Detailed Information
Programs of Study
Florida Institute of Technology offers programs of research and study options in the fields of biological, chemical, geological, and physical oceanography; marine meteorology; and environmental and marine chemistry that lead to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in oceanography. An M.S. in oceanography with an option in coastal zone management is also offered. Those students interested in the graduate program in ocean engineering should consult the program description at http://coe.fit.edu/dmes/ocean.php.
Research Facilities
Florida Institute of Technology is conveniently located on the Indian River Lagoon, a major east-central Florida estuarine system recently designated an Estuary of National Significance. Marine and environmental laboratories and field research stations are located on the lagoon and at an oceanfront marine research facility. Marine operations, located just 5 minutes from the campus, house a fleet of small outboard-powered craft and medium-sized work boats. These boats are available to students and faculty members for teaching and research in the freshwater tributaries and the Indian River Lagoon.
Florida Tech’s oceanfront marine research facility, the Vero Beach Marine Laboratory, just 40 minutes from the campus, provides facilities, including flowing seawater from the Atlantic Ocean, to support research in such areas as aquaculture, biofouling, and corrosion. On the Melbourne campus, the Departmental teaching and research facilities include separate laboratories for biological, chemical, physical, geological, and instrumentation investigations. In addition, high-pressure, hydroacoustics, fluid dynamics, and GIS/remote sensing facilities are available.
About an hour from campus is the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute of Florida Atlantic University; scientists and engineers there pursue their own research and development activities and interact with Florida Tech students and faculty members on projects of mutual interest.
The Biological Oceanography Laboratory is fully equipped for research on plankton, benthos, and fishes of coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Collection gear; analytical equipment, including a flow-through fluorometer; and a controlled environment room are available for student and research use. Areas of research have included toxic algal blooms, sea grass ecology, and artificial and natural reef communities.
The Marine and Environmental Chemistry Laboratories are equipped to do both routine and research-level operations on open-ocean and coastal lagoonal waters. Major and minor nutrients, heavy-metal contaminants, and biological pollutants can be quantitatively determined. Analytical methods available include liquid chromatography, infrared and visible light spectrophotometry, and atomic absorption spectrometry.
The Physical Oceanography Laboratory and the Surf Mechanics Laboratory support graduate research in ocean waves, coastal processes, circulation, and pollutant transport. In addition, CTD and XBT systems, ADCP and other current meters, tide and wind recorders, salinometers, wave-height gauges, side-scan sonar, and other oceanographic instruments are available for field work. An Environmental and Optics Laboratory provides capabilities for analyzing ocean color data and collecting in situ hydrologic optics data.
The Marine Geology Laboratory is used to study nearshore sedimentation and stratigraphy. The lab equipment includes a state-of-the-art computerized rapid sediment analyzer, a magnetic heavy-mineral separator, and computer-assisted sieve systems.
Financial Aid
Graduate teaching, research assistantships, and endowed fellowships are available to qualified students. For 2009–10, financial support ranges from approximately $9000 to $16,000, including stipend and tuition, per academic year for approximately half-time duties. Stipend-only assistantships are sometimes awarded for less time commitment. Most coastal zone management students receive support through internship appointments.
Cost of Study
In 2009–10, tuition is $1015 per graduate semester credit hour.
Living and Housing Costs
Room and board on campus cost approximately $4500 per semester in 2009–10. On-campus housing (dormitories and apartments) is available for full-time single and married graduate students, but priority for dormitory rooms is given to undergraduate students. Many apartment complexes and rental houses are available near the campus.
Student Group
The College of Engineering has 450 graduate students. Oceanography currently has approximately 25 graduate and 40 undergraduate students.
Student Outcomes
Graduates have gone on to careers with such institutions as NOAA, EPA, Florida Water Management Districts, Western Geophysical, Naval Oceanographic Office, Digicon, county and state agencies, consulting firms, and other universities.
Location
The campus is located in Melbourne, on Florida’s east coast. It is an area, located 4 miles from the Atlantic Ocean beaches, with a year-round subtropical climate. The area’s economy is supported by a well-balanced mix of industries in electronics, aviation, light manufacturing, optics, communications, agriculture, and tourism. Many industries support activities at the Kennedy Space Center.
The Institute
Florida Institute of Technology is a distinctive, independent university, founded in 1958 by a group of scientists and engineers to fulfill a need for specialized advanced educational opportunities on the Space Coast of Florida. Florida Tech is the only independent technological university in the Southeast. Supported by both industry and the community, Florida Tech is the recipient of many research grants and contracts, a number of which provide financial support for graduate students.
Applying
Forms and instructions for applying for admission and assistantships are sent on request. Admission is possible at the beginning of any semester, but admission in the fall semester is recommended. It is advantageous to apply early.
The Faculty and Their Research
- (For additional details, please see http://www.fit.edu/faculty/profiles/)
- Charles R. Bostater Jr., Associate Professor; Ph.D., Delaware. Remote sensing, hydrologic optics, particle dynamics in estuaries, modeling of toxic substances, physical oceanography of coastal waters, environmental modeling.
- Iver W. Duedall, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Dalhousie. Chemical oceanography, physical chemistry of seawater, geochemistry, marine pollution, ocean management.
- Lee E. Harris, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Florida Atlantic; PE. Coastal engineering, coastal structures, beach erosion and control, physical oceanography.
- Elizabeth A. Irlandi, Associate Professor; Ph.D., North Carolina. Landscape ecology in aquatic environments, sea grass ecosystems, coastal zone management.
- Kevin B. Johnson, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Oregon. Zooplankton ecology, predator-prey interactions, metamorphosis, larval transport and settlement, larval behavior, invasive species.
- George A. Maul, Professor; Ph.D., Miami (Florida). Physical oceanography, marine meteorology, climate and sea-level change, satellite oceanography, earth system science, tsunamis and other coastal hazards.
- Dean R. Norris, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Texas A&M. Taxonomy and ecology of marine phytoplankton, particularly dinoflagellates; ecology and life cycles of toxic dinoflagellates.
- Geoffrey W. J. Swain, Professor; Ph.D., Southampton. Materials corrosion, biofouling, offshore technology, ship operations.
- John H. Trefry, Professor; Ph.D., Texas A&M. Trace metal geochemistry and pollution, geochemistry of rivers, global chemical cycles, deep-sea hydrothermal systems.
- John G. Windsor Jr., Professor; Ph.D., William and Mary. Trace organic analysis, organic chemistry, sediment-sea interaction, air-sea interaction, coastal management, environmental education.
- Gary Zarillo, Professor; Ph.D., Georgia; PG. Sediment transport and morphodynamics, tidal inlet–barrier dynamics, numerical modeling of inlet hydrodynamics.
- Adjunct Faculty
- Eric D. Thosteson, Ph.D., Florida; PE. Coastal processes, wave mechanics.
- Robert W. Virnstein, Ph.D., William and Mary. Limnology.
- Christopher Combs, M.S., Texas A&M. Descriptive oceanography.
Correspondence and Information
Florida Institute of Technology
Dr. John G. Windsor Jr., Program Chairman
Oceanography Program
Melbourne, Florida 32901-6975
Telephone:
321-674-8096
Fax:
321-674-7212
Email:
dmes@fit.edu
Florida Institute of Technology
Graduate Admissions Office
Melbourne, Florida 32901-6975
Telephone:
321-674-8027
800-944-4348 (toll-free in the U.S.)
Fax:
321-723-9468
Email:
grad-admissions@fit.edu
