Maritime Economics and Management

Learning Outcomes

The highly interdisciplinary structure of the degree programme provides advanced economic and management tools in the field of economic analysis and strategic planning, with reference to the business dynamics that characterise the main sectors of the maritime economy. Students acquire knowledge of the organisational and management aspects of shipping companies, port terminals and port authorities, and understand their evolution in terms of competitive and corporate strategies in relation to international developments in the sector.

The courses included in the Study Programme belong to four subject areas: business, economics, law and quantitative analysis. The knowledge acquired by students in the various areas contributes in a cross-disciplinary manner to training managers with managerial, organisational, operational and strategic skills. The knowledge and understanding of the various areas are as follows:

– Business: elements of public management for understanding the specific management characteristics of Port Authorities; the commercial functions of shipping companies, transport services and terminal and port companies; marketing management strategies in transport companies and territorial marketing in public administrations; planning, forecasting and project management in transport infrastructure; investment and financing management in maritime and port companies; personnel management in port companies.

– Economic area: development of international trade and its main drivers; processes of delocalisation and fragmentation of production chains; mono-modal and intermodal transport cycles; economic and technical characteristics of different transport infrastructures and terminals; economic thresholds in the choice between modes of transport; dynamics related to coastal and cruise tourism.

– Legal area: international, EU and national regulations governing the maritime economy; contractual forms regulating the shipping sector in both its public and private aspects, with particular regard to maritime law and its fundamental institutions; regulations governing port infrastructure planning; regulations governing port and maritime work, ship registration and the phenomenon of flag of convenience; international regulations in the field of the environment and maritime safety, state aid rules and antitrust regulations at EU level.

– Quantitative area: analysis of managerial, strategic and operational decision-making processes; mathematical and statistical tools and models for solving complex problems in freight and passenger transport; software tools for modelling and simulating complex systems applied to maritime and port management.

The ability to apply the knowledge acquired to interpret the complexity of economic sectors and the competitive dynamics of companies and organisations operating in the maritime economy sectors is the result of the educational organisation of the training programme. It includes classroom lectures accompanied by examples, exercises, case studies, company testimonials and group work on specific project work, through which students learn to operate critically, developing problem solving skills. Application of the at a theoretical level is also stimulated by the use of applications for electronic data processing.

Further information

All information on the course, from admission to the final exam, for all students interested in enrolling in the Master’s Degree Program in Economics & Management of the Sea.

Admission requirements

Admission to the Master’s Degree Course in Economics & Management of the Sea requires a degree in one of the classes L-18 and L-17 (Economics and Business Management Sciences) or in one of the corresponding classes pursuant to Ministerial Decree 509/99 or other equivalent qualification obtained in Italy or abroad. Graduates with a three-year degree in a different class, a university diploma, a single-cycle Master’s degree or other equivalent qualification obtained in Italy or abroad may also be admitted to the programme. In this case, an adequate level of basic knowledge in the fields of business, economics, statistics, mathematics and law is required. The required knowledge is defined in terms of minimum requirements of 60 ECTS credits in the areas relating to the characteristic scientific disciplines, distributed as follows:

1. statistics and mathematics, for at least 15 ECTS credits, sectors from SECS-S/01 to SECS-S/06 and sectors from MAT/01 to MAT/09;
2. economics, for at least 15 CFU, sectors SECS-P/01, SECS-P/02, SECS-P/03, SECS-P/04, SECS-P/05, SECS-P/06; SECS-P/12;
3. business, for at least 15 CFU, sectors SECS-P/07, SECS-P/08, SECS-P/09, SECS-P/10, SECS-P/11, SECS-P/13;
4. law, for at least 15 ECTS, sectors from IUS/01 to IUS/21;
5. knowledge of at least one foreign language in oral and written comprehension on economic and business topics, with reference to level B1 of the European framework for university credits.

Any additional credits required to complete the curriculum may be obtained by taking individual exams in the areas where the student is deficient.

The adequacy of the individual’s preparation is assessed by a committee appointed by the President of the Interdepartmental School of Economics and Law, upon the recommendation of the Course Coordinator and the Director of the Department of Business and Quantitative Studies.

Internships and Placement

Assistance with external training periods is one of the broader institutional tasks of the University Placement Office, whose mission is to build a bridge between the University and the world of work and offer students and graduates better opportunities for professional integration.

To this end, the Placement Office provides a wide range of services aimed at both students and graduates, as well as companies and public or private bodies that make up its network, carrying out administrative, organisational and promotional activities. The Office keeps its website constantly updated with information on curricular and extracurricular internships, as well as those carried out in collaboration with the CRUI Foundation, and provides a list of companies and public or private bodies that have entered into ad hoc agreements with Parthenope University for the provision of internships in a dedicated section of the website. it also acts as an information desk during opening hours. Direct meetings (Recruiting and Career Day, thematic seminars, workshops) are also organised between students and companies/organisations in order to provide opportunities for extra-university training periods, which are often a prelude to the establishment of subsequent working relationships.

These activities are consolidated through the synergy between the University Placement Office and the Master’s Degree Programme Coordinator for Internship and Placement Activities, who constantly supports the Office in finding both curricular and extracurricular internship opportunities for students and graduates by entering into agreements with companies operating in the Blue Economy sectors. The constant dialogue between the Coordinator and the members of the Degree Programme Steering Committee, the participation of DiSAQ in the development of an innovation ecosystem in collaboration with MAR.TE. Sea-land Logistics, as well as the activities developed in collaboration with the National Technology Cluster “Blue Italian Growth” – CTN BIG and the OdR companies associated with it (approximately 80 entities), have made it possible to offer and develop internship and work experience opportunities for almost 70% of the students enrolled in the degree programme.

Final Exam

The final examination consists of the presentation and discussion of a thesis in a public session with an interdisciplinary committee of lecturers. The thesis is prepared by the student under the supervision of a supervisor. The examination, which carries 15 credits, is designed to assess the student’s ability to process and communicate information. The written work, which must be theoretical and experimental in nature, must be original and may consist of:

• an in-depth study of a topic analysed during the course of study, accompanied by an appropriate empirical analysis or multiple analysis of real cases;
• an in-depth study of one or more issues addressed by the student during the internship period.

If the thesis is written during the internship, the supervisor may be assisted by a company tutor.