Marine Engineering - Advanced Certificate

Course Code: MH1HE89

Maritime & Nautical

Next course dates

Start Date	Location	Duration / Fee
07/01/2025	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	28 Weeks/ £7,000	Apply
28/04/2025	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	42 Weeks/ £7,000	Apply
02/09/2025	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	42 Weeks/ £7,145	Enquire
06/01/2026	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	42 Weeks/ £7,145	Enquire
28/04/2026	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	42 Weeks/ £7,145	Enquire

Show all dates

Course Overview

The Advanced Certificate (AC) Marine Engineering programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge required for a career within the maritime industry. The alignment to industry bodies will ensure you meet all the required outcomes to support a career at sea which, when coupled with additional vocational training, will support your eligibility for a career in the field of Marine Engineering such as that of an Engineer Officer of the Watch (EOOW).

Should you wish to progress to the level of Chief Engineer, you will be required to undertake the Advanced Diploma (AD) Marine Engineering programme.

You can download the Programme Specification to find out more.

Entry Requirements

To enrol onto the AC the entry requirements are 4 GCSEs Grade 4 -9 including English, Maths and Science and 48 UCAS points at level 3 with at least one science based subject.

Typically you will have completed a Level 3 Diploma in shipping and maritime operations or a Level 3 engineering and science qualification.

Experienced seafarers with a minimum of 36 months sea-time will be exempt from requiring 48 UCAS Tariff points, as per MCA requirements.

Qualification Obtained

Advanced Certificate Marine Engineering

Career Options and Progression

This programme offers a route to certification and also provides you with the knowledge, understanding and proficiency required for an operational position in the maritime industry. Alongside the Advanced Certificate programme you must also achieve the identified amount of sea service requirements in order to qualify for a Certificate of Competency; this is provided by the shipping companies who ensure you achieve the appropriate amount of sea time on board vessels engaged in shipping operations. The benefit of such a requirement is that you graduate with the AdC award and experience specific to the field in which the programme is aimed.

The programme has been designed to prepare you for a career at sea with ultimate progression routes to management roles. On successful completion of the programme you will have acquired the appropriate skills and knowledge to progress in many directions within the maritime sector or related industries.

Further information relating to Certificates of Competency for Marine Engineers can be found by reading ‘Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1857 (M+F) Training & Certification Guidance: UK Requirements for Engineer Officers and Engineer Operators’.

A career at sea does not always mean working on board ships; other areas of employment include a shore-based job with a shipping company that manages and controls all aspects of their own ship's operations, or on behalf of other ship owners. In some cases these roles may require individuals to have seagoing experience. Operational roles include:

Fleet operations, Fleet Assistant Staff
Fleet personnel, Personnel officer, Training officer
General operations, Safety officer (Quality officer)
Marine operations, Marine technical assistant
Engineering operations, Assistant engineering superintendent

Opportunities also exist outside of maritime based employment. There is currently a worldwide shortage of skilled engineers in many other fields. This programme is designed to provide you with attributes such as management, leadership and other graduate skills required by many employers. This programme will provide you with a suite of transferable skills to support future progression possibly outside the Shipping Industry such as:

Design engineer
Mechanical engineer
Offshore and petroleum engineering
Project management
Sales and technical support engineer

If you wish to further your studies, you will be able to progress onto the Advanced Diploma in Marine Engineering at B&FC, leading to the option of the Lancaster University validated B&FC BSc (Hons) in Maritime Operations Management (Marine Engineering).

Assessment Methods

Please refer to page 5 of the Programme Specification for a detailed breakdown.

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. They will be keen to employ strong communicators and team players. The programme is designed to promote the development of these qualities alongside core technical competencies and academic engineering knowledge.

You will be supported through the programme by structured learning, teaching and assessment strategies. Furthermore, all students will continue to have access to all resources on site, and will be offered specific progress support as part of the Partners for Success framework.

Industry Placement and Field Trips

Not applicable.

Other Costs and Equipment Needed

You are expected to provide your own day-to-day stationery items, e.g. pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. Any specialist stationery items will be specified under the Additional Costs tab of the relevant unit profile.

Candidates will need calculators as specified by the rubric of individual unit and as permitted by the college. The College approved models are Casio FX-570 and Casio FX- 85GT Plus. These may be purchased from any source.

You will require access to a laptop or device with internet access.

You will be required to purchase Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of Fluids booklet. This is available from a wide range of outlets.

Learning Resources are provided on-site and free for students to use Monday to Friday.

Other equipment during your programme will include personal protective equipment for workshops, such as boots, gloves and overalls are provided by the college.

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.

Tuition Fees

Read our tuition fees guide.

Regulation and Accreditation

Accrediting Institution: N/A

Terms and Conditions

Read our full terms and conditions for more information.

Offshore Support