Smart and sustainable maritime business

This minor will be offered through FITech for the last time in the academic year 2021-2022. Please also note that the application deadline for courses belonging to a minor that are offered in the spring semester is exceptionally already on November 1^st. Please check the individual courses for updates regarding future availability.

The minor in Smart and Sustainable Maritime Business offers a unique, cross-disciplinary set of courses targeted to educate future problem-solvers in and around maritime business. It offers fundamental understanding of the principles of naval architecture, shipping economics and maritime business, thereby providing a comprehensive view of how shipbuilding and sea logistics industry are organized, and which are the main trends for their development in light of new technologies and environmental concerns. Through elective studies, this knowledge can be complemented with the knowledge on more specific technologies and operations in the maritime industry (e.g. autonomous ships, passenger ships or winter navigation) as well as regarding the regulatory premises of maritime operations.

The minor offers insights in areas where Finnish companies have leading positions, such as arctic and passenger vessels, autonomous ship systems, and maritime clean tech. The overall focus on the minor is on how to foster an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable business in the maritime area.

Upon successful completion of the module, the student will be able to:

• argue for the importance of shipping for global economy and sustainability.
• explain basic socio-technical phenomena in the context of smart and sustainable maritime business.
• relate sustainable development needs to maritime business.
• match technological needs and developments with commercial opportunities in shipping.
• point out and analyse basic operational problems in shipping over time.

The minor gives students complementary skills needed in a wide variety of expert and managerial positions in connection to the maritime sector, such as various jobs in ship design and consulting, at ship owners and logistics companies.

The primary target group for the minor are master-level students (primarily with a background (B.Sc.) in engineering or business) or professionals already working in industry, who wish a system-wide understanding of how the maritime industry works and what the industry’s technological, economic, environmental and regulatory premises and opportunities are. The minor is also recommended for students in, for example, biology, geology and social sciences, who foresee a career in environmental protection, public administration, policy and governance related to the sea. The admission criteria is a bachelor’s degree.

The minor is offered in cooperation between Aalto University School of Engineering, Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi University.

Obligatory courses:

• Principles of Naval Architecture
• Principles of Shipping Economics
• Maritime Business

The student chooses at least four courses.