Salisbury University first and only to offer Coastal engineering major in Maryland

SALISBURY, Md. – A Maryland university is opening the door for educational expansion that will benefit the entire Shore. Maryland’s demand for licensed engineers is steadily growing, and at Salisbury University they’ve created a major to address this major concern.

Current Curriculum 

Dean of Science and Technology Michael Scott says Salisbury University currently offers a coastal engineering track. “We only generate about half of the number of engineers we need to be employed with the state of Maryland… With the Chesapeake Bay on one side, the Atlantic Ocean on the other, dealing with Engineering issues in the coastal zone is of particular importance to the Delmarva Peninsula.”

One and Only

Now, he says this will be the only school in Maryland, and just one of three on the coast, to offer this stand-alone bachelor’s degree. “Coastal engineering majors take the full suite of regular Engineering courses like calculus, physics, static dynamics, thermodynamics, but in addition, they take things like coastal dynamics, or coastal oceanography, coastal development.”

The Coastal engineering program focuses on solving problems in coastal environments. “Be it beach erosion, or submerged wetlands, or bulkheads and shoreline protection, or development in the coastal zone, there’s a lot of really important engineering solutions that need to be designed in the coastal zone, and we need to train people how to do that.”

Moving Majors 

From rising sea levels, pollution, animal habitat, or renewable energy. All are reasons Freshman Maddie Coyne, current Physics major and on the coastal track, plans to switch majors in the Fall. She says this is something all students should do, regardless of if they plan to go into coastal engineering or not.

“I’m really liking it so far, like I’ve never taken physics before this year, and I’m in my second course now and I’m enjoying that… Taking these geology and geography classes, it can be great for the coastal thing, and then if you decide that’s not for you, they line up with so many other careers.”

Meeting Delmarva’s Needs 

Dean Scott says they will continue to meet the workforce needs of the Delmarva peninsula. “That’s really a critical component of what we do here at SU, is talking with businesses, talking with non-profits, talking with local governments about what they need for the employees of the future, and figuring out how to fill that need.”

The engineering Coastal major will be available Fall 2025, for more information click the link.