The future of Warsash

Solent University's maritime strategy has led to significant investment in our maritime technology and facilities, with a spend of around £43 million from 2017 to 2020.

The investment began with the relocation of officer cadet training to new premises at the St Mary's campus in Southampton city centre in September 2017. The University's maritime centre for the tuition of first certification officer cadets is a dedicated building located within the grounds of City College.

This was followed in September 2018 with the transfer of tuition for Merchant Navy senior officers, yacht certification, maritime safety management, leadership and security courses from the Warsash campus into fully refurbished premises at the University's main East Park Terrace (EPT) campus in Southampton city centre. Bridge, engine and liquid cargo simulation courses are also now run out of EPT in Southampton in our new maritime simulation centre.

Teaching for the fire school, maritime safety and offshore, first aid and medical, and seamanship courses take place at the Warsash campus, with investment plans for new and improved facilities.

The University remains committed to investing in high-quality maritime education and training and will continue to build upon the heritage associated with maritime training at Warsash in the new premises.

Officer cadets

St Mary's campus, Southampton

The University invested £6m in the renovation of new premises at the St Mary's campus. The new maritime centre of excellence provides a modern teaching environment exclusively for seafarers studying for their first Certificate of Competency.

The front of the St Mary's campus building

The St Mary's campus is just a 10-minute walk from the main University campus at East Park Terrace, meaning officer cadets can take full advantage of all the facilities on offer there, including:

24-hour library
Learning resource centre
Solent Sports Complex
Students' Union events
Wide range of food outlets and cafés.

Additionally, officer cadets can use the City College canteen facilities, which serve breakfast, lunch and refreshments, with indoor and outdoor seating. The location also puts cadets within easy reach of excellent access to rail and bus transport links and the full range of Southampton city centre's amenities.

Officer cadets can live in the University's David Moxon and Lucia Foster Welch student residences. Both residences are in Southampton city centre and are a short walk from the St Mary's campus and the University's main East Park Terrace campus.

Find out more about officer cadet student residence options.

Senior officers, yacht certification and simulation training

The teaching provision for Merchant Navy senior officers and commercial yacht certification has transferred from the Warsash campus to the Reginald Mitchell Building at the University's main East Park Terrace campus in Southampton city centre. For these courses, the University refurbished areas of the building to include classrooms, labs and workshops

Bridge, engine and liquid cargo operations simulation courses are now run at our new maritime simulation centre in the Andrews Building, also at the East Park Terrace campus.

Warsash campus

Tuition for fire fighting, medical, maritime safety and offshore certification remains at our Warsash campus, with plans for development, including:

Indoor pool and offshore survival training facility
Maritime safety and medical building
Redevelopment of fire school (subject to planning permissions)

Location of course provision

Officer cadet training including;
- Deck foundation degree and HND
- Engineer foundation degree and HND
- METO foundation degree
Deck OOW HNC for experienced seafarers
Deck OOW HNC for superyacht crew
Marine engineer OOW course (predominantly workshops, but with some IAMI exam prep) for experienced seafarers
Seamanship (eg, efficient deck hand)

Bridge simulation and related courses (eg, ECDIS for qualified officers)
Chief mate post-HND and post-foundation degree
Chief/second engineer courses
Yacht certification, eg, OOW/Master less than 3,000GT courses for deck, and small vessel engineer courses, except for the Engineering Skills Test and Approved Engine Course, both of which are workshop based and are delivered at the St Mary's campus
Engine room simulation courses, including high voltage
Human Element, Leadership and Management (HELM)
Master/Chief Mate two-term HND top-up
Master's orals
Orals prep (NB check the location with your tutor)
Petrochemical and tanker courses, including liquid cargo operations training
Radio communications courses (GOC and ROC)
Safety management and security courses, eg, Company Security Officer, Ship's Security Officer and cyber security