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 centres 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 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. 

General Eligibility

104-120 UCAS points

• Plus GCSEs in grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in the following subjects:

• Mathematics

• English

• Science (with significant Physical Science content)

• For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• • IELTS minimum 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component

  • TOEFL IBT minimum 80 with a minimum of 20 in each individual component

  • Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with a minimum of 95 in each component