3 minute read
Welcome to WMU
As the President of the World Maritime University (WMU), I am very pleased to introduce our postgraduate portfolio of studies.
The World Maritime University is a small, selective academic institution, dedicated to teaching, research and capacity-building in maritime and oceans affairs. Our graduates form an international network of expertise and have a remarkable impact on the maritime and ocean sectors. They are making a significant contribution to effective management, international cooperation and global sustainable development.
In the near future, solid and up-to-date maritime expertise will be needed for the rebuilding of the maritime and oceans world, following the destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has affected all economic activities – but perhaps maritime transportation more than many others.
The pandemic has also accelerated changes in our behaviour and attitudes. It has shone a bright light on how interdependent the whole world is and how our futures are strongly inter-linked. We also know just how fragile our world is and how much we need to do to preserve and care for our oceans as well as the economic activities they support. We have also found new modalities to work better, work smarter and work faster. For each country, the ability to seize such opportunities and exploit them further depends entirely on having a very well-educated work force, right across the maritime and oceans fields, a workforce equipped with the latest knowledge and with an integrated, inter-disciplinary mind-set.
The students who will join WMU in 2022 will have an extraordinarily significant role after graduation - a role that has far-reaching impact. They will be the vanguard, the elite experts who will become the leaders of our new enterprises and initiatives. I am delighted every day to see the leadership roles that so many of our graduates occupy. These may well be a heavy burden at times to bear. However, our graduates are well equipped to make a real and important difference in the world. Almost 5,400 graduates – including almost 1,200 women – now hold leading positions in their government, industry, academia, civil society and the media.
Since its establishment in 1983 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the University has grown in size and its impact has been phenomenal. We continue to develop our programmes to meet the needs of today’s maritime industry. We will continue to build on our strengths based on our flagship MSc programme in Malmö. Our PhD programme is thriving, with new doctoral students from around the world registering each month. Our distance-learning programmes also offer opportunities to those who are not in a position to join our on-campus programmes.
It is part of our mission to ensure that we prepare you, who will be the torchbearers of the next generation of maritime, port and ocean leaders and experts, to be able to meet the challenges of today and be prepared for opportunities of tomorrow. It is essential that we all continue to work to achieve sustainable development and economic growth, in line with the United Nation’ Sustainable Development Goals, even in the changed landscape that now makes up our world. The educational outcomes that WMU delivers enable the maritime and oceans industries to respond, adapt and adjust to the challenges of our times.
To the students who will join us in 2022, I extend a very warm welcome on behalf of my colleagues across the University. We sincerely believe that your stay with us will be both professionally and personally rewarding. The knowledge and skills you acquire will equip you to contribute to the development of your country, business and organizations. This will also improve cooperation across the global maritime and ocean industries among stakeholders. WMU offers you an incredible opportunity to join a great global community of maritime and oceans leaders. I look forward to welcoming you to join us!
