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Solent Unviersity Southampton logo

BEng (Hons)Marine Engineering

How to apply
Starting in: 2024
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Campus: St Mary'sView on Google Maps

Why study a marine engineering degree cadetship at Solent University

Benefit from a maritime cadetship programme (supported by a sponsoring company) to build your skills as engineering officer in renowned Warsash Maritime School with its industry-leading facilities.

  • £0m
    investment in our campus and industry-standard facilities
  • 0th
    in the top 20 best student cities (StudentCrowd, 2023)
  • A world-class hub of maritime excellence with over 70 years' history of maritime education, and an international reputation for quality.
  • Cadetships are fully sponsored by shipping or maritime companies.
  • Time at sea is built into the course, offering real-world experience.
  • You will access a full range of industry-leading training facilities, including an engineering workshop with facilities for bench/hand fitting, use of machine tools, welding, marine power plant and electrical maintenance.
  • As an engineer officer cadet, you will spend around 450 hours in the workshop, where you can learn and develop practical skills, such as use and care of hand tools, drilling machines, lathes and welding.
  • Our maritime training facilities are among the world's best with a UK-leading simulation centre that allows for digital twinning of specific vessels or ports; a dedicated fire training school; and the UK's only manned model ship handling centre.
  • Solent graduates have gone on to roles with companies including Bibby, Aberdeen; Lloyd’s Register, London; Odjfjell Tankers, Bergen; Cargill, Geneva; Carnival UK; P&O Cruises, Cunard, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
  • Study in the heart of Southampton – a major hub in the UK and European maritime and shipping industry.
  • Through the new Centre for Marine Sustainability, Solent is a leader in the creation, sharing, and application of insight, innovation, and knowledge for safe, sustainable seas – you will learn direct from leading experts in their field.

Course overview

This innovative course combines the benefits of a maritime cadetship programme, supported by a sponsoring company and offering extensive hands-on training at sea on real working vessels, with the recognised career-enhancing potential of a full academic honours degree.

Fully sponsored by one of a huge range of shipping and maritime companies, and developed to meet the specific needs of the shipping industry and the Merchant Navy Training Board, your degree cadetship combines rigorous academic study at our dedicated cadet training centre in Southampton – one of the UK’s busiest ports – with extensive practical training at sea. Shipping out as an engineering officer cadet on a range of vessels owned or operated by your sponsoring company, you will develop the essential skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to become a Marine Engineering Officer in the Merchant Navy.

You will acquire a strong understanding of relevant modern ship-board engineering and electrical systems, their operating principles and safe practices. And you will develop a range of practical engineering skills appropriate to operating and problem-solving for ships’ propulsion and auxiliary machinery systems, as well as other relevant systems, in a safe and efficient manner. 

As part of your degree cadetship, you will gain your first qualification as an Engineering Officer of the Watch – and be equipped with all the knowledge and understanding to you need to undertake tasks as detailed in the industry-based onboard training – and with academic exemptions for further professional qualifications under the internationally recognised Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) and UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) regulations.

And with a full academic honours degree, you will also be well placed for a range of senior, shoreside and management roles later in your career – making this the perfect course for a long and lasting career in maritime engineering. 

This course is part of the South Coast Institute of Technology (IoT), a partnership of colleges, universities and industry-leading employers to create new career opportunities in the technology sector. IoT courses like this one are precisely tailored to the needs of employers in the maritime, engineering and digital industries – industries which are hungry for talented new engineers, technologists, technicians and creatives like you.

Any questions?

Contact UK admissions

Email: admissions@solent.ac.ukCall: 023 8201 5066

Contact international admissions

Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066

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Course features

  • Specialist facilities

    This course has access to specialist facilities

  • Additional qualification

    This course offers additional qualifications for you to obtain with your degree

Who is this course for?

This course is for students who want to achieve a higher level academic qualification whilst training for a professional qualification in engineering.

What does this course lead to?

This exciting course will allow you to gain your first qualification as an Engineering Officer of the Watch, opening up a wide range of opportunities within the maritime engineering career path. With further study and sailing experience you will be able to rise to become a Chief Engineer.

And should you wish to move back onshore at some point in your career, this course will give you the skills and knowledge to move into a range of land-based careers such as engineering management, port operations, marine surveying, marine superintendent, accident investigation, marine insurance, law, chartering, and more.

Meet the team

The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.

Facilities

Warsash Maritime School has a full range of industry-leading training facilities including an engineering workshop with facilities for bench/hand fitting, use of machine tools, welding, marine power plant and electrical maintenance. Engineer officer cadets spend around 450 hours in the workshop, where they can learn and develop their practical workshop skills, such as use and care of hand tools, drilling machines, lathes and welding.

Away from studying, why not try out the gyms, fitness studios and sports halls in our £28 million Sports Complex, or watch a blockbuster film at our student-run cinema with Dolby Atmos audio.

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