NAVAL ARCHITECTURE

Duration of the programme and number of hours

The programme lasts for 3.5 years (7 semesters). The total number of course hours is 2595 per person, including:

• 1170 hours of lectures for all students in the same year
• 375 hours of general classes (for groups of 32)
• 570 hours of laboratories (for groups of 16)
• 480 hours of project related classes (for groups of 16)

Curriculum

The curriculum has been designed to enable students to learn broad fundamentals of designing and building various vessels (transport ships, offshore units, yachts, small warships, sailing drones, and underwater devices). The range of knowledge, skills, and competences obtained by students during their studies allow them to plan their professional career with great flexibility. The curriculum has been prepared by 5 professors and experts with post-doctoral degrees, their total experience and scientific career in the theory of ships and designing water units being 150 years (in this area, this is probably the best professional staff in Poland). All teachers have at least 5-years’ experience in teaching the same or similar subjects as well as practical and industrial experience. App. 10% of the classes are taught by people working, on an everyday basis, in private companies dealing with designing and building ships.

Students can choose from the following specializations:

• ship design and construction (PiBO)
• yacht design and construction (PiBJ)

All the classes will be taught in Szczecin, on the premises of the University. Students will use, among other things, computer laboratories, design laboratories, and ship simulators equipped with the latest and most widely used software. During the classes, students will also use software which they may encounter in their future jobs both in Poland and abroad. Some of the classes will be held in physics laboratories, where students will learn about the technology of building small vessels, such as yachts made of polyester and glass laminates. Apart from the classes in physics laboratories, students will also be able to pursue their own interests in designing and building various vessels in students’ scientific clubs. They will also have an opportunity to take part in student sports competitions or regattas e.g. of pedal boats, prototypes of boats with electric drives and photovoltaic cells, sailing drones, underwater vehicles etc.

Graduate profile

The most important assets of Naval Architecture graduates:

• Expertise in designing, building, and operating ships, vessels, ocean engineering objects, sailing yachts, and motor yachts;
• Expertise in economy, production organization, and marketing related to units referred to above;
• Familiarity with the latest computer systems for designing, constructing, and managing production in ship industry;
• Using a foreign language, including a specialist language and naval architecture or ocean engineering issues.

Naval Architecture graduates may find employment both in the Polish and world job markets in ship building or repair yards, ship and yacht industry companies, design and construction offices, and research centres related to ship and power industry, technical and administrative services related to marine economy, and marine mining companies.

Naval Architecture as a programme of the future

Numerous strategic documents indicate that naval nrchitecture specialists will be much needed in the labour market in the nearest years which makes our prospective graduates very attractive employees. This is confirmed, for instance, in the following development strategies:

• Since January 2017, the Act on activating ship industry and complementary industries has been applicable in Poland. One of the tasks resulting indirectly from the Act is the reconstruction of the school system for educating staff for the ship industry;
• In February 2017, the Polish government adopted the “Strategy for Responsible Development” which refers to the need of reconstructing the shipbuilding industry. One of the key programmes of the strategy is the Batory Programme, which is supposed to lead to the reconstruction and reinforcement of the shipbuilding industry by, among other things, designing and building innovative vessels and marine structure, including offshore units;
• The Naval Architecture programme is in line with one of regional specializations of the West Pomerania province, i.e. marine activities, including marine technology recognized in the “Regional Innovation Strategy of the West Pomerania Province for 2011-2020”.