Marine Engineering - BEng Hons Degree | Fleetwood Nautical Campus

Start Date	Location	Duration / Fee
17 Feb 2026	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	3 Years/ £7,474 per year	Apply
1 Sep 2026	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	3 Years/ £7,474 per year	Apply
17 Feb 2027	Fleetwood Nautical Campus	3 Years/ £7,474 per year	Apply

Course Overview

Who is this programme for?

This programme forms part of a Merchant Navy cadetship so to undertake this programme, you will need to apply to a shipping or training company and obtain sponsorship. The companies cover the cost of your programme and related training courses, your uniform and pays you an allowance (how much varies slightly by company).

You can find out more about how to apply to a company on the Careers at Sea website, where you can also find a list of sponsoring companies.

About this programme

The BEng Hons Degree Marine Engineering is part of a suite of degree programmes for the maritime industry that will provide you with the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for a career in commercial shipping.

Approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB), this three-year programme combines academic education with vocational training and 8 months’ industrial placement on board ships, leading to the award of Engineer Officer of the Watch (OOW) Certificate of Competency (CoC).

This programme is aligned to support your progression through knowledge acquisition at Operational level and onto Managerial level, as directed by the Standard of Training, Certification and Watch keeping (STCW) 1978, as amended 2012. This is achieved by meeting the requirements of the Maritime and Coastguard Agencies (MCA) and approved by the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB).

In addition to this programme providing a full, accelerated honours degree, most students will also undertake a cadet training programme that runs alongside the academic award. You will cover topics such as STCW basic training and workshop training skills, alongside courses in first aid, firefighting, high voltage scenarios and rescue boat experiences.

More detailed information on the programme can be found in the Programme Specification.

A note on study intensity

It is important to understand that this is an intensive programme of study. You will be required to study modules at a rapid pace throughout your college phases. This means you can expect full working days at college for much of your time and individual studies on top of that in your own time. The payback for this is that you get a full honours degree in three years in addition to all the prerequisites to apply for your MCA CoC examinations, whilst getting paid (if sponsored).

If you wish to discuss the expectations for the programme, please email maritime@blackpool.ac.uk to book a call when a member of the programme team will be happy to discuss this with you.

Entry Requirements

You will need to meet the following criteria to apply for a place on this programme:

60 UCAS points at A/AS level, including subjects which support the application
GCSE Mathematics (level 5 or above), Science and English Language (level 4 or above), or equivalent letter grades

Alternate entry qualifications

If you hold other qualifications that are equivalent to the above, the programme team will review evidence supplied by applicants regarding their ability to undertake the programme.

The award of credits via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be assessed on an individual basis.

We will also consider your application if you have a Level 3 Diploma in Shipping and Maritime Operations with a letter of recommendation, usually from your sponsor or Level 3 programme leader, on your aptitude for studying at degree level.

In all cases of alternate qualifications, please email us at maritime@blackpool.ac.uk with details of the qualifications you hold and our programme team will review and come back to you.

English Language requirements

If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 5.5 or equivalent is required. This must have been achieved within the two years prior to applying for the programme. You can find out more here.

Medical requirements

You will need to pass an industry-standard medical examination (ENG1) in order to complete a placement at sea; it is strongly advised that you complete this prior to enrolment on the programme.

Qualification Obtained

Beng (Hons) Marine Engineering

Career Options and Progression

The BEng in Marine Engineering programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge required for a career within the maritime industry as an Engineer Officer of Watch (EOOW). Upon successful completion of the programme, you could consider a number of other roles across the maritime industry. Whether you wish to remain at sea, or come ashore, this programme provides you with the knowledge and skills required to move into managerial roles across the sector, such as:

marine surveyor
technical superintendent
marine project manager
port manager
plant operator
logistics manager
shipping insurance
maritime administrator

Although the programme is designed to develop future-focused skills, these are equally applicable in a range of existing managerial positions across a range of shore side sectors such as:

maritime business services as training manager or crewing managers
maritime regulatory authorities as marine surveyors
roles with the International Maritime Organisation or Maritime and Coastguard Agency
maritime education and training with various roles across maritime colleges or
universities
ship management as fleet managers or an engineering superintendent
ports and harbours as a harbour master

You will also have the opportunity to continue your studies by undertaking a relevant postgraduate degree at another university institution, leading to even greater career opportunities. Studies for a Master or research qualification can take you either into higher positions within the industry, managerial or otherwise, into the research profession, or to teaching careers in further and higher education.

Assessment Methods

A detailed breakdown of the modules and assessment for this programme can be found from page 6 of the Programme Specification.

Assessment	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Coursework	55%	67%	56%
Exam	45%	33%	20%
Practical	0%	0%	0%

Teaching and Learning Methods

Learning Method	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Scheduled (Hours)	930	841	325
Independent (Hours)	1470	958	875
Placement (Hours)	0	0	0
Total (Hours)	2400	1799	1200

Industry Placement and Field Trips

This is a 5 phase programme and you will be required to obtain a total of 8 months sea time during phase 2 and 4. Your sponsoring training provider or shipping company will facilitate this. Your time at sea is an opportunity for you to take your underpinning knowledge of marine engineering and apply it in a shipboard context.

Onboard ship you can expect to be involved with assisting the day-to-day running of the engine room. This could include the overhaul of electrical and electronic equipment on ships, operating engineering plant and machinery, and the attendance at daily engineering team meetings.

During Phase 1, all students will attend a short cadet development course, which aims to build their team-working, communication and leadership skills, as well as improve their situational awareness and decision-making capabilities.

Other Costs and Equipment Needed

B&FC provide access to key reading materials and other resources as a part of the programme costs. You are expected to provide stationery as well as a scientific calculator.

You are strongly advised to have a laptop or equivalent device that you can bring to college as part of your studies as many classes will incorporate technology throughout the learning process. There are limited quantities of laptops available for short-term loan from the LRC if you are not in position to bring your own device to college.
Incorporated within the programme are a number of short courses. Uniform and general personal protective equipment, such as safety shoes and boiler suits are required for some of the associated short courses. Sponsors also typically fund all associated short courses that form part of your eligibility for your Certificate of Competency.

If you require MCA Final attempts, these bear a fee that might or might not be borne by your sponsor.

What you will learn

At Level 4

Module Title	Credits	Code
Engineering Mathematics	20	MH4MD448
Marine Engineering Operations	20	MH4MD449
Stability and Structures	20	MH4MD450
Academic and Digital Skills	20	MH4MD451
Maritime Safety and Emergency Response	20	MH4MD452
Electrical and Electronic Principles	20	MH4MD453
Academic and Digital Skills	20	MH4MD457
Maritime Safety and Emergency Response	20	MH4MD458
Stability and Structures	20	MH4MD459
Marine Engineering Operations	20	MH4MD460
Engineering Mathematics	20	MH4MD462
Electrical and Electronic Principles	20	MH4MD463

At Level 5

Module Title	Credits	Code
Maritime Leadership and Law	20	MH5MD441
Stability and Stresses	20	MH5MD442
Control and Instrumentation	20	MH5MD443
Engineering Thermodynamics	20	MH5MD444
Engineering Mechanics	20	MH5MD445
Marine Engineering Technology	20	MH5MD446
Maritime Leadership and Law	20	MH5MD450
Stability and Stresses	20	MH5MD451
Control and Instrumentation	20	MH5MD452

At Level 6

Module Title	Credits	Code
Maritime Business and Projects	20	MH6MD017
Advanced Tanker Operations	20	MH6MD018
Digital Ship Management	20	MH6MD019
Dissertation	40	MH6MD020
Power Systems and Electrical Machines	20	MH6MD021

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

Marine Engineering - BEng Hons Degree