Webb Institute is a specialized engineering school, one of three American institutions that offers an undergraduate degree in naval architecture (proper ship design). The school was founded in 1889 by William H. Webb, a successful Manhattan shipbuilder who recognized the need for better science in the field of boat design. The original school was a beautiful, purpose-built Romanesque Revival castle located in the Bronx. That building also served as a home for shipbuilders who had retired from Webb's yard—a sort of bygone pension. As you might imagine, much comedy accompanied the uncanny juxtaposition of young and old.
In 1947, Webb Institute moved to its present home in a Georgian mansion on Long Island. The waterfront campus is ideally suited to all kinds of outdoor activities, from soccer to fishing to tennis. There is a high participation rate in sports and clubs, and a student group organizes on-campus parties and off-campus trips as diverse as rafting, skiing, or taking in an opera.
Webb is undeniably rigorous. Students must juggle seven challenging, fast-paced courses every semester. In a unique inversion of protocol, the students remain in their classrooms and the professors rotate. With class sizes around twenty, there is nowhere to hide. All students are on a full-tuition scholarship; as such, there are strings attached. Attendance is controlled. Webb’s academic standards are high—the minimum grade is 70—and failures must be promptly remediated. The curriculum is almost entirely fixed; difficult classes cannot be avoided. There is usually one laboratory-based course each term. All seniors must prepare a thesis: this might involve design, research, testing in the model tank, foreign travel, or the construction of scientific apparatus. Winter internships are integral to Webb’s curriculum: freshmen work in shipyards, sophomores crew on merchant ships, and juniors and seniors work in design firms.
Students end up at Webb for different reasons: some come for the boats; others choose Webb for the size or the charm; still others are swayed by Webb’s reputation for a superb education at an unbeatable price. Many alumni pursue graduate degrees. Some enter civil or military service, while others seek employment in private industry (and not always in marine fields). Regardless of what Webbies do for a living, their alma mater gives them the tools and perspective to be a responsible, mature, and productive adult.