Officer of the Watch (Blended Learning) - Certificate of Higher Education Nautical Science
Course Code: MD1EC0001
Maritime & Nautical
Next course dates
| Start Date | Location | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime | Fleetwood Nautical Campus | 4 Years | Apply |
Not ready to book? Enquire here about our upcoming dates:
Course Overview
If you want to become a junior deck officer in the commercial shipping industry, you must pass qualifications set out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) Nautical Science programme forms a key part of your development of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for a career within the maritime industry as a junior deck officer. This qualification is designed to fully align to the MCA requirements with regard to education and training for a deck officer of the watch certificate of competency (when combined with the short courses set out in MSN 1856).
Depending on your career path and career goals, you may be eligible to study face-to-face onsite over a period of around six months, or you may be able to study by Blended Learning, which utilises block-and-blend, with a mix of distance learning and block attendance.
This flexible blended version of the programme welcomes you, especially if you are:
- an experienced seafarer looking to upskill from rating to officer
- a Royal Navy Officer leaving the armed forces, wishing to convert you experience to a Merchant Navy Certificate of Competence (CoC)
- a holder of a non-UK CoC, or a limited UK CoC and wish to convert to an MCA issued OOW Unlimited CoC
- employed on a ship, looking to gain more knowledge about the industry and prepare for a more senior role in the future
This list is not exhaustive, so if you are unsure if this is the course for you, our team will be able to give you the initial advice and guidance you need to have confidence that you are enrolling on the right programme. You would also be recommended to seek advice from the MCA.
Please note: Your enrolment on the programme runs for a period of three calendar years from the point of enrolment, which is flexible allowing you to enrol any time in the year. This 3-year period could span four academic years (Aug-Jul), which is reflected in the 4-year course duration stated above. This does not mean you have four calendar years to study.
Entry Requirements
To enrol onto the CertHE, the entry requirements are:
- Level 3 Diploma in Shipping and Maritime Operations plus 5 GCSES Grade 4 and above, including English at grade 4 or above and Maths at Grade 4 or above, or
- Experienced seafarers who can evidence employment in a capacity that will lead to them obtaining a minimum of 36 months sea-time will be exempt from the above requirement, as per MCA criteria.
If you are a cadet, you will have completed the Level 3 Diploma in Shipping and Maritime Operations as part of your wider cadetship (individual sponsoring companies employ their own interview/selection processes which may go beyond these requirements).
Additionally international students may require an overall band score of 5.5 and minimum score of 4 in each element of IELTS.
Students who have previously studied the SQA Advanced Certificate or Advanced Diploma in Nautical Science (from September 2020 onwards) may be eligible to transfer into this programme. Eligibility will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the curriculum team, based on completed modules and alignment with the current programme structure. This ensures academic parity and supports progression within the MCA framework.
Note: Whilst the programme team will provide IAG for applicants to the qualifications, in all cases where sea service is used as entry criteria for the course, it remains the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that this will be accepted by the MCA as counting towards their CoC and if necessary, liaise with the MCA directly.
Qualification Obtained
CertHE Nautical Science
Assessment Methods
Please see the course information sheet for details of the modules and assessment strategy for this course.
Teaching and Learning Methods
Throughout your studies you will learn and be assessed in a range of ways to support the overall aims and outcomes of the programme in order to equip you with the appropriate skills for roles within the maritime industry. Employers will be looking for a range of skills and competencies, including innovation and initiative. Employers want you to have strong communication and team-working skills. The programme promotes the development of these qualities alongside technical competencies and academic knowledge.
Canvas will provide the hub for your learning, incorporating lecturer-authored summaries of module concepts. There will also be videos to help students learn in a multimodal manner, including links to carefully curated resources, such as those provided through Ocean Leaning Platform, journal articles and technical industry sources of information. This will include the use of forums to share ideas as a team on a topic and to critique each other’s ideas in order to help develop your critical thinking. In addition to Canvas you will have access to eBooks and journals, as well to all relevant publications, as identified on the reading lists. You will receive access to maritime specialist documents and eBooks with membership to Witherby publications and Regs4Ships, online resources providing access to conventions, codes and regulations relevant to the maritime industry.
Please see the programme specification for more detailed information.
Industry Placement and Field Trips
This course does not include industry placements, applicants would be expected to already be working in a relevant capacity in industry.
Other Costs and Equipment Needed
B&FC provide access to key reading materials and other resources as a part of the course costs. You are expected to provide stationery, including parallel rulers and dividers for chart work, celestial navigation and radar plotting. You will also need a scientific, non-programmable calculator that is not on your phone.
It will be essential for you to have a laptop or equivalent device that you use for your studies to access Canvas, where you will access the vast majority of your learning resources. Without this, you will not be sufficiently equipped to consume the quantity of material required.
Expert Tutors
All staff involved in the delivery of any courses within the College are approved to teach and/or assess the subjects and modules they deliver. The approval process ensures that staff delivering and/or assessing a given programme are appropriately qualified, with relevant technical and industrial experience and professional practice.
Regulation and Accreditation
Accrediting Institution: N/A
