Yacht Design Program

Yacht Design Program

Educational Objectives

The Yacht Design curriculum is designed to provide students with a structured learning environment in which they can become knowledgeable and proficient in the practical application of the fundamental principles of small craft naval architecture, design, strength, construction and systems and develop the skills to communicate effectively with other industry professionals by verbal, written and graphical means. Please click here to view the complete course description in our academic catalog.

Career Options for Graduates

Most graduates of the program find employment in the offices of independent design companies and the engineering departments of production and custom boat builders. Other opportunities include sail design, technical sales and brokerage and project management. Graduates are working all over the world.

For more information about careers in Yacht Design, please click here.

Curriculum

The Yacht Design Program teaches the technical design process for both power- and sailboats from concept through preliminary design. While the curriculum is engineering-based, the aesthetic aspects of yacht design are also an important element. The fundamentals of hydrostatics and hydrodynamics form the basis for hullform design. The keels and rudders, rigs, engines, propellers, ergonomics and aesthetics are all considered in the development of interior arrangements, outboard profiles and deck plans.

Structural design and layout is founded on the fundamentals of engineering statics, strength of materials and structural mechanics within industry standards. Students also study system design and installation including engines, shafts, steering systems, tanks, piping, ventilation and electrical systems.

Students begin the first quarter of the program employing manual drafting skills in order to gain appreciation for drawing appearance and layout. The remainder of the year they use CAD software using a networked PC at each student’s workstation. Students use industry-standard software for calculations, two-dimensional drafting, three-dimensional hull fairing and general three-dimensional modeling.

Throughout the year the scope of the studies is supported and extended by lectures by industry experts, field trips and reviews of case studies on business practices and client relations. Students spend much of their time preparing preliminary designs for safe and practical small craft. As a final project, each student prepares a complete set of plans and calculations covering all aspects of the design for his or her own choice of a sailboat, powerboat or commercial craft. A student’s designs comprise a portfolio that he or she may use to demonstrate his or her skills and experience when seeking employment.

The Yacht Design Program is very demanding. The material covered in a school year usually takes at least two academic years to complete at other institutions. Students devote a substantial amount of time outside of lab and lecture periods to completing school assignments and projects.

Curriculum

The following modules are taught through lecture and lab work as part of the Yacht Design Program:

Classroom Size

The maximum number of students enrolled at one time in the Yacht Design Program is 20.

Articulation Agreement

The Yacht Design Program at the Landing School is part of an articulation agreement with Southampton Solent University in the United Kingdom. Southampton Solent University offers one of only two Bachelor’s degrees in Small Craft Design available in the world, the Bachelor of Engineering in Yacht and Small Craft Design (Hons). Graduates of the Design Program who achieve a final GPA of 2.4 or better are entitled to advanced placement on this prestigious degree program, meaning that they can complete a Bachelor’s degree in a total of three years. Federal financial aid is available to qualified students who chose to take advantage of this opportunity. For more information contact the admissions office at The Landing School.

Details of this exchange agreement are available by at The Landing School.

Credits from the Maine Maritime Academy

Through an exchange agreement, the Maine Maritime Academy, located in Castine, Maine and The Landing School offer two, two-year Associate’s degrees: one in Small Craft Design and one in Small Craft Systems. Both degrees are awarded by the Maine Maritime Academy. A student in either program completes the first year in residence at Maine Maritime Academy, including a summer internship. Students spend the second year at The Landing School. Students in the Small Craft Design Program are enrolled in The Landing School’s Yacht Design Program. Students in the Small Craft Systems Program are enrolled in The Landing School’s Marine Systems Program. For more information contact the admissions office at The Landing School.For more information, at The Landing School or at the Maine Maritime Academy.

For more information about our graduation rates, median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit this link.