For more than a century, MIT has been a leading center of ship research and design, and is widely recognized for its contributions in such areas as hydrodynamics, ship structural mechanics and dynamics, propeller design, and overall ship design. The Pratt School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, which was established through a bequest to MIT in 1912, is an integral part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Today, MIT is at the forefront of ocean science and engineering, with significant efforts in fluid mechanics and hydrodynamics, acoustics, offshore mechanics, marine robotics and sensors, and ocean sensing and forecasting. In addition, the Naval Construction program provides advanced graduate education on the design of naval ships and vehicles.