Dalian Maritime University (DMU), a national key maritime institution under the the Ministry of Transport, jointly supported by the Ministry of Education, Liaoning Provincial Government and Dalian Municipal Government, is one of China’s key universities listed under the national “Project 211” and “Double First-Class” University Plan. The university is regarded as “the Cradle of Navigators” and is a famous higher maritime institution in China. DMU enjoys a high reputation internationally as an excellent center of maritime education and training as recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The long history of the University represents the development of China’s higher maritime education, which can be traced back to 1909, when the Nanyang Institute in Shanghai established a Shipping Management Section. In 1960, the University was designated a national key university. In 1963, the semi-military management started in the ocean-going majors as authorized by the State Council. In 1983, the Asia-Pacific Region Maritime Training Center was established at DMU by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the IMO. In 1985, a branch of the World Maritime University (WMU) was established. In 1997, DMU became one of the member universities of “Project 211”, a plan to build one hundred national-level universities in China. In 1998, it was the first maritime university in China to receive the ISO9001 Certificate. In 2017, the University was selected as one of the key universities which will participate in the country’s construction plan of world-class universities and first-class disciplines. Through continuous development, the University stands at the forefront of maritime education and training.
Located in the southwest of Dalian, a beautiful coastal city, DMU covers 1.38 million square meters, of which 970,000 square meters are for school buildings. DMU owns full functional teaching and laboratory buildings, Marine Training and Engineering Practice Center, Survival Training Center, teaching port, libraries, natatorium and planetarium, etc. Besides, it has over 100 teaching and research laboratories such as Ship-handling Simulator Lab and Marine Engine Simulation Lab. Also, DMU owns two ocean-going training vessels.
There are 21 teaching and research units in the University, such as Navigation College, Marine Engineering College, Marine Electrical Engineering College, Information Science and Technology College, Transportation Engineering College, Shipping Economics and Management College, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering College, Environment Science and Technology College, Artificial Intelligence College, School of Law, School of Foreign Languages, School of Public Management and Liberal Arts, School of Sciences, College of International Collaboration. The current student population has been over 20,000. Additionally, the university enrolls overseas students for Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhDs. DMU has cultivated over 100,000 senior technical professionals for China since its establishment. DMU now serves as an important education and training base for preparing professionals, many of whom work as leading figures in the shipping industry after graduation.
DMU offers 54 undergraduate programs, 9 primary doctor programs, 22 primary graduate programs, 7 post-doctoral centers (R&D base), 14 master’s degree authorization categories and 3 interdisciplinary disciplines, which cover 7 disciplines including philosophy, economics, law, literature, Science, engineering and management. The program of transportation engineering has been listed in the national “Double First-class” university plan. Besides, there are four first-class disciplines in Liaoning Province, namely Transportation Engineering, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, and Environmental Science and Engineering. The disciplines of Engineering, Computer Science, General Social Science, Environment/Ecology, and Materials Science rank in the top 1% of ESI.
DMU has formed a cluster of high-level research bases. DMU has 2 national-level engineering research centers, 2 national-level international science and technology cooperation bases, 3 national subject innovation engineering bases, 1 national-level collaborative innovation center, 1 state-level innovation talent training demonstration base, 1 state-level science popularization education base, 60 provincial and ministerial key research platforms and bases, and 33 city-level key research platforms and bases.
DMU has a highly qualified faculty team of 1662 full-time staff, including 374 professors, 205 full-time doctoral supervisors, 46 senior professors, 97 distinguished professors and a large team of promising young lectures. In addition, DMU engages 144 worldwide well-known experts and scholars, including sharing academicians, Chang Jiang Scholars and Chair Professors.
DMU has an international vision regarding academic cooperation and exchange. Up to present, DMU has established cooperative relations with 164 international renowned maritime institutions in 46 countries and regions. The academic relationships with these sister universities are maintained through mutual visits, faculty staff and student exchanges, joint collaborative programs and joint research projects. In March 2005, the master’s program of Maritime Safety and Environmental Management started to enroll students. It is a cooperative program between DMU and World Maritime University. The University has an overseas campus in Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College, Sri Lanka and began to admit students in 2007 which realized the first export of China’s higher maritime education. Prof. SUN Yuqing, the Chairman of the University Council and President, was elected as the representative of IAMU member universities from the Asia, Pacific and Oceania Region and become the member of International Executive Board of IAMU. Moreover, DMU has established long-term cooperative relationships with international organizations and institutions, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU), the Global Maritime Education and Training Association (GLOBALMET), the International Maritime Lecturers Association (IMLA), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the International Shipping Federation (ISF), the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), Lloyd’s Register, NYK, as well as some world famous shipping companies.
(Last update: March 2023)