Master’s degree1,500 h · Online · 11 modules
Master's in Marine Electrical Systems and Automation
This master's programme gives you command of electrical power systems and automation on board modern ships. You will work on ship power networks, generators, electric drives and protection schemes, with control systems, sensors and fault finding as the second focus.
Duration1,500 h
ModeOnline
Start1 December
Modules11
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About the programme
What is the Master's in Marine Electrical Systems and Automation?
This master's programme prepares you to lead the technological transformation of the maritime industry. It covers electrical power systems, advanced automation and the control networks of modern ships. You will learn to diagnose, maintain and repair critical equipment, including electric propulsion, distributed generation and energy management, with the aim of improving the efficiency, safety and sustainability of maritime operations.
Its strengths are advanced simulation, with modelling and simulation of marine electrical systems using specialised software; integrated automation, designing and implementing control systems for a range of marine applications; marine renewable energy, integrating renewable sources into the ship's electrical network; and maritime cybersecurity, protecting electrical and automated systems against cyber threats.
Programme typeMaster’s degree
ModeOnline
Duration1,500 hours
Modules11
Start1 December
Programme highlights
- Marine technology: in-depth study of the sector's most advanced electrical and automation systems.
- Intelligent automation: learn to design, implement and maintain control systems that improve the efficiency and safety of vessels.
- Renewable energy at sea: study the integration of clean energy and energy management on ships and platforms.
- Simulation and modelling: use leading-edge tools to analyse complex marine electrical systems.
- Career prospects: oriented towards marine electrification and automation.
Syllabus
Syllabus of the Master's in Marine Electrical Systems and Automation
11 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Module 1
Advanced fundamentals of marine electrical engineering, on-board energy architecture and automation principles in complex maritime systems
- 1.1. Concept of the marine electrical system and differences between onshore electrical installations and on-board energy systems on ships and offshore platforms
- 1.2. General architecture of electrical generation, distribution, conversion and consumption on commercial, offshore, naval and specialised service vessels
- 1.3. Advanced electrical quantities, AC and DC behaviour and functional circuit analysis in high-criticality marine environments
- 1.4. Configuration of low-, medium- and high-voltage electrical networks on board and criteria for functional segmentation into essential and non-essential services
- 1.5. Relationship between marine electrical systems, propulsion, auxiliary services, safety systems and integrated ship automation
- 1.6. Principles of robustness, redundancy, selectivity and operational continuity in the design of marine electrical installations
- 1.7. Influence of the marine environment on electrical performance: corrosion, vibration, humidity, temperature, salinity and electromagnetic compatibility
- 1.8. Technological evolution from conventional systems towards electrified, smart and highly automated ships
- 1.9. Interaction between energy architecture, distributed control, remote monitoring and digitalisation of the marine technical ecosystem
- 1.10. A systems approach to marine electrical engineering and automation as an integrating discipline linking energy, control, safety and maritime operations
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 2
On-board power generation, energy storage and power management on modern ships and offshore platforms
- 2.1. Fundamentals of on-board power generation using generating sets, alternators, shaft generators and auxiliary power sources
- 2.2. Main and emergency power plant configurations on ships according to mission profile, installed load and operational criticality
- 2.3. Generator synchronisation, active and reactive load sharing and parallel operation strategies in marine systems
- 2.4. Transformers, rectifiers, converters, inverters and power electronics applied to maritime energy management
- 2.5. Batteries, hybrid systems, energy storage and their integration into conventional and electrified ship architectures
- 2.6. Dynamic power management during manoeuvring, port operations, navigation, DP and operation of critical consumers
- 2.7. On-board power quality: harmonics, imbalance, flicker, voltage variations and mitigation strategies
- 2.8. Design of back-up, black-start and functional continuity systems in the event of partial or total loss of generation
- 2.9. Power plant supervision and use of PMS to optimise efficiency, safety and energy availability
- 2.10. Assessment of generation and storage architecture in terms of robustness, efficiency, resilience and operational sustainability
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 3
Marine electrical distribution, network protection and design of switchboards, panels and on-board power systems
- 3.1. Fundamentals of electrical distribution on ships and radial, ring, zonal and distributed design criteria according to vessel type
- 3.2. Design of main and secondary switchboards, motor control centres and distribution panels for essential and auxiliary services
- 3.3. Selection of cables, busbars, cable trays, connectors and interconnection elements for highly demanding marine environments
- 3.4. Load calculation, simultaneous demand, voltage drops and sizing of on-board feeders and circuits
- 3.5. Electrical protection: fuses, circuit breakers, relays, residual-current devices and selective coordination in marine installations
- 3.6. Short-circuit, overload and earth faults and strategies for isolation and safe disconnection in maritime systems
- 3.7. Power distribution for propulsion, hotel loads, cargo, industrial services and critical bridge and safety systems
- 3.8. Integration of AC networks, DC networks and hybrid distribution systems on new-generation vessels
- 3.9. Functional safety and service continuity criteria in networks with strategic consumers and redundant systems
- 3.10. Validation of electrical distribution design in terms of reliability, maintainability, protection and future expansion capacity
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 4
Electrical machines, marine drives and electric drive systems for propulsion and auxiliary services
- 4.1. Fundamentals of rotating electrical machines applied to marine systems: generators, synchronous, asynchronous and permanent-magnet motors
- 4.2. Electric motors for pumps, fans, compressors, winches, cranes, bow/stern thrusters and other on-board auxiliary services
- 4.3. Variable frequency drives, soft starters, speed converters and motor control in maritime applications
- 4.4. Electric, diesel-electric, hybrid and fully electric propulsion systems on specialised vessels and advanced ships
- 4.5. Integration of electric drives, propellers, azimuth thrusters and dynamic positioning systems
- 4.6. Thermal management, efficiency, service factor and protection of motors and drives in demanding marine environments
- 4.7. Fault diagnosis in motors, converters and drives through electrical, thermal and vibration monitoring
- 4.8. Speed, torque, acceleration and electric braking control strategies in marine manoeuvres and industrial deck systems
- 4.9. Technology selection of drives according to load, operating regime, efficiency, robustness and the ship's mission profile
- 4.10. Assessment of electric drive systems in terms of energy efficiency, reliability, functional integration and technical support
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 5
Advanced fundamentals of marine automation, on-board industrial control and functional architecture of automatic systems on board
- 5.1. Concept of marine automation and differences between plant automation, marine process automation and mission automation
- 5.2. Functional architecture of on-board automatic systems: sensors, actuators, PLCs, distributed controllers, HMI and centralised supervision
- 5.3. Typical process variables in marine automation: pressure, temperature, level, flow, position, speed, equipment status and alarms
- 5.4. Control loops, PID strategies and sequential logic applied to pumping, fuel, cooling, ventilation and auxiliary service systems
- 5.5. Automation of propulsion, steering, ballast, fluid transfer, water treatment and deck equipment systems
- 5.6. Local, remote, centralised and distributed control philosophies on ships with different levels of operational complexity
- 5.7. Interaction between automation, instrumentation, industrial networks and functional safety systems on board
- 5.8. Redundancy, fail-safe, degraded-mode and operational continuity criteria in critical marine automation
- 5.9. Evolution towards integrated control ecosystems, smart ships and maritime platforms with advanced data-driven supervision
- 5.10. Building a vision of marine automation as a foundation for safety, efficiency, operational stability and reduced manual intervention
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 6
Instrumentation, sensors, actuators and measurement systems for automatic control and technical supervision of vessels
- 6.1. Fundamentals of instrumentation applied to marine automation and selection of sensors according to variable, environment and process criticality
- 6.2. Pressure, temperature, level, flow, vibration, position and status sensors used in plant systems and on-board control
- 6.3. Transmitters, signal conditioning and data acquisition in real-time marine automation architectures
- 6.4. Electric, pneumatic, hydraulic and electro-hydraulic actuators for valves, hatches, steering systems and service mechanisms
- 6.5. Instrumentation for control of engines, generators, fuel systems, technical alarms and machinery protection
- 6.6. Integration of navigation sensors, automatic manoeuvring systems and ship supervision platforms
- 6.7. Calibration strategies, measurement validation and data quality control in on-board instrumentation
- 6.8. Diagnosis of instrument faults, erratic signals, loss of communication and functional degradation of field devices
- 6.9. Requirements for robustness, electromagnetic compatibility, environmental protection and maintenance of marine sensors and actuators
- 6.10. Design of reliable instrumented systems as a basis for safe automation, stable operation and predictive maintenance on board
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 7
Industrial networks, systems integration, digital supervision and cybersecurity in marine automation
- 7.1. Fundamentals of industrial communication applied to ships and offshore platforms and the role of networks in integrating automatic systems
- 7.2. On-board communication protocols for automation, instrumentation, power, machinery control and ship supervision
- 7.3. Integration of PLC, SCADA, DCS, PMS, IAS, AMS and other distributed monitoring and control platforms in marine environments
- 7.4. Data synchronisation, functional hierarchy and interoperability management between heterogeneous systems from different manufacturers
- 7.5. Redundant network architectures, communication availability and resilient design against link or critical node failures
- 7.6. Remote supervision, data historian, operational analytics and condition monitoring through connected maritime digital ecosystems
- 7.7. Management of alarms, events and trends and operator decision support through integrated control platforms
- 7.8. Diagnosis of network faults, latency, loss of communication and traffic saturation in on-board automatic systems
- 7.9. Maritime industrial cybersecurity and protection of OT networks against unauthorised access, logic tampering and functional degradation
- 7.10. Building a secure, interoperable and scalable digital ship architecture to support advanced automation and reliable vessel operation
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 8
Functional safety, regulations, ship classification and risk management in on-board electrical systems and automation
- 8.1. Fundamentals of functional safety applied to electrical and automatic systems on high-criticality ships and offshore platforms
- 8.2. Principles of analysis of electrical risks, automation failures and hazardous events associated with loss of control or power on board
- 8.3. Classification society requirements and regulatory frameworks applicable to marine electrical installations and automation
- 8.4. Alarm, trip, shutdown, emergency protection systems and safety logic in propulsion plant and auxiliary services
- 8.5. Redundancy, segregation, functional independence and safe design criteria for critical navigation and operational systems
- 8.6. Management of common-cause failures, degraded modes, recovery and operational continuity in the face of on-board technical contingencies
- 8.7. Electromagnetic compatibility, surge protection, earth faults and severe environmental conditions in marine systems
- 8.8. Validation, verification, FAT/SAT testing and commissioning of electrical and automatic systems in accordance with technical and regulatory requirements
- 8.9. Preparation of the technical file, conformity documentation and traceability of modifications to ship installations
- 8.10. Integration of regulations, functional safety and risk management to ensure the reliability and safe operation of marine electrical ecosystems
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 9
Maintenance, advanced diagnostics, energy efficiency and digital transformation of marine electrical and automatic systems
- 9.1. Fundamentals of maintaining on-board electrical installations and automatic systems in continuous and demanding operational contexts
- 9.2. Preventive, corrective and predictive maintenance of switchboards, cables, electrical machines, sensors, actuators and marine controllers
- 9.3. Advanced fault diagnosis through electrical analysis, thermography, vibration, operational trends and event logs
- 9.4. Management of spare parts, obsolescence, technology upgrades and continuity of support for critical ship systems
- 9.5. Energy efficiency and optimisation of electrical consumption in hotel loads, propulsion, auxiliary systems and on-board automation
- 9.6. Use of data analytics, condition-based maintenance and remote monitoring to improve availability and reduce failures
- 9.7. Relationship between power quality, equipment condition and overall performance of the ship's electrical system
- 9.8. Digital transformation of operation and maintenance through digital twins, monitoring platforms and intelligent diagnostics
- 9.9. Continuous improvement strategies to increase the reliability, safety and efficiency of the marine electrical and automation ecosystem
- 9.10. Building technical support models capable of keeping pace with the evolution of electrified, automated and connected ships
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 10
Navigation systems, integrated bridge and dynamic positioning control
- 10.1. Integrated bridge architecture (IBS/INS)
- 10.2. Radar, ECDIS and AIS on the ship's network
- 10.3. Autopilot and steering systems
- 10.4. Gyrocompass, heading and speed sensors
- 10.5. Dynamic positioning (DP) systems
- 10.6. DP classes and redundancy requirements
- 10.7. Power supply for navigation equipment
- 10.8. Integration of navigation alarms (BNWAS)
- 10.9. FMEA testing of DP systems
- 10.10. Maintenance of bridge electronic equipment
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your paceModule 11
Master's Final Project in Marine Electrical Engineering and Automation
- 11.1. Definition of the case study: ship type, mission profile, target electrical and automation system and technical scope of the project
- 11.2. Development of the overall generation, distribution, automation and instrumentation architecture adapted to the selected platform
- 11.3. Selection of electrical equipment, machines, sensors, actuators and integration networks according to the ship's functional and operational requirements
- 11.4. Design of the automatic control scheme, functional protection, supervision and alarm management for the proposed system
- 11.5. Preparation of the load analysis, operational continuity, redundancy and functional safety of the proposed electrical and automation solution
- 11.6. Integration of regulatory, ship classification, cybersecurity and environmental robustness criteria into the proposal
- 11.7. Preparation of the installation, testing, commissioning, maintenance and technical support plan for the defined system
- 11.8. Assessment of expected performance in terms of energy efficiency, reliability, maintainability and capacity for digital evolution
- 11.9. Drafting of the comprehensive technical report justifying design, integration, validation and support decisions for the electrical and automation ecosystem
- 11.10. Presentation and defence of the final project with overall validation of the marine electrical and automation solution developed
At this stage
136 hestimated workload11 wkweeks at your pacePlan your pace
Duration and format of the Master's in Marine Electrical Systems and Automation
It is 1,500 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
4 h30 h
With 12 h per week
29
months to finish
125 weeks
weeks in total
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the instalment plan.
Faculty
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programmes.
Dra. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Ing. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Cap. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dra. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Ing. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Ing. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Ing. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives
Objectives of the Master's in Marine Electrical Systems and Automation
01Manage automation and control projects in marine systems.
02Supervise the maintenance and repair of marine electrical equipment.
03Design and implement electrical and automation systems for ships.
04Optimise energy efficiency in marine electrical installations.
05Diagnose and resolve faults in electrical and automation systems.
06Comply with current regulations on electrical safety and marine automation.
Careers
Career opportunities after the Master's in Marine Electrical Systems and Automation
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Master's in Marine Electrical Systems and Automation
The maritime sector.
Yes. The pathway includes ECDIS/Radar-ARPA/BRM with port, ocean, fog, heavy-weather and SAR scenarios.
Online with live sessions; hybrid option for simulator/work placement stays through partnership agreements.
Yes.
Functional SMCP is recommended. We provide support materials for standard phraseology.
Yes, with a related qualification or experience in maritime/port operations. The admission interview will confirm your suitability.
Optional (3–6 months) through Companies & Partnerships and the Alumni Network.
Simulator exercises (rubrics), passage plans, SOPs, checklists, micro-tests and an applied master's thesis.
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Online admission
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enrol in the same session.
Entry requirements
- Academic or professional profile: degree in Electrical, Electronic, Control or Naval Engineering or a related field; accredited professional experience in the maritime or industrial sector with knowledge of electrical systems and automation is also accepted.
- Recommended prior knowledge: basic notions of electricity, electronics, programming and control systems. Experience in industrial or maritime environments is valued.
- Documentation: up-to-date CV, copy of your degree or certificate of experience, identity document or passport, and a letter of motivation.
- Technical requirements (online): a computer with camera and microphone, a stable internet connection and software for viewing electrical drawings and diagrams.
- You do not need to be a merchant navy officer if you hold a related qualification or have experience in maritime or port operations; an admission interview confirms the fit. A working level of English (SMCP) is recommended.
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