Personal Experience/ Preferences
The first misconception is that we study only about ships or only work at ports and warehouses. Some people may think that our course is more on the engineering side, but we are actually more focused on the business side of things. Although Maritime Studies is under the faculty of Civil Engineering, it is more business-related like managing the transportation of goods through sea transport. It is honestly not a course many like but it is a course that will never “die” because ships transport more than 80% of the goods in the world. So, it is a job that is relatively stable and more specialised as compared to a normal business degree.
I studied Logistics and Operation Management at Temasek Polytechnic. Similar to my Maritime Studies Degree, It was more on the management side of things, but it involved all the different transportation modes and warehousing. With this, I did get to experience a tint of my university course, but it was more generalised and limited. In my current degree, i definitely got the chance to dive further into sea transportation
I chose to do a second major in business because I saw the importance of learning business management skills.
Originally, I considered SMU Business as they offer a specialisation in Maritime Operations and NUS Business as they offered a specialisation in supply chain management. I came to my decision during my internship programme at a freight forwarding firm where I got to talk to a lot of people who helped me in my decision-making process. My supervisor expressed the need for more managers with degrees specialising in one of the transport degrees. He also mentioned that business degrees tend to be too generalised to suffice in the maritime/logistics industry. Breaking it down, in SMU, even if you specialise in Maritime Operations, the specialisation only included a few modules, which felt rather insufficient for me. Thereafter, I also decided against NUS as a lot of the content NUS taught for supply chain was similar to those that I have learnt in Temasek Polytechnic. My final choice was then NTU Maritime Studies as it provided depth into sea transportation. Along with this, I took a second major in business as I felt that it complemented well with my degree and it is generally quite important to have basic business management skills.
In one semester, we have around 5-6 modules, which are usually 3 AUs, but the workload is more than expected. Compared with business students, the accounting and business students take 4-5 subjects, but for our course, we sometimes take 6 subjects, which can be a little overwhelming. The timetable is also usually planned such that you have one day off. But with Covid-19, this may not be the case and for each module, we usually have one tutorial and one lecture.
Generally, a lot of them are individual exams. A huge percentage of my grade usually comes from final examinations and for each semester, we have at least 3 to 4 exams, but it can go up to 5 if you are really unlucky. However, this heavy weightage on individual exams differs for communication modules where many of them are project-based. Also, if you specialise in International Trading, the assignments for those modules are project-based where the weightage for exams and tests are usually only 40%, but this may change. There are also exceptions, for example, there was a module on the history of Singapore’s maritime industry, which was project-based.
There is a break before the mid-term tests. But sometimes, the test happens before that one week break. Also, towards the semester end examinations, there will be a 1-2 weeks break.
Sadly, usually, our assessments are individual and exams are essay-based. For tests, most of them will usually have MCQ but it only covers a small part of the test. A lot of the exams require memory work because sea transport involves a lot of documentation and processes to follow, for example, shipping terms.
Maritime students’ workload is generally average. While there are times when we have a heavier workload as compared to students taking a double degree in accounting and business, we still cannot be compared against students taking computer science or design. Also, I think my workload is heavier than a normal maritime student asI take a second major and a specialisation in International Trading.
I personally think that If you want to get into the maritime industry, you don’t have to have a degree in Maritime Studies. However, at the workplace, it will definitely make it easier to get a related job and help you get ahead of employees who took a general business degree or only worked for a few years.
International Trading is the only specialisation open to all Maritime students whether you take a second major or not. If you take a second major in Business, you will be able to take some finance modules. Usually, you will have to choose a specialisation around the end of year 1.
Because Maritime is so small, it’s honestly really like a family. We have two professors and 5 to 6 lecturers. Most of the professors will end up knowing you by the end of year 2. One of our lecturers actually used to be a captain so you will get to hear about his days on the sea. Also, the professors are really nice and they really care about you. For example, my friend had some medical issues and one of our professors took the time to speak to him and exempt him from some tests. If I could choose a favourite professor, it would be Yuen Kum Fai! He is honestly the kindest and most approachable professor I met at NTU.
In year 4, we do a Final Year Project (FYP) where the professors will list the different topics that you can choose. We usually analyse the research gaps in the maritime industry for our FYP.
Most favourite: It’s really hard to pick one but I think it would be the Port Economics module because we got the chance to analyse the actual trade regions as a project. It was really interesting because we could choose between international and regional shipping routes. Also, one of our lecturers made class very engaging. He would always try to make sure that the majority was engaged in the lesson and often used updated market information. He applied concepts to real-life scenarios which definitely increased my general knowledge and helped me learn more about the outside world.
Least favourite: Professionals and Society which was a history related module. Inevitably, they wanted us to know and understand more about the history of maritime in Singapore so as to learn from the mistakes of the past but I am honestly really bad in History so it was a torture.
As a poly student, there were many of us who did super well but still ended up struggling in university. In polytechnic, I was a lot more relaxed too. I honestly did not expect to have such a heavy workload, coming to university. Thus, I would say it is important not to put too much stress or expectations on yourself. It is important to manage well and there is honestly more to life than grades.
For me, I definitely did not regret it because I learnt a lot in my course and my extra experiences in NTU made it even more worthwhile. Having worked on research projects and interacted with other undergraduates and professionals in the industry, I can easily say that every moment was definitely beneficial for me. In studies and educational clubs, I enjoyed the complexity and in my daily interactions, I enjoyed the conversations, lessons and different life stories I came across. While this course was good for me, I wouldn’t say that it is for everyone.
So far, I only know of one person who left because he realised he really liked business a lot more. There were others who wanted to switch out, but decided not to as they were already too far in or felt that even though their interest lies elsewhere, this course would be a good safety net for future stability.
Someone who has a good memory and genuine interest in this course will definitely do better.
Our career prospects are quite wide. As Singapore relies on trade and is the world’s top transshipment and bunkering hub, there are definitely many good career prospects for us. Jobs available can extend from those in the port, shipping lines, freight forwarding, brokerage, consulting to commodity related firms. Also, if you take the international trading track, it will open up trading related jobs for you.
I definitely want to work in the shipping sector. However, I am still unsure of the exact job. I may try out brokerage or even take a PhD, but who knows what can happen in two years time.
For me, I actually got my current summer internship through connections (A friend from NTU Business was interning in a shipping line). However, there are definitely other ways to get internships. Under Maritime Studies, we have a compulsory internship in Year 3.2. So in Year 3.1, the school will get us to apply through a portal and this portal usually has a long list of internships to choose from. Thus, students do not really need to worry about finding internships independently.
I stayed in hall for the past 2 years and my accommodation for year 3 is still pending. Many of my friends also stay in hall. Surprisingly, even though there are a large number of halls and my course is considered relatively small, I often still run into them coincidentally.
People usually say that university culture is toxic due to the competition. However, most of the people in Maritime Studies are honestly really nice and there are not a lot of “snakes”. For hall culture, I did not join hall camp so my hall life isn’t very interesting.
Maritime Studies is generally not as competitive as compared to Business. The people here are more chill, which is very nice. Also, since our course is so small, you will get to know almost everyone in the cohort by the end of 1 or 2 years.
I joined the International Trading club as well as other CCAs but a lot of what I joined were more towards research, for example, I joined the Maritime Studies Case Competition Committee and the International Trading Case Competition Committee, but I was more focused on the analysis of the market as well as the curation of case questions rather than the planning of the event. I did join one non-research related club called Welfare Services Club. It involved volunteer work in the mentally disabled community. We organised events to engage the community. For example, we had a virtual event to teach kids how to make small little bags for Christmas.
Maritime Studies is very special because there is a scheduled overseas exchange in year 3.1. Usually, in other courses, if you wish to go for an exchange, you need to have a good gpa. However, this is not the case for maritime as all the students are allowed to go. I actually looked forward to the overseas exchange but it is a pity that the exchange will be held over zoom due to the pandemic. Also, in NTU, if your GPA is good enough, you can apply to complete an undergraduate research project called URECA, where you get to work with professors, converse with people in the industry and cover research gaps.
Do not pressurize yourself too much. This could be your last phase of your life before actual adulthood starts. So, before that, while maintaining your GPA, do try to enjoy yourself as much as you can. 🙂
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the interviewees and do not reflect the official policy or position of any institution. They are also not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, class, individual or organisation.
The information contained in this website is intended to provide general guidance only. It should not be relied upon as professional advice and does not 100% guarantee admission into any course.
0 Comments