Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering is a professional activity recognized and regulated by the Portuguese Association of Engineers (Ordem dos Engenheiros), which consists mainly in the design, construction and operation management of the systems that are intended for the exploitation of the sea, as a means of maritime transportation, as a source of living and mineral resources and also as a place for sports and recreational activities.

The undergraduate degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering aims to provide students with a solid background in mathematics and physics, computer science, management and engineering sciences, in the fields of applied mechanics, thermodynamics, materials and structural mechanics, fluid mechanics, and in the area of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, enabling them to pursue more advanced studies, in the Master degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (2nd cycle of studies).

The undergraduate degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering is an overarching programme, which explores the affinities of the core disciplines in different engineering branches, and integrates itself in a large area of education and training in engineering, which includes Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Industrial Engineering and Management

In addition to the sound fundamentals necessary to attend the Master Programme in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at the Instituto Superior, the undergraduate degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering confers on graduates a high degree of mobility to attend second cycle courses in the European Higher Education Area, either in the technological areas related with marine activity, or in related technological areas of other engineering branches.