BSc (Hons)Maritime Business

Core modules

Academic and Personal Development

As a future business, finance, marketing, maritime or law professional, awareness of personal strengths and development areas is essential to your success. This module teaches you critical academic and communication skills, and introduces the living CV concept.

Introduction to Business

Understanding the business environment is vital for running a business. Learn about the various forms, purposes, types of ownership and governance structures across different sectors and scales, explore strategy and its implementation, and look at measurement and environmental modelling.

Introduction to Marketing and Consumer Law

Effective marketing allows businesses to develop sustainable and valuable relationships with their audiences. Exploring real-world case studies, this module covers introductory marketing theories alongside branding, customer insight and data, GDPR, consumer rights and the latest innovations.

Introduction to Law

Understand the nature and sources of law and key concepts underlying legal systems. This module will look at the English legal system, consider the different courts and their functions, legal personnel and the legislative process.

Understanding Finance

Understanding finance requirements is key to ensuring a business thrives. You will learn fundamental terms and concepts, such as key performance indicators (KPIs), regulation, cashflow, financial statements and accountability – ensuring you are an asset to your team.

Business or Law Project

Study the value and social impact of enterprise, working as a group to analyse local organisations and provide valuable insights – and developing vital skills that employers are looking for, from research and teamwork to effective communication.

Core modules

Shipping Business

This module will provide you with the foundation knowledge that is essential to the understanding of shipping as business. This knowledge forms the basis for understanding maritime commercial law and practice.

Global Trades

Develop your understanding of global trade and the relationship between supply and demand for natural resources. Explore how trade routes develop and change in response to new discoveries and socio-economic development.

Data Science

Shipping is high volume industry with a need to measure cargo, fleet capacity and distances. To be prepared for this business environment, you will learn how to summarise and communicate numerical information and develop skills to deal with complex data.

Shipping Economics

This module introduces you to economics of the main maritime trades. This covers the impact of the shipping cycle and how freight markets work alongside economic theory and business practice relating to maritime industry.

Vessel Operations

Identify vessel requirements for the vast array of commodities transported by ship and consider some of the more specialised vessels that work in the industry related to the cargo they carry. Look at how changes in technology and a need for a more sustainable approach will drive change in the industry.

Maritime Organisations

Gain a foundation of knowledge of the typical organisation of shipping companies, ports and other firms that enable the transportation of goods – and people – by ship. You will also look into the organisation of companies that support seaborne trade, such as shipyards, ship chandlers, brokers, insurance firms and more.

Core modules

Ship Management and Operations

Shipping is a global business that is regulated by multiple organisations. You will look at the operations of a range of vessels, and regulations that are in place to ensure safety of crew and cargoes with the need to balance the economic, social, environment and regulatory requirements to successfully manage ships.

Carriage of Goods by Sea

This module will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the commercial and legal issues involved in the carriage of goods by sea. Effectively conduct basic research using a variety of legal research tools, resources and electronic media to locate, organise and apply the core legal concepts that regulate commercial maritime law.

Digital Business and E-commerce

The primary purpose of this module is to demonstrate the impact and influence of advancement in information technology on different business functions such as manufacturing, logistics, finance and commerce.

Chartering Practice

This module will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the practical, commercial and legal aspects of ship brokering and chartering.

Accounting for Decision Makers

As you are studying to become a manager in a maritime organisation, this module should prove indispensable for your future career. This is practice-driven module teaches you to interpret financial accounting information, supplier screening, competitor analysis, profit and optimisation.

Optional modules

Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.

Cargo Insurance

This module will introduce you to basic principles of Marine Insurance It will also give an overview of insurance market and identify the various cargo clauses covering identified risks with the exclusions for indemnity under the insurance. It will give you an overview of how the cargo claims managed.

Maritime Innovation and Technology

The maritime industry is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by digitalisation, decarbonisation and an increased focus on sustainability and security. Innovative technologies that improve productivity, sustainability and competitiveness are key to shaping the future of maritime and shipping.

Placement Year

Between years two and three of your course, you'll be able to take a year out from studying to work within your chosen industry gaining valuable work experience. The course team and our careers service will help you with finding a placement.

Core modules

Dissertation

A dissertation gives you the opportunity to undertake an extensive piece of research within your subject area and develop important skills to critically analyse, synthesise and evaluate your chosen topic.

Strategic Management

This module considers the issues of strategic management within the complex environment that enterprises operate, where opportunities and constraints are continually developing and changing. It explores a range of strategic management processes that address the complexity and variability of this environment.

Marine Insurance

This module explains the principles which divide the risk between Hull and P & I insurance, and covers the basic range of circumstances in which risks to parties and ships involved in international trade can be covered and the circumstances in which an indemnity for losses suffered can be recovered.

Financial Management

Investment appraisal, sources of funds, and risk management strategies are all examined in detail within a maritime context. Consideration will be given to new buildings, second hand purchases; the acquisition of other capital assets will also be addressed.

Optional modules

Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.

Maritime Sustainability

During this module, you will develop the skills in leadership and management needed to sustainably manage business activity and projects. The module begins by focusing on developing your understanding of sustainability and addresses the development of sustainability, its contested nature and interdisciplinary application. The module then moves on to discuss the concepts of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and their application to the industry, followed by a consideration of the tools and technology available to meet the needs of industry in reaching a more sustainable future.

Maritime Law

This module will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of maritime law and practice, which is essential to the understanding of shipping as an international activity. It examines the legal issues which are fundamental to ship operation.