MSc Maritime Logistics and Business

Course content

Semester 1

During Semester one students will be based at our Edinburgh or Dubai campus studying general logistics and business with the following mandatory courses.

Mandatory courses

Freight Transport and Warehouse Management

The aims of the course are to help you:

• To understand the range of activities and processes involved in freight transportation within a multi-modal setting
• To examine and be familiar with the decisions behind effective freight transportation selection
• To be familiar with the decision trade-offs that have to be made when looking at multi-modal freight choice
• To provide insight into how changes in other parts of the supply chain will impact the efficiency of freight transportation selection decisions and the resultant potential impact on the supply chain
• To understand the range of activities and resources used in distribution centres
• To examine and be familiar with the mechanical, electronic and manual processes used within distribution centres.

Strategies for Managing Supply Chain

The aims of the course are to help you:

• To explore the relationship between logistics, supply chain management and other management functions
• To understand the process of formulating strategy for supply chains and ensuring that it is compatible with wider corporate strategy
• To appreciate the need for collaboration and cooperation between supply chain partners
• To understand and apply the methods used to design supply chain and logistics network strategy
• To understand the models used to measure logistics costs and supply chain performance
• To explore how disruptive technologies might affect the logistics sector and transform supply chains in the future.

Operations Management

The aims of the course are to help you:

• To understand the contribution of operations management to an organisation in any sector
• To critically evaluate key concepts and principles of operations management and operations strategy
• To be able to critically assess various techniques of product, service design and improvement
• To understand and apply operations management techniques
• To understand the scope of inter-organisational cooperation
• To distinguish between operations management performance objectives and the necessary trade-offs in performance
• To be familiar with the main quality management frameworks.

Business Analytics and introduction to big data 

The aims of the course are to help you:

• To understand the different approaches used by managers and management consultants to solve business decision problems;
• To appreciate the purpose and value of business analytics in management decision making;
• To provide a working understanding of the key statistical concepts that underpin aspects of strategic decision sciences;
• To give students the practical skills to apply a range of analytical techniques used by Business Analysts;
• To introduce the key concepts of Big Data.

Semester 2

Students will be based at Piri Reis University in Istanbul, focussing on maritime logistics and economics, and will undertake the following mandatory and optional courses.

Mandatory courses

Advanced topics in Maritime Management

The objective of this course is to introduce the participants to the contemporary topics in maritime management from shipbuilding to cargo routes to the future of seafaring. The course will also introduce the participants to the methods, tools and techniques for assessing economic, political, demographic, and technological trends in the context of industrial, commercial and public sector organisations. Understanding these trends is critical to improving the performance of the industry's capital investment as well as operational efficiency, and provides the backdrop for successful long-term business strategy.

The focus of the course is on advanced topics within an ecosystem approach to maritime management. The governance and knowledge management issues involved, however, are general enough to be of use to any student interested in the management of complex environmental problems.

The scale of the requirements for the effective management of marine ecosystems continues to grow along multiple dimensions. Larger areas need to be covered, more issues need to be addressed, more stakeholders need to be involved and more communities, nations, regions and multilateral agencies need to find ways to cooperate. Therefore this course also aims to provide awareness on these new approaches in maritime spatial planning for the most cost effective allocation of scarce resources.

Cost Analysis in Maritime Logistics

The course intends to provide an in-depth analyses of cost behaviour in maritime logistics. Managerial processes in cost analysis in general requires identifying, measuring, accumulating, analysing, preparing, interpreting, and communicating information that helps managers fulfil organisational objectives, including the cost information. A close relation with the finance department of the firm will create value and provide more efficient and effective decision making process. This process includes also the strategies relevant for the containing of the risks involved with the relevant costs.

International Trade and Shipping

Optional courses

Maritime Markets

The objective of this course is to introduce the participants to the basics of global maritime industry, strategies to gain competitive advantage and maintain market share in different types of vessels, the imbalance between supply and demand in shipbuilding and their affect on shipping markets, demand for shipping services, the cargo growth and the future demand for cargo ships.

Maritime Policy

The objective of this course is to introduce the participants to the development of public policy at the national, regional and international levels to provide for the sustainable and integrated management of the world's oceans and seas. It is an area of policy formulation that is becoming increasingly more important as uses of the oceans expand, conflicts between different ocean uses intensify and concern grows over the conservation and protection of the marine environment.

It aims to develop coordinated, coherent and transparent decision-making in relation to the policies affecting the coastal and outermost regions and maritime sectors, including through sea-basin strategies or macro-regional strategies, whilst achieving good environmental status.

The Maritime Strategy and Policy course is an interdisciplinary approach to strategy, drawing on the disciplines of history, political science, international relations, and economics.

Legal Issues in Maritime Business

This course aims to establish the general framework on the essentials of International treaties on maritime law, ship registry, ownership of the ship, owner's responsibility, carrier liability, carrier duty of care responsibility, bill of lading, and contract of affreightment.

Some of the transport intermediaries such as freight forwarder, agency and broker, and actors from the cargo side such as shipper, consignor and consignee will also be examined.

Other frequently used maritime contracts such as bareboat charter contract, time charter contract and contract of affreightment will be also be included.

Semester 3

During the third semester, students will study in Istanbul and undertake an industry-focused research dissertation, using the strong maritime sector connections offered by Piri Reis.

Applying the knowledge gained throughout the programme, it is expected that MSc dissertations will focus largely on key industry issues. 

Entry requirements

A good Honours degree (first or second class) or its non-UK equivalent from a recognised British or overseas university.

English language requirements - If the students first language is not English, or their first degree was not taught in English, the student will need to provide evidence of their English language ability.

The minimum English language requirement for entry to this programme is IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) with no component lower than 6.0.

If a student does not have IELTS 6.5, we offer a range of English language courses to help meet the English language requirement for this programme prior to commencing studies:

14 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.5 with minimum of 5.0 in all skills)

10 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.5 with minimum of 5.5 in reading & writing and minimum of 5.0 in speaking & listening)

6 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.5 with minimum 5.5 in all skills)

Fees

Tuition fees for Sept 2023 entry

Status	Full-time	Part-time	Per course
UK	£9760	£4880	£1220
Overseas	£26976	£13488	£3372