Odjel za pomorstvo Sveučilišta u Rijeci osnovan je 1998

UNIVERSITY OF RIJEKA
	STUDY OF MARITIME TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF MARITIME STUDIES

The Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka was founded in 1998, according to the decision brought by the Administrative Council of the University of Rijeka, as the successor of the Faculty of Maritime Studies (founded in 1978) and the Merchant Marine College (founded in 1949), which was the first institution for higher education established at Rijeka.
During the 50 year long period of its activities this school of higher education has generated more than 7,400 vocationally trained seaborne traffic experts, specialized in various fields of transport activities (graduate seaborne traffic engineergs - traffic technology, ports and harbours, nautical and marine engineering department, as well as seaborne traffic engineers - nautical, marine engineering and marine communications department). Out of this number, 963 students have earned a B.Sc.university degree, while 2,900 students have earned a two-year college degree.

The title of M.Mc. in seaborne traffic technology has been earned by 90 students enrolled at the postgraduate study, while 22 doctoral candidates have earned their Ph.D. in the same field.
The Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka organizes the undergraduate and postgraduate study and further scientific training in the field of traffic and transport technology and leads scientific and research works in the sphere of maritime affairs.

The curriculum of the undergraduate study includes an eight semester course in the traffic technology department. After passing all the required examinations and discharging all other obligations arising from the curriculum, the student earns a B.Sc. university degree, the title of graduate seaborne traffic engineer - traffic technology department.
The concept of the curriculum is based on the first two year study of the fundamental subjects in the field of seaborne traffic technology, reading as follows: mathematics, physics, chemistry, electronic computers, statistical methods, graphic design communications, maritime geography, maritime public law, commercial law, marine environmental protection.
The third and fourth year curriculum comprises those subjects which are characteristic for the scientific field in question: maritime system, port and terminal technology, cargoes in seaborne traffic, multimodal transport, internal transport and warehousing, logistics in traffic, technology of inland transport, means of transhipment, port and shipping economics, shipping agencies, international forwarding, sea transport, marine insurance and sea damages, marketing, cargo handling, marine technologies, operational researches, safety in transport, etc. The English language is an eight semester course of ESP language, while the third and fourth year students can make a choice between two optional foreign languages - German or Italian.

In the first two years the courses are mainly realized through lectures and exercises, while the third and fourth year include workshop based bourses too. Very good results have been obtained with the tutorial system, when the best students in their fourth year study choose a certain topic and prepare an essay on for a seminar. This will be then used as the basis for their graduation thesis, the results of which are summoned and published in the scientific periodical issued by the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka.

The postgraduate study, as a continuation of the undergraduate study, represents a kind of scientific and further vocational training. At the end of it, the candidates, recruited from the shipping industry, will get a better understanding of and insight into the choice of the optimum conception when trying to solve problems in business practices, while those being employed at various faculties or institutions for higher education will become qualified for scientific and research works performed in the field of traffic technology.

The Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka or the former Faculty of Maritime Studies has organized or has been the coorganizer of many scientific meetings and conferences on current problems arising in maritime transport. It was at these conferences that the results obtained in scientific and research projects were presented in public.

Out of the whole scientific and research activities performed by the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka, the most important are those that are financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Croatia and are dealing with the following subjects: optimization of Croatian container ports system, influence of environmental protection requirements on the ship's energetic system, safety of navigation and marine environmental protection within the Republic of Croatia, models of economizing energy in shipyards.

Of the total number of 36 teaching staff employed at the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka, 23 have earned a Ph.D. and 10 a B.Sc. or B.A. degree, while two staff members are employed as novices and are included in the scientific and research works.

The results obtained in scientific and research activities have been published in a scientific journal issued by the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka, former Faculty of Maritime Studies, as well as in other scientific maritime transport publications issued in Croatia or abroad. A special attention is to be paid to the theme topics: traffic technology as a science, technological aspects of seaports, systematic approach in shipping, sea transport within the logistic transport process, ecology and sea transport, market analysis of the shipping industry, safety of navigation by sea, inland traffic within the port development process, etc.

All the results obtained in these scientific and research works as well as experiences gained in lecturing have been always tested and improved, mainly through international contacts made between the teaching staff employed at the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka and those colleagues working at similar institutions seated in many European countries (Germany, Hungary, Italy, slovenia, etc.).