Commercial shipping carries almost all the goods we use on a day-to-day basis - from your computer to your car (and the fuel it runs on). This programme will give you an entry point to the maritime industry, providing essential knowledge, skills nd behavious that will make you competitive in the most globalised industry there is.

The BSc (Hons) in Nautical Science 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 12 months’ industrial placement on board ships, leading to the award of Officer of the Watch (OOW) Certificate of Competency (CoC). The CoC is the certificate you need to go to sea and, as its name suggests, proves your competency for the role.This programme is aligned to support your progression through knowledge acquisition at both the operational level and managerial level, as directed by the Standard of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) 1978. This programme integrates academic and work-based learning through close collaboration between employers an Blackpool and The Fylde College.

You will cover topics such as STCW basic training in vocational areas such as first aid, firefighting and survival at sea, alongside courses such as enclosed space rescue. The programme is delivered across three years and broken down into five phases: phases 1,3 and 5 will be delivered on campus whilst phases 2 and 4 will be spent at sea, applying what you have learned in college in the real world.By the end of the sea phase window, students wishing to achieve a Certificate of Competency should have had the opportunity to complete the MCA sea time requirement of 12 months. This will be provided by sponsorship of a shipping company, however, other maritime related industries may meet the requirements of the programme.Further information can be found on the FNC website at https://fleetwoodnautical.blackpool.ac.uk/course/mh1he93