Department of Maritime Business Administration
Our Mission
To develop inspirational leaders through innovative teaching, impactful research, and meaningful service to our community and the maritime industry.
Maritime Administration (MARA)
MARA 201 Foundations of Maritime Cyber Security
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Basic terminology, concepts, technology and trends of maritime cybersecurity; foundations of maritime cybersecurity to include cryptography, public key infrastructure, standards and protocols, physical security, network fundamentals; workings of systems, networks, infrastructure; legal and ethical issues in maritime cybersecurity.
MARA 205 Introduction to Ships and Shipping
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
0 Lab Hours.
Introduction to the maritime industry and ships used in transportation of goods and services. Shipboard nomenclature, types and missions of merchant ships, shipbuilding nomenclature and dimensions, shipbuilding materials and methods, modes of cargo handling and their impact on ship design.
MARA 212 Business Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Legal principles of business, legal reasoning, dispute resolution and procedure, contract law, bankruptcy law, property law, Uniform Commercial Code sections concerning contracts, security interests, negotiable instruments and sales.
MARA 285 Directed Studies
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Other Hours.
Directed study on selected problems in the area of maritime administration not covered in other courses. Prerequisite: Approval of MARA department head.
MARA 289 Special Topics
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Lecture Hours.
Study of selected topics in an identified area of maritime administration. Prerequisite: Approval of MARA department head.
MARA 301 Ocean Transportation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of theory and practice in the management of transportation logistics, labor, rate-making, role of government, international conventions and treaties; exposure to current trends and developments in shipping. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 304 Marine Insurance
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Marine insurance problems and cases and how they relate directly to a ship's officer; hull, cargo, and personal injury cases are examined from the officers' and insurers' points of view; introduction to Admiralty Law and the court process for seamen's rights and ship owners' privileges; actual hearings and trials are observed to complete the background. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 342 Managerial Maritime Finance
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Continuation of topics introduced in Business Finance (FINC 341) including risk and return, investment valuation, the selection of risky investment projects, capital structure, dividend policy, and methods of raising long-term capital; applications to the maritime industry are made where appropriate. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 345 Maritime and Marine Entrepreneurship Ventures
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
The attributes that enable entrepreneurs to pursue opportunities in maritime business development; formation of teams to experience each step of entrepreneurial process; exposure to real entrepreneurial operations and businesses. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 346 Maritime and Marine Business Plans
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Planning described as a mechanism to guide entrepreneurial intentions and behavior; development of formal written plans that allow investors to anticipate future outcomes; discussion of firms from the perspective of nascent entrepreneurs and potential investors. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 347 Launch a Startup
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the steps for entrepreneurs to start creating and developing a business plan to launch. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 348 Maritime Service Operations
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Classical service operations management and contemporary case-by-case based problem-solving in the maritime service sector. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 350 Maritime Business Computer Programming and Security
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Concepts of computer programming and security utilizing Visual Basic for Applications with emphasis to business and maritime area specifically; includes basic programming logic, programming in VBA, computer security principles and techniques for enhancing computer security. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 360 Maritime Cybersecurity Issues
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Discussion of risks and cyber incidents; exploration of computer systems architecture and the framework of computer security on vessels. Prerequisite: MARA 201; junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 363 The Management Process
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Management as an academic discipline; goal setting; planning, controlling and decision-making; models for thinking about organizations; organization design; organization change; models for understanding individual behavior; job performance and job satisfaction; interpersonal behavior, motivation and leadership, behavior in work groups; careers in management, ethics and international management. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 373 Personnel Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Strategic issues in managing human resources; shared responsibilities of line managers and human resource staff for developing and implementing human resource policies and procedures; human resource planning; job design, analysis and evaluation; staffing; compensation; performance appraisal; training and development career management; labor relations; legal, ethical and international issues. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 401 Brokerage and Chartering
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Operational and legal environment of ship brokerage and chartering; responsibilities of owner and charterer under various charter forms; American, British and Canadian acts governing charters and bills of lading; rules and regulations concerning loading and discharging. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 402 Inland Waterways
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Development of inland waterways of the U.S. and federal policies relating to them; port and terminal development, competition with other transportation forms, manpower, rates, environmental concerns and the impact of waterway systems on regional economies. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 403 Law and Policy in Cybersecurity
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of law and policy issues related to cybersecurity for the spectrum of cybersecurity jobs; includes procurement, operations and maintenance, governance and oversight, protection and defense, analysis, intelligence collection and operation and investigation cybersecurity jobs. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification; MARA-403 taught at Galveston campus. Cross Listing: CSCE 402 and CYBR 402.
MARA 416 Port Operations, Administration and Economics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Concepts of the port and methods of intermodal transfer; port functions divided and analyzed along business lines - economics, management, finance, accounting and marketing; cost studies. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 421 Admiralty Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Essential principles of admiralty, general maritime, and international law as applicable to the marine industry and ocean shipping; evolution and state of the law concerning maritime liens, ship mortgages, rights of seamen and harbor workers, limitation of liability, bills of lading and cargo carriage, collision liability, general average, marine salvage, charter parties, and international rights and responsibilities of ships and shipping. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 424 Intermodal Transportation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Historical development, structure, function, and regulation of highway, rail, water, pipeline, and air transportation systems. Application of economic concepts and principles to transportation development and operations. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 435 Labor Law and Policy
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Federal and state public policy and laws regulating human resource management including National Labor Relations Act, Railway Labor Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, employment discrimination statutes, statutes regarding public sector unionization, and other relevant legal authorities; various forms of dispute settlement including litigation, mediation, fact finding and arbitration; legal ramification of strategic human resource management decision making. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 440 Global Economy and Enterprise Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Economic, political, social and ethical environments of international business including the determinants of trade and investment patterns and the logic of government interventions in both trade and capital markets; structure, strategy and operations of the international firm. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 445 Lean Start Up
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Project-based hands-on experience; validation of business ideas with an emphasis on the operations aspects of entrepreneurship; focus on advances in globalization and outsourcing. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 446 Entrepreneurship Greenhouse
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Continuation of project in Lean Start Up course (MARA 445); focus on transitioning business models from mind to market. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in MARA 345, MARA 346, and MARA 445; junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 450 Maritime Supply Chain Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the concepts involved in supply chain management (SCM); SCM encompasses the functional areas of procurement, operations management, inbound/outbound transportation, customer service, and information technologies; emphasizes how these functional areas are integrated to achieve the firm's overall objectives. Prerequisites: BUSN 203 and SCMT 364; junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 461 Disciplined Entrepreneurship
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Maritime business startup process and fine-tuning of ideas through project-based hands-on entrepreneurship experiences and a project management approach. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 466 Strategic Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Strategic issues facing organizations, including top management decision making and social responsibility; environmental and industry analysis; establishing organizational mission and objectives; corporate, business and functional level strategy formulation; global and multidomestic strategies; strategic implementation and control; integrating operations, finance, marketing and human resource strategies; case analysis. Prerequisites: MARA 363, MKTG 321, SCMT 364, and FINC 341; senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 470 Environmental Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Broad background of basic statutes, regulations and cases dealing with the major issues in international and federal environmental law; focus on pragmatic training in statutory, regulatory and treaty reading and interpretation; analysis of administrative and legislative intent for law. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 475 Business Leadership
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Focus on theory and practice of leadership; familiarize with components, theory and models of leadership; compare/contrast styles; review leadership/followership relationship as a collaborative activity resulting in achieved goals; analyze cultural and global components and ethical issues associated with leadership. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 484 Management Internship
Credits 0 to 4.
0 to 4 Other Hours.
Internship in management; staffing, planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Enrollment is limited to those who have managerial responsibilities for the resources used by a business, non-profit, or other organization. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification; approval of department head.
MARA 485 Directed Studies
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Other Hours.
Directed study on selected problems in the area of maritime administration not covered in other courses. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification; approval of department head.
MARA 489 Special Topics in...
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Lecture Hours.
Study of selected topics in an identified area of maritime administration. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification; approval of department head.
MARA 490 Maritime Interdisciplinary Studies - Business, Law and Policy
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Emphasis on cultural, economic, political, social and historical aspects of the maritime industry; coverage of different management styles, business practices and regulatory focus. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.
MARA 491 Research
Credits 0 to 4.
0 to 4 Other Hours.
Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in Maritime Administration. May be repeated 2 times for credit. Please see academic advisor in department. Registration in multiple sections of this course is possible within a given semester provided that the per semester credit hour limit is not exceeded. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification; approval of department head.
MARA 493 International Maritime Management Experience
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Combination of classroom and two week international travel emphasizing cultural and historic aspects of maritime industry; direct contact with managers and regulators in the international maritime industry; examination of different management styles, business practices and regulatory approaches. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification; approval of department head.
Afenyo, Mawuli, Assistant Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2017
Baker, Robert K, Professor of the Practice
Maritime Business Administration
MBA, University of Houston, 1983
Boudreaux, Lowell A, Instructional Professor
Maritime Business Administration
MML, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 2017
MBA, Lamar University, 1996
Bömer Galvão, Cassia, Associate Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, Pontificia Universidade Catolica, 2017
Caesar, Divine Livingstone, Assistant Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, University of Tasmania, 2016
Ciminello, Vito J, Instructional Professor
Maritime Business Administration
MBA, Northwestern University, 1979
Fertitta Woods, Kelli, Instructional Assistant Professor
Maritime Business Administration
JD, South Texas College of Law, 2013
Gurtu, Amulya, Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2014
Hammady Brho, Mazen, Assistant Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, University of North Texas, 2018
Hark, John F, Senior Lecturer
Maritime Business Administration
BS, Texas A&M University, 1989
Jazairy, Amer, Assistant Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, KTH Royal Institute of Technoloy, 2020
Morrison, Robert Dean, Professor of the Practice
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 2015
PHD, Indiana State University, 2008
Mykoniatis, Nikolaos, Instructional Associate Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, The Pennsylvania State University, 2013
Nwabueze, Uchenna M, Instructional Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, 1995
Rodrigue, Jean-Paul, Professor
Maritime Business Administration
PHD, Université de Montréal, 1994
Wolski, Chris, Adjunct Professor of Law
Maritime Business Administration
MBA, University of Maryland Global Campus, 2018