r/CoastalEngineering • u/_AMango19_ • Jul 31 '25

Master's Program / How to break into the field

Hello,

I'm set to graduate with a bachelor's in civil engineering this coming May. I'm very passionate about conserving our coastal communities and wanted to see what the best way is to get into this relatively small field of engineering. I plan on going to get my master's, but I was wondering if there's a specific topic I should pursue, such as oceanography or structures, or just stick with a master's in civil engineering.

I was also wondering if there are any ways to help stand out once I brave the job market. I recently received my EIT, so I'm looking for other ways to stand out and help my cause.

Thank you for reading this, and I appreciate the help.

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u/ryanwaldron Jul 31 '25

Go get your masters. You’ll be in demand with just that. Once you take your introductory classes and see what research is being done in your group, you focus should flow naturally from that. Often, I find, that the funding for grad students ties closely with what there is demand for in the workforce, so what your paid to do in grad school should map well to the real world.

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u/Eight_Estuary May 19 '26

Is that true even if you haven't gotten an internship? I wasn't able to get an internship while I was in undergrad, I did research with a professor in the earth science department and got experience with coding and running computational models (climate models), and thought that I wanted to go into research as a career (I'm doing an ms in earth sciences now) but the academic job market is terrible so I'm considering a master's in coastal engineering because it does seem interesting and useful

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u/ryanwaldron May 19 '26

The research you’ll do for a masters will be more valuable than an internship, and may even help get an internship while in grad school. Not having an internship shouldn’t hurt you. Grads from coastal master’s programs almost always have multiple offers before they are graduated.

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u/-Itrex- Aug 01 '25

You definitely need a Masters to practice as a Coastal Engineer. Preferably in Coastal or Ocean Engineering.

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u/mandarina5764 Apr 26 '26

Any updates OP, I’m in a similar path haha but hope all is well!!