Program Overview

Nautical Science (NAU) Solano Campus

The Nautical Science program at Cal Poly's Solano Campus is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the field of nautical science. The program covers a wide range of topics, including navigation, shipboard operations, and maritime regulations.

Program Overview

The Nautical Science program is a rigorous and interdisciplinary program that combines coursework in navigation, shipboard operations, and maritime regulations with hands-on training and experience. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in the maritime industry, including positions as deck officers, port managers, and maritime regulators.

Course Descriptions

The following courses are part of the Nautical Science program:

• NAU 1102 Navigation I (3 units): Introduces the basic tools and theory of piloting, including coastal piloting, chart interpretation, and passage planning.
• NAU 1102L Navigation I Laboratory (1 unit): Provides hands-on experience with navigation equipment and techniques.
• NAU 1103 Marine Transportation (3 units): Covers the principles of marine transportation, including ship design, cargo operations, and maritime regulations.
• NAU 1104 Shipboard Security and Responsibility (1 unit): Covers the requirements of Vessel Personnel with Designated Security Duties (VPDSD) and Personal Safety and Social Responsibility (PSSR).
• NAU 1105 Ship Structure (2 units): Surveys ship design and construction, emphasizing nomenclature and structural components.
• NAU 1108 Operational Command at Sea (2 units): Introduces controlling the operation of the ship and care for persons on board at the operational level.
• NAU 1109 Industrial Equipment and Safety (2 units): Prepares students to safely enter into learning and work assignments aboard the Training Ship.
• NAU 1110 Seamanship (3 units): Covers basic seamanship, including sea terms and nomenclature, small boats, and emergency procedures.
• NAU 1120 Marine Engineering (3 units): Covers shipboard engineering equipment, systems, and procedures associated with the propulsion and control of steam, diesel, and gas-turbine-powered merchant ships.
• NAU 2205 Ship Stability (3 units): Covers the statics of naval architecture for ship hulls, including stability, trim, volume, and moment calculations.
• NAU 2230 Rules of the Road (2 units): Covers the international rules of the road (COLREGS), including their origin, purpose, history, technical provisions, and application.
• NAU 2240 Electricity/Electronics (3 units): Covers the theory of alternating current electricity, circuits, generators, motors, and semiconductors.
• NAU 2240L Electricity/Electronics Laboratory (1 unit): Provides hands-on experience with electrical/electronic test equipment.
• NAU 3300 Celestial Navigation (3 units): Covers celestial navigation, including sun, moon, stars, and planets.
• NAU 3300L Celestial Navigation Laboratory (1 unit): Provides hands-on experience with celestial navigation equipment and techniques.
• NAU 3302 Advanced Navigation (2 units): Covers the fundamental principles of electronic navigation systems and basic computational forms of the sailings.
• NAU 3302L Advanced Navigation Laboratory (1 unit): Provides hands-on experience with advanced navigation equipment and techniques.
• NAU 3320 Tank Vessel Operations (3 units): Covers the ocean transportation of bulk liquid cargo, including tanker construction and design, petroleum cargo characteristics, and safety.
• NAU 3325 Port and Cargo Operations (3 units): Covers port operations, including containers/cargo, policies, management, competition, tariffs, and regulatory affairs.
• NAU 3330 Meteorology (3 units): Covers the principles of weather observations and reports, weather forecasting, and the study of air masses, fronts, winds, and currents.
• NAU 3335 Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (2 units): Covers the theory and practical use of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
• NAU 3335L Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems Laboratory (1 unit): Provides hands-on experience with ECDIS equipment and techniques.
• NAU 3390 Independent Study (1-3 units): Allows students to pursue substantial study above and beyond the regular offerings in the Academy catalog.
• NAU 3395 Special Topics (1-3 units): Covers special topics in nautical science, including current issues and trends in the maritime industry.
• NAU 4410 License Seminar (1 unit): Prepares candidates for the USCG OICNW exams, covering rules of the road, navigation, seamanship, deck safety, environmental protection, cargo, watchstanding, and other professional subjects.
• NAU 4410L License Seminar Laboratory (1 unit): Provides hands-on experience with license exam preparation and simulation.
• NAU 4415 Transportation Security (2 units): Covers international ship and port security code (ISPS) and domestic maritime security policies and requirements.
• NAU 4420 Maritime Casualty Seminar (3 units): Covers commercial maritime casualties that impacted domestic regulatory schemes and international conventions.
• NAU 4430 Liquefied Gas Cargos (2 units): Covers the ocean transportation of liquefied gas cargo, including chemistry and physics, hazards, rules and regulations, ship design and cargo containment, and safety.
• NAU 4430L Liquefied Gas Cargos Laboratory (1 unit): Provides hands-on experience with liquefied gas cargo operations and simulation.
• NAU 4435 Marine Transportation: People, Planet and the Profession (3 units): Covers the effects of marine transportation on the environment and society, including ethical standards and real-world problems.
• NAU 4440 Dynamic Positioning Induction (3 units): Covers the basic knowledge about Dynamic Positioning Systems, function and operation, practical use, and limitations.
• NAU 4450 Maritime Informatics (3 units): Covers the use of information systems, data sharing, and data analytics within maritime transportation, including general knowledge of how to work with maritime data programmatically.