About Shanghai Maritime Uiversity

Shanghai Maritime University (SMU), covering a total area of 2,000 mu, is a multi-disciplinary university teaching subjects relating to engineering, management, economics, law, liberal arts, and science, with special emphasis on shipping technology, economics and management.


Campus view of SMU

China's maritime education originated in Shanghai. Early in 1909, the Shipping Section of the Shanghai Industrial College under Ministry of Post and Communications was established, indicating the start of tertiary maritime education. In 1912 Wosong Merchant Marine School, renamed as Wosong Merchant Marine College in 1928,was established Then in 1959 the Ministry of Transport (called Ministry of Communications then) created Shanghai Maritime Institute. Since 2000, the institute has been jointly run by Shanghai Municipality and the Ministry of Transport, with the former as the main administrative organ.

At present the university runs two post-doctoral research stations, one first-level-discipline doctoral program, seven second-level-discipline doctoral programs, 29 master’s degree programs, two specialized master's degree programs, 43 bachelor's degree programs, and 12 associate-degree programs. Moreover, SMU boasts one state-level key discipline, one MOE engineering research center, nine ministerial or municipal key disciplines, two state-level specialties with special features, and five Shanghai municipal "educational heights". In the MOE evaluation of undergraduate education in 2004, SMU was awarded an “A”(Excellent). Then in 2006 the SMU English-language specialty won another “A” in the MOE assessment.



Shanghai Maritime University, consisting of 14 colleges, has over 20,000 full-time students, of whom over 14,000 are undergraduates and 2,500 are postgraduate students. Of the over 900 full-time teachers, 120 are professors and 30 percent hold a doctorate. Over the past decades the university has produced specialists of various types at various levels for the country's shipping industry. It has graduated over 50,000 students, who are employed in shipping companies, port enterprises and government institutions. Deservedly, SMU has been honored as a "cradle of international shipping specialists".



Shanghai Maritime University has the Transport Sector Key Laboratory of the Shipping Technology and Control Engineering (a Ministry of Transport key lab), a group of scientific research bases, an aquatic training base, a 10,000-ton-class ship for teaching practice, two ocean training yachts suitable for sailing in unrestricted navigation area, and 29 training boats.

In 2007 the university received a research grant of 150 million yuan. It also won a number of state research projects and scientific progress awards at and above the ministerial level.

Shanghai Maritime University has cooperative and exchange projects with 30 overseas universities, international organizations, shipping and port enterprises, in such areas as educational programs, research collaborations and student exchanges. SMU is steadily expanding its enrolment of foreign students.
 


Making use of all the advantages, Shanghai Maritime University is now sparing no efforts to develop into a world-class maritime university with its own distinct characteristics.