Introduction
The Graduate Program in Ocean Engineering (PPGEO), of Federal University of Rio Grande - FURG, had its first entry in 1995, being created to gather knowledge in the areas of engineering (especially mechanical and civil), physics, mathematics and oceanography. Thus, since its inception, the faculty is composed of professionals with expertise in the mentioned areas, which allowed the PPGEO to develop interdisciplinary research activities. This profile is reflected in the student body of PPGEO, being composed by students from undergraduate courses in the areas of mechanical engineering (and their different emphases), civil engineering (and their different emphases), chemical engineering, water engineering, hydraulic engineering, sanitary engineering, and also as mathematics, physics and oceanography.
The PPGEO is linked at the School of Engineering (EE) of the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG) and is evaluated in Engineering Area III of CAPES (Higher Education Personnel Improvement Coordination). PPGEO has a master's degree in ocean engineering with grade 3 in the last CAPES quadrennial assessment (2013 - 2016), being the only ocean engineering program located in southern Brazil. Although there is no doctoral degree yet, PPGEO has received regional and national recognition of human resources for the academic and industrial sectors. Currently, the program is improving its indicators of qualified education and scientific production, in order to enable the creation of a doctoral course in the area.