Coastal, Ocean, Port & Navigation Engineering

The baseline requirements set the minimum standards for applying for post-licensure board certification in civil engineering specialties. Board certification demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for competent practice, as outlined in the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK3) and the relevant Specialty Area Bodies of Knowledge (SABOK).

1. Professional Characteristics:
1.1 Adherence to the ASCE Code of Ethics.
1.2 Strong communication skills.
1.3 Demonstrated project management and/or leadership abilities.
1.4 Commitment to continuing education and advancing the profession.

2. Education: Formal education in engineering and the specialty area supports achievement of the CEBOK3 and specialty area body of knowledge.
2.1 A bachelor’s degree in engineering or another related field, from an ABET-accredited program is required. Alternatively, a relevant postgraduate degree (master’s or PhD) may fulfill this requirement.
2.2 Thirty or more postgraduate education credit hours, or completion of recognized certificate program(s). Alternatively, additional work experience can also qualify (see Item 4.2 below for details).

3. P.E. License or Approved Equivalent:
3.1 A current P.E. license or approved equivalent is required. In countries without this, additional work experience may substitute (see item 4.3 below).

4. Work Experience: Work experience may include planning, design, analysis, operations, management, governance, research, and/or teaching. The applicant must be currently actively engaged in the specialty area of civil engineering and have:
4.1 At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in civil engineering after the first bachelor's degree, with 8 years in the specialty area of coastal, ocean, port, or navigation engineering.
4.2 Without postgraduate education (see item 2.2 above), 15 years of experience (13 in a specialty) is required.
4.3 If an applicant lives and works in a country without a P.E. license or equivalent (as per requirement 3), they must have at least 15 years of civil engineering experience, with 13 of those years in a specialty area.

5. Validation:
5.1 The applicable administrative unit validates achievement of the requisite CEBOK3 and SABOK outcomes in a manner appropriate for the certification. Validation applies to all applicants and follows a uniform process for each certification developed and administered by the applicable specialty board.

View the complete CEC eligibility requirements. 
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for certification, contact [email protected].

To apply for board certification in coastal, ocean, port, or navigation engineering:

1. Email your completed application and supporting documentation to [email protected].
2. Request references from licensed professional engineers representing at least three different organizational entities. You may submit more than three professional references, provided at least three are from different organizational entities. You must request these references using the form provided.
3. Pay the application fee(s) online for either: Coastal engineering, Ocean engineering, Port engineering, or Navigation engineering. The application fee is non-refundable, please ensure you have met eligibility requirements before paying the application fee.

Applicants for board certification must complete the application in its entirety and remit the appropriate fees to be considered.

Once the application has been submitted, it will be reviewed for completeness by CEC staff before it’s sent to the Admissions Committee. If an application is deemed incomplete at the published deadline, further processing/review will be delayed until the next application cycle.

Once the Admissions Committee completes a full review of an application, the following outcomes are possible:

1. The applicant may be approved for the board certification(s), with the panel oral exam waived.
2. The applicant may be recommended for the panel oral examination.
3. The applicant may be required to submit additional documentation and/or clarify their professional experience and expertise.
4. The applicant is denied board certification.

All recommendations from the Admissions Committee are provided to the ACOPNE Board of Trustees who is responsible for issuing the certificate of special knowledge to an applicant, indicating attainment of the coastal, ocean, port, and navigation board certifications.

Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee. This fee covers the costs of reviewing applications, conducting oral examinations, maintaining records, issuing a certificate of special knowledge, and the initial board certification fee for the first year. 

Please be sure that you have ensured your eligibility before paying your application fee. The application fee is part of a multi-step application process and is non-refundable.

• ASCE and/or Institute members - $350
• Nonmembers - $450

• Spring application deadline: March 31
• Summer application deadline: June 30
• Fall application deadline: Sept. 30
• Winter application deadline: Dec. 31

Our program involves thorough applicant reviews by volunteer member boards and panelists, so the timeline from application submission to board certification can span several months. An overview of typical processing times is outlined below.

1. After submission, your application undergoes a completeness check by CEC staff (7-10 business days) before it is sent to the respective Review Committee.
2. Complete applications are reviewed quarterly for winter, spring, summer, or fall intake (6-8 weeks).
For example, if an application is received in February, your application will be reviewed with other applications that are received by the March 31 deadline for the spring applications review. (allow 6-8 weeks for review time by Review Committees after each published application deadline) 
3. Incomplete applications by the deadline are deferred to the next cycle for review. 
4. If you are recommended for the panel exam interview, depending on your schedule and the panel’s availability, the normal period for a panel interview to be scheduled is within 4-6 weeks after the committee’s recommendation for your panel interview. 
5. If you have participated in a panel exam interview, you can expect to hear the results of your interview within 2-3 business days.

If an oral examination is required, the candidate is required to give a 30-minute presentation that should cover his/her professional work experience with example projects as appropriate. Through this presentation, the candidate should demonstrate mastery in one of the body of knowledge (BOK) elements in application. The candidate should be specific about which BOK elements they believe they have mastered.

Following this presentation, the candidate will be asked a series of questions by the examiners to clarify the full extent of the applicant’s experience. The examiners’ questions will relate to the applicant’s specific presentation, as well as any other areas of his professional career as necessary to provide a basis for assessing whether the candidate has:

1. Demonstrated advanced and accurate knowledge of at least one area of coasts, oceans, ports, or navigation engineering (COPNE).
2. Demonstrated progressive responsible charge in COPNE since obtaining his/her P.E.
3. An attitude regarding continued professional development that is consistent with that of the CEC.
4. Current responsibilities include either routine performance or routine review of technical aspects of ACOPNE.

In addition, a scenario or a few scenarios may be presented for the applicant to discuss and thereby demonstrate aspects of their professional judgment. These scenarios will not be provided to the candidate before the interview. The responses will be used to evaluate the candidate's understanding of coastal, ocean, port or navigation engineering and approaches to solving problems.

The bodies of knowledge (BOKs) are to be used by the evaluation panels to determine if candidates qualify for board certification in the areas of coastal, ocean, port, or navigation engineering.

The intent of the BOKs are to provide blueprints by which the Academy can more uniformly evaluate a candidate’s technical expertise, experience, and education.

The American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge, third edition, lists the outcomes necessary for professional licensing in 21 categories. Board certification requires the same levels as the ASCE BOK plus mastery of at least one advanced technical outcome in engineering under ASCE BOK outcomes 5 through 21.

ACOPNE defines “mastery” of an outcome to mean that the engineer has reached the level of expertise such that more challenging, complex, and difficult problems may be solved than can be addressed by an ordinarily competent licensed engineer.

Mastery of a topic can be demonstrated by planning, designing, constructing, operating, managing, regulating, or researching engineering projects of geographic or type diversity at the expert level with increasing levels of responsibility and difficulty, teaching advanced courses on these topics, authoring, or coauthoring papers and contributing to books, and contributing to the profession, such as through society committees, on these topics. Mastery may be manifested as exceptional expertise in a single area or as recognized expertise in multiple topic areas.

The ACOPNE Coastal Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK) is to be used by ACOPNE evaluation panels to determine if candidates for the board-certified designation qualify for certification.

The intent of the CEBOK is not to establish a checklist of requirements, but to provide a template by which the Academy can more uniformly evaluate a candidate’s education and experience, reducing but not eliminating subjectivity.

The American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge: Preparing the Future Civil Engineer, third edition lists the outcomes necessary for professional licensing in 21 categories. Coastal Engineering Certification requires the same levels as the ASCE BOK plus mastery of at least one advanced technical outcome in coastal engineering under ASCE BOK Outcomes 5 through 21.

The CEBOK outlines 21 foundational, technical, and professional practice learning outcomes for individuals entering into responsible charge in the practice of civil engineering.

We define “Mastery” of an outcome to mean that the engineer has reached the level of expertise such that more challenging, complex, and difficult problems may be solved than can be addressed by an ordinarily competent licensed engineer.

Mastery of a topic can be demonstrated by planning, designing, constructing, operating, managing, regulating, or researching coastal projects of geographic or type diversity at the expert level with increasing levels of responsibility and difficulty, teaching advanced courses on these topics, authoring or co-authoring papers and contributing to books, and contributing to the profession, such as through society committees, on these topics. Mastery may be manifested as exceptional expertise in a single area or as recognized expertise in multiple topic areas.

The CEBOK consists of:

• Fulfillment, at the level required for licensure, of all 21 outcomes in the ASCE BOK.
• Fulfillment, at the expert level of at least one outcome from the ASCE BOK Outcomes 5 Through 21 as related to one or more Coastal Engineering categories from the listing below to demonstrate mastery of the discipline.

Technical outcomes below will be used by the ACOPNE Board of Trustees or a Board-designated examination panel to evaluate applicants for certification.

Coastal Engineering

General Knowledge

• Life cycle planning and management
• Codes, manuals, guidelines, and standards, risk assessment
• Engineering economics; cost-benefit analysis
• Field investigations and data acquisition for waves, currents, tidal levels, sediment transport, seabed sampling, analysis, and interpretation
• Coastal Engineering fundamentals (e.g., water wave physics and theories, tide generation and water level fluctuations, storm surges, cyclone generation and propagations, seabed formation, types of sediment transport, shoreline, and beach profile changes) to define environmental forcing, design conditions, siting, and permitting requirements for coastal construction, monitoring, and management
• Safety & security of environment, public use, private/public property
• Adverse and beneficial environmental impacts analysis
• Sustainability planning, design, and analysis
• Environmental law and policy with respect to coastal engineering projects

Hydrodynamics and Environmental Forcing

• Large- and small-scale hydrodynamics of tides and wind-generated, swell, infra-gravity, and tsunami waves
• Tide and wave prediction and measurement
• Wave transformation; influence of current flows, winds, energy decay, and roughness and wave-structure interactions
• Time series analysis of environmental data; water level and wave data analysis
• Cyclones, hurricanes, floods and storms (high- to low-frequency events) prediction, generation, and propagation
• Tsunami generation, propagation, and impacts (wave run up) and mitigation measures
• Extreme water levels, storm surge and wave setup/set down; frequency analysis to derive design water levels for various return periods
• Bathymetry, shoreline topography and hydrographic surveys
• Flows in estuaries; stratification/density effects
• Modeling of coastal hydrodynamics (numerical and physical)
• Transport of constituents or contaminants (heat, salt, pollutants)
• Water exchanges of enclosed bay/marinas and measures to improve the water flushing
• Hydraulic forces/pressure exerted on the coastal structures (e.g., coastal bridge, piers, piles, deco-on-piles, pipelines, submerged structures, etc.)

Beach and Shoreline stability, Protection and Coastal Structures

• Sediment characteristics and types of sediment transport (seabed forms, bedload, suspended loads, littoral drift, and cross-shore sediment transport)
• Equilibrium beach profile and stabilized shoreline analysis and interpretation
• Effectiveness and impacts of seawalls, groins, jetties, revetments, breakwaters, beach nourishment and sand motor
• Shoreline and beach management
• Nature-based and soft solutions for shoreline protection including living shoreline and sand dunes with vegetation
• Structural design and analysis (hard structures; beach nourishment)
• Modeling impacts and stability of coastal structures (via numerical and physical models)
• Construction materials for coastal structures including the characteristics of superior quality rocks, and concrete units
• Structural foundations; scour analysis; geotechnical investigations
• Securing sand source for beach nourishment from offshore area including dredging works, type of dredgers and environmental related considerations

Construction, Maintenance and Monitoring

• Contracting – plans, specifications and inspecting
• Permitting requirements
• Hydrographic surveying, sediments analysis and monitoring
• Contractor possession of the site and preliminary works
• Setting out of the works and sequence for construction
• Review of shop drawings, method statement, materials delivered on site, and test results reports
• Environmental impacts, considerations, and laws
• Construction management
• Performance analysis and assessment
• Project sustainability and lifetime
• Inspection of the works and monitoring
• Maintenance management

The ACOPNE Ocean Engineering Body of Knowledge (OEBOK) is to be used by ACOPNE evaluation panels to determine if candidates for the board-certified designation qualify for certification.

The intent of the OEBOK is not to establish a checklist of requirements, but to provide a template by which the Academy can more uniformly evaluate a candidate’s education and experience, reducing but not eliminating subjectivity.

The American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge: Preparing the Future Civil Engineer, third edition lists the outcomes necessary for professional licensing in 21 categories. Ocean Engineering Certification requires the same levels as the ASCE BOK plus mastery of at least one advanced technical outcome in ocean engineering under ASCE BOK Outcomes 5 through 21.

We define “Mastery” of an outcome to mean that the engineer has reached the level of expertise such that more challenging, complex, and difficult problems may be solved than can be addressed by an ordinarily competent licensed engineer.

Mastery of a topic can be demonstrated by planning, designing, constructing, operating, managing, regulating, or researching ocean engineering projects of geographic or type diversity at the expert level with increasing levels of responsibility and difficulty. It can also be demonstrated through teaching advanced courses on these topics, authoring or co-authoring papers and books, and contributing to the profession on these topics. Mastery may be manifested as exceptional expertise in a single area or as recognized expertise in multiple topic areas.

The OEBOK consists of:

• Fulfillment, at the level required for licensure, of all 21 outcomes in the ASCE BOK.
• Fulfillment, at the expert level of at least one outcome from the ASCE BOK Outcomes 5 through 21 as related to one or more Ocean Engineering categories from the listing below to demonstrate mastery of the discipline.

The technical outcomes below will be used by the ACOPNE Board of Trustees or a Board-designated examination panel to evaluate applicants for certification.

Ocean Engineering

General Knowledge

• Life cycle planning and management
• Contracts and contracting strategies
• Codes and standards, risk assessment
• Specifications, drawing/drafting methods
• Engineering economics; cost-benefit analysis
• Field investigations and data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation
• Ocean Engineering fundamentals to define environmental forcing, design conditions, siting, and permitting requirements: water waves, tides, stability of floating structures and foundations, construction techniques
• Safety and security of environment, public use, private/public property
• Adverse and beneficial environmental impacts analysis
• Sustainability planning, design, and analysis
• Environmental law and policy with respect to ocean engineering projects
• Facilities functionality and operational support requirements

Environmental Conditions

• Measurement and prediction of weather and ocean environment, including temperature affects (more general than "icing" to cover low temperature, ice, elevated temperature, temperature swings, etc.)
• Geotechnical investigations and assessment
• Seismic considerations
• Assessment of site conditions
• Remote sensing; geophysical exploration; bathymetric surveying

Design and Analysis of Structures (Static and Dynamic)

• Fixed structures
• Floating structures and stability
• Subsea structures
• Cable-like structures; moorings
• Underwater instrumentation
• Underwater vehicles (ROVs, AUVs)
• Numerical and physical modeling
• Fatigue analysis and design

Fabrication, Installation, and Operation of Ocean Engineering Equipment

• Materials, joining methods, and weathering
• Tubular joint layout and construction
• Corrosion protection and coating systems
• Fabrication and manufacturing techniques
• Inspection techniques
• Offshore construction techniques
• Materials and structural testing, including welding procedure qualifications
• Installation techniques
• Operational inspection and maintenance requirements
• Safety methods

The ACOPNE Port Engineering Body of Knowledge (PEBOK) is to be used by ACOPNE evaluation panels to determine if candidates for the board-certified designation qualify for certification.

The intent of the PEBOK is not to establish a checklist of requirements, but to provide a template by which the Academy can more uniformly evaluate a candidate’s education and experience, reducing but not eliminating subjectivity.

The American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge: Preparing the Future Civil Engineer, third edition lists the outcomes necessary for professional licensing in 21 categories. Port Engineering certification requires the same levels as the ASCE BOK plus mastery of at least one advanced technical outcome in port engineering under ASCE BOK Outcomes 5 through 21.

We define “Mastery” of an outcome to mean that the engineer has reached the level of expertise such that more challenging, complex, and difficult problems may be solved than can be addressed by an ordinarily competent licensed engineer.

Mastery of a topic can be demonstrated by planning, designing, constructing, operating, managing, regulating, or researching port projects of geographic or type diversity at the expert level with increasing levels of responsibility and difficulty, teaching advanced courses on these topics, authoring or co-authoring papers and contributing to books, and contributing to the profession, such as through society committees, on these topics. Mastery may be manifested as exceptional expertise in a single area or as recognized expertise in multiple topic areas.

The PEBOK consists of:

• Fulfillment, at the level required for licensure, of all 21 outcomes in the ASCE BOK.
• Fulfillment, at the expert level of a majority of ASCE BOK Technical Outcomes 5 through 15 and at least one outcome from the ASCE BOK Professional Outcomes 16 through 21 as related to one or more Port Engineering categories below to demonstrate mastery of the discipline.

The outcomes below will be used by the ACOPNE Board of Trustees or a Board-designated examination panel to evaluate applicants for certification.

Port Engineering

General Knowledge

• Life cycle planning and management
• Codes and standards, risk assessment
• Engineering economics; cost-benefit analysis
• Construction management
• Contracting
• Safety and security of port facilities
• Intermodal connections – highway, rail, pipeline
• Safety and security of environment, public use, private/public property
• Adverse and beneficial environmental impacts analysis
• Sustainability planning, design, and analysis
• Environmental law and policy with respect to port engineering projects

Design of Port Facilities

• Wharves, docks, piers
• Bulkheads, slope protection and retaining structures
• Cranes, ship loaders, conveyors, gangways
• Mooring systems (including passing vessel effects)
• Terminal improvements, gates, utilities, drainage
• Channel design
• Seismic design
• Future berth deepening
• Sea Level change considerations

Construction of Port Facilities

• Dredging, rock dikes, landfill
• Dredged material beneficial uses; disposal
• Pile installation, tie-back systems
• Excavations and earthwork, retaining walls, groundwater, ground improvement
• Pavements
• Power distribution and lighting
• Dock and pier installation

Environmental Considerations in Port Engineering

• Permits and regulatory requirements
• Contaminated sediments
• Hazardous material handling
• Stormwater control
• Habitat protection and restoration
• Mitigation of construction and facility impact
• Environmental impact assessment

Operation and Maintenance of Port Facilities

• Above/below water inspection
• Hydrographic surveying
• Pavement inspection and repair
• Scheduling and traffic control; communications
• Extension of service life
• Operational upgrades and modernization

The ACOPNE Navigation Engineering Body of Knowledge (NEBOK) is to be used by ACOPNE evaluation panels to determine if candidates for the board-certified designation qualify for certification.

The intent of the NEBOK is not to establish a checklist of requirements, but to provide a template by which the Academy can more uniformly evaluate a candidate’s education and experience, reducing but not eliminating subjectivity.

The American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge: Preparing the Future Civil Engineer, third edition lists the outcomes necessary for professional licensing in 21 categories. Navigation Engineering certification requires the same levels as the ASCE BOK plus mastery of at least one advanced technical outcome in navigation engineering under ASCE BOK Outcomes 5 through 21.

We define “Mastery” of an outcome to mean that the engineer has reached the level of expertise such that more challenging, complex, and difficult problems may be solved than can be addressed by an ordinarily competent licensed engineer.

Mastery of a topic can be demonstrated by planning, designing, constructing, operating, managing, regulating, or researching navigation projects of geographic or type diversity at the expert level with increasing levels of responsibility and difficulty, teaching advanced courses on these topics, authoring or co-authoring papers and contributing to books, and contributing to the profession, such as through society committees, on these topics. Mastery may be manifested as exceptional expertise in a single area or as recognized expertise in multiple topic areas.

The NEBOK consists of:

• Fulfillment, at the level required for licensure, of all 21 outcomes in the ASCE BOK.
• Fulfillment, at the expert level of at least one outcome from the ASCE BOK Outcomes 5 through 21 as related to one or more Navigation Engineering categories from the listing below to demonstrate mastery of the discipline.

The technical outcomes below will be used by the ACOPNE Board of Trustees or a Board-designated examination panel to evaluate applicants for certification.

Navigation Engineering

General Knowledge

• Life cycle planning and asset management
• Codes and standards, risk assessment
• Engineering economics; cost-benefit analysis
• Marine transportation system components, laws, stakeholders, and participants
• Intermodal connections – from MTS to multi-modal
• Naval architecture basics, to define vessel and fleet
• Contracting; plans, specifications, and inspecting
• Safety and security of navigation facilities
• Surveying; determination of datums
• Sustainability of navigation infrastructure

Hydraulics and Hydrology

• Water level changes
• River and channel morphology and changes
• Floods and storms
• Ice and debris hazards
• Waves and currents
• Sediment characteristics, sediment transport
• Numerical and physical modeling of navigation facilities

Channel and Basin Design and Construction

• Channel and basin size, depth, and shape
• Training structures
• Shoreline and bank stabilization
• Construction and stabilization of channels; control structures
• Environmental evaluation of navigation effects
• Navigation simulation
• Loadings from design vessel and fleet

Lock and Dam Design and Construction

• Spillways and gates
• Instrumentation and control systems
• Mechanical controls
• Structural controls
• Filling and emptying systems
• Lock approaches and fendering systems
• Construction of lock and dam facilities
• Flows near and through locks and control systems

Placement Area Design and Dredged Material Management

• Development of dredged material management plans
• Environmental compliance and coordination for placement areas
• Design and construction of placement areas facilities

Beneficial Use (BU) and Natural and Nature Based Features (NNBF)

• Development and coordination of BU and NNBF solutions
• Design and construction of BU and NNBF solutions

Other Navigation Structures

• Jetties
• Sediment training structures
• Shore protection and stabilization
• Breakwaters used as containment features

Operation and Maintenance of Navigation Facilities

• Efficient lock operations
• Management of maintenance activities
• Use of instrumentation and control systems
• Electronic information to support operation of navigation facilities
• Dredging techniques and equipment
• Management of dredged material; beneficial uses
• Hydrographic surveying