8 ECTS
HUMANITIES ELECTIVE COURSES
1 credits - 1.9 ECTS
After 4 years of study, you will be able to:
- Lead multidisciplinary teams, solving Oceanographic Engineering problems.
- Solve complex problems that require an understanding of oceanic and marine-coastal processes, and their social, ethical, and environmental implications.
- Innovate in the area of Oceanographic Engineering, developing new techniques and technologies that require permanent professional improvement.
- Contribute to the development of Ocean Sciences through the continuous study and investigation of its processes.
Occupational profile
- You will be able to practice your profession in areas such as coastal engineering and port works, oceanic engineering, oceanography, and management of coastal resources.
- Develop studies of coastal processes, coastal protection, restoration of beaches and habitats.
- Design and manage ports and maritime structures, navigation studies, planning, execution and supervision of oceanographic studies-projects.
- Execute development works in the coastal strip, as well as coastal protection; observing its environmental, risk and disaster reduction, climate change and sustainability implications.
- Completion of curricular mesh.
- Degree work (Integrative Subject)
- Pre-professional internships (240 hours) and liaison (160 hours)
- Delivery of personal documentation to STA (Academic Technical Secretary)
The Capstone Project is a culminating requirement for graduation. These projects provide students with the experience of applying acquired knowledge and skills to the needs of society, with a focus on sustainability.
The IDEAR Fair showcases all Capstone projects, offering students a valuable opportunity to showcase their work and hone soft skills such as communication and teamwork. It is also a space for students to network with potential clients and future employers.
Explore all of the Capstone projects completed by the Oceanographic Engineering program.
DID YOU KNOW?
If you are interested in the study and design of solutions to problems inherent to the oceanic and marine-coastal zone of the country, this career is an excellent option.
