Master's in International Marine Resource Strategy
This master's prepares you to design international strategies for the ocean's resources from a geopolitical, legal and business perspective. You will study the law of the sea and ocean governance, the geoeconomics of marine resources, blue finance, global fisheries and aquaculture, deep-sea minerals and offshore energy, marine renewables, blue biotechnology, conservation and ocean technology, so that you can advise governments, companies and international bodies on how to access, develop and protect marine resources responsibly.
Prior knowledge check
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What is the Master's in International Marine Resource Strategy?
This master's prepares you to design international strategies for the ocean's resources from a geopolitical, legal and business perspective. You will learn to analyze competition between powers for energy, mineral and biological resources, apply UNCLOS, the BBNJ Agreement and the International Seabed Authority's mining rules, assess investments in fisheries, aquaculture, offshore wind, green hydrogen and blue biotechnology, use blue bonds, impact investment and ESG metrics, and build national or corporate resource strategies based on scenario analysis, preparing you for roles in strategic consulting, public administration, international organizations and companies in the blue economy.
What sets this master's apart: rather than focusing on the ecological management of a single resource, it takes a strategic, cross-sector view of all ocean resources, from fish stocks to critical minerals for batteries; it connects geopolitics and geoeconomics with law, markets and investment; it covers emerging and contested frontiers such as deep-sea mining, offshore hydrogen and marine genetic resources; it includes strategic planning, foresight and economic diplomacy; and it ends with a Final Project in which you draw up an international strategic plan for a marine resource or maritime area.
Program highlights
- Ocean geoeconomics: competition between powers for energy, mineral and biological marine resources.
- Legal frameworks: UNCLOS, the BBNJ Agreement, the ISA Mining Code and regional fisheries organizations.
- Resource frontiers: deep-sea minerals, offshore hydrocarbons, marine renewables and offshore hydrogen.
- Blue finance: blue bonds, impact investment, blue carbon and ESG metrics for ocean businesses.
- Strategic planning: foresight, scenario analysis, economic diplomacy and national strategies.
- Final Project: an international strategic plan for a marine resource or maritime area.
Syllabus of the Master's in International Marine Resource Strategy
11 modules. Select a module to see its content.
International Maritime Law and Ocean Governance
- 1.1. UNCLOS and its framework of application
- 1.2. Delimitation of maritime zones: territorial sea, contiguous zone and EEZ
- 1.3. Legal regimes of the high seas, the International Seabed Area and the common heritage principle
- 1.4. Ocean governance bodies: the IMO, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the FAO
- 1.5. The BBNJ Agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction
- 1.6. International maritime dispute settlement: ITLOS and arbitration
- 1.7. Fisheries sovereignty, bilateral and multilateral agreements and shared fishing zones
- 1.8. Maritime security, piracy, cross-border trafficking and port state jurisdiction
- 1.9. Geopolitics of international straits, strategic canals and Arctic passages
- 1.10. Regulatory frameworks for offshore exploration and exploitation in international waters
Ocean Geopolitics and Marine Geoeconomics
- 2.1. Mapping world maritime power: chokepoints, trade routes and ocean domains
- 2.2. Competition between global powers for marine energy, mineral and biological resources
- 2.3. The Maritime Silk Road and global port infrastructure projection
- 2.4. Maritime sovereignty and territorial disputes in semi-enclosed seas and strategic archipelagos
- 2.5. Geopolitics of climate change: new trade routes in the Arctic Ocean
- 2.6. International energy security and subsea data cables as critical infrastructure
- 2.7. Naval alliances and naval diplomacy to protect global maritime assets
- 2.8. Geoeconomic impact of IUU fishing on food security
- 2.9. Blue diplomacy and multinational negotiation in global environmental forums
- 2.10. Geopolitical risk analysis for international maritime investments
Blue Economy and Sustainable Ocean Finance
- 3.1. Principles of the sustainable blue economy and valuation of ecosystem services
- 3.2. International finance for marine conservation: blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps
- 3.3. Impact investment in marine projects: venture capital, multilateral banks and sovereign funds
- 3.4. Climate-related financial risk in shipping, ports and fisheries
- 3.5. Marine natural capital accounting and its integration into national GDP
- 3.6. Decarbonization strategies and blue carbon credit markets
- 3.7. International fisheries subsidies, WTO rules and global market distortions
- 3.8. Public-private partnerships for sustainable coastal infrastructure
- 3.9. International marine insurance and catastrophic risk management for marine assets
- 3.10. ESG metrics for marine sector companies
Strategy and Management of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture
- 4.1. Marine population dynamics, stock assessment and maximum sustainable yield
- 4.2. International fisheries management: regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs)
- 4.3. Global traceability technologies in the seafood supply chain
- 4.4. The transformation of marine aquaculture: offshore systems, RAS and aquaculture biotechnology
- 4.5. Global food security and marine proteins for human consumption
- 4.6. Sustainability labels, MSC and ASC certification and access to high-value markets
- 4.7. Circular economy in fisheries: valorizing by-products and zero waste
- 4.8. Effects of invasive species and climate change on international fisheries
- 4.9. Bycatch mitigation and protection of marine megafauna
- 4.10. Cross-border trade in fishery products, tariffs and sanitary barriers
Deep-Sea Mining and Offshore Energy Resources
- 5.1. Seabed geology: polymetallic nodules, massive sulfides and ferromanganese crusts
- 5.2. The International Seabed Authority's Mining Code
- 5.3. Deep-sea exploration and extraction technologies
- 5.4. Environmental and ecological impact assessment in deep benthic ecosystems
- 5.5. The energy transition and demand for critical marine minerals for batteries: cobalt, nickel and lithium
- 5.6. Offshore hydrocarbon strategy: ultra-deepwater exploration and platform decommissioning
- 5.7. Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in marine geological formations
- 5.8. Geopolitics of rights over the extended continental shelf and the CLCS
- 5.9. International moratoriums, the precautionary principle and ethical debates on deep-sea mining
- 5.10. Revenue sharing models for mineral extraction in the Area
Offshore Renewable Energy
- 6.1. Overview of marine renewables: fixed and floating wind, tidal and wave energy
- 6.2. Marine spatial planning for offshore wind farms and coexistence of uses
- 6.3. Offshore wind development strategies in the Atlantic, the North Sea and the Pacific
- 6.4. Subsea power transmission, international interconnections and hybrid parks
- 6.5. Offshore green hydrogen and ammonia as marine energy carriers
- 6.6. Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and seabed lease auction models
- 6.7. International supply chains for manufacturing, installing and maintaining offshore wind
- 6.8. Environmental impact of marine structures: underwater noise, moorings and electromagnetic fields
- 6.9. Repowering, life extension and recycling of marine energy infrastructure
- 6.10. Strategic alliances between shipping companies, oil companies and clean energy developers
Blue Biotechnology and Marine Bioprospecting
- 7.1. Marine biodiversity and the discovery of genetic resources in extreme ecosystems
- 7.2. Access and benefit-sharing (ABS) for marine genetic resources under the Nagoya Protocol
- 7.3. Marine bioprospecting for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries
- 7.4. Microalgae and macroalgae: large-scale cultivation, biorefineries and industrial uses
- 7.5. Intellectual property, biomedical patents and rights over discovered marine organisms
- 7.6. Marine bioremediation: microorganisms to treat spills and plastics
- 7.7. Innovation in marine biomaterials, plastic substitutes and advanced polysaccharides
- 7.8. Funding R&D in marine biotechnology and international technology transfer
- 7.9. Biosafety, marine biosecurity and regulation of genetically modified organisms
- 7.10. Regional clusters and innovation hubs in blue biotechnology
Conservation, Marine Protected Areas and Ecological Restoration
- 8.1. Global marine conservation strategies: the Global Biodiversity Framework and the 30x30 target
- 8.2. Design and management of marine protected areas and connected networks
- 8.3. Transboundary marine spatial planning and multiple-use zoning
- 8.4. Restoring coral reefs, mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows
- 8.5. Nature-based solutions for coastal protection and climate resilience
- 8.6. Marine pollution: plastics, microplastics, nutrients and industrial discharges
- 8.7. Responses to ocean acidification, warming and coral bleaching
- 8.8. Satellite, radar and drone surveillance of marine reserves
- 8.9. Participatory governance, local communities and traditional marine knowledge
- 8.10. Long-term environmental monitoring and marine ecological health indicators
Technological Innovation, Digitalization and Smart Oceans
- 9.1. The UN Ocean Decade and Digital Twins of the Ocean
- 9.2. Advanced marine sensors, autonomous buoys and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
- 9.3. Satellite remote sensing of ocean parameters with Copernicus and NASA missions
- 9.4. Underwater robotics: AUVs, ROVs and gliders for abyssal exploration
- 9.5. Artificial intelligence and big data for modeling currents, climate and ocean forecasting
- 9.6. Cybersecurity in marine infrastructure, research vessels and ocean sensors
- 9.7. Early warning systems for tsunamis, storm surges and extreme events
- 9.8. Sustainable seawater desalination and brine management
- 9.9. Global digital platforms for scientific data sharing and marine transparency
- 9.10. Clean technology integration on research and exploration vessels
Strategic Planning, International Cooperation and Scenario Analysis
- 10.1. Strategic planning methodologies
- 10.2. Scenario analysis and foresight
- 10.3. International cooperation on marine resources
- 10.4. Regional fisheries agreements
- 10.5. Management of shared resources
- 10.6. Foreign investment in the marine sector
- 10.7. Geopolitical risk analysis
- 10.8. Strategic indicators
- 10.9. Economic diplomacy
- 10.10. Drafting a national strategy
Final Project
- 11.1. Choosing the strategic focus: resource delimitation, a blue economy development plan or management of a marine area
- 11.2. Geopolitical, legal and regulatory diagnosis of the selected area or resource
- 11.3. Environmental impact, sustainability and compliance with UNCLOS and the BBNJ Agreement
- 11.4. Economic feasibility, investment models and blue finance strategy
- 11.5. Marine spatial planning strategy and resolution of conflicts between uses
- 11.6. Incorporating technological innovation, digitalization and smart monitoring
- 11.7. Geopolitical, maritime security and environmental contingency risk plan
- 11.8. Multilateral governance, international diplomacy and stakeholder partnerships
- 11.9. Drafting the executive report and implementation policy proposals
- 11.10. Preparing the strategic defense and presentation to an international assessment panel
Duration and format of the Master's in International Marine Resource Strategy
It is 1,500 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. 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
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Master's in International Marine Resource Strategy
Career opportunities after the Master's in International Marine Resource Strategy
Questions about the Master's in International Marine Resource Strategy
The international strategy behind the use and protection of marine resources: geopolitics, law, markets, investment and planning across fisheries, minerals, energy and biotechnology.
Management programs focus on the scientific and ecological management of resources; this master's takes a strategic and geoeconomic view, aimed at governments, companies and international bodies making decisions about access, investment and cooperation.
No. It is designed for graduates in biology, environmental sciences, economics, law or engineering and for professionals in fisheries, aquaculture and related sectors. Basic knowledge of economics, law or natural resource management is helpful.
Yes. A full module covers seabed geology, the International Seabed Authority's Mining Code, extraction technology, environmental impacts, critical minerals and the international debate on moratoriums.
Yes. The program includes blue bonds, debt-for-nature swaps, impact investment, blue carbon markets, climate risk, marine insurance and ESG metrics.
You draw up an international strategic plan for a marine resource or maritime area, including legal diagnosis, environmental assessment, economic feasibility, risk management and a governance strategy.
The master's is taught entirely online, with a virtual campus available 24/7, recorded live sessions and tutorials. It comprises 1500 hours of study across 11 modules of about 136 hours each, and you progress at your own pace within the schedule you are given on enrollment.
More programs in Law and regulation
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at maritime and fisheries professionals leading expansion into global markets, executives at aquaculture and marine biotechnology companies developing international strategies, consultants specializing in international marine resource policy and regulation, researchers seeking to transfer knowledge and technology to companies and international organizations, and graduates in marine biology, environmental sciences, economics or law. A degree in marine biology, environmental sciences, economics, law, engineering or a related field, or proven professional experience in marine resource management, fisheries, aquaculture or related sectors, is recommended.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.