Royal Naval College Greenwich Centenary 1873 - 1973
Academic Departments 1966
The College has eight
academic departments each of which, with one exception, is headed by a civilian
professor. The Professor of Marine Engineering is a naval officer.
Each
department is autonomous in so far as its internal organisation and control is
concerned; the staff of about 70 consists of about two thirds civilian and one
third naval instructor personnel. All have high academic, and in many cases
professional, qualifications. In general, the academic departments co-operate
to cover the needs of the students in each of the 30 or so courses that are
run. There are few students who are attached to or associated with only one
department.
The strength of the College lies in its capacity to take
selected officers to the frontiers of modern knowledge in their own specific
fields so that they can act efficiently as a link between industry and the
fleet; in short the College is, in part, a clearing house for advanced
knowledge vital to the Royal Navy and for this it provides the necessary
courses tailored to specific needs. Such courses are of post-graduate standard,
on a very specialised front, mainly in the fields of naval architecture and
nuclear, marine, mechanical and electrical engineering; appropriate backing in
mathematics, materials and chemistry is frequently essential. Research is often
associated with this advanced work.
No academic institution of this
nature could exist unless it covered the teaching leading to a first degree, or
a professional qualification, in the basic engineering sciences. The degree
courses in mechanical and electrical engineering are provided for students from
the Royal Naval Engineering Service, the Royal Naval Scientific Service, the
Ministry of Public Building and Works and Greenwich Scholars and they are now
open to students on Local Education Authority Grants or those sponsored by
certain specified firms. The IERE Course, confined to Naval Electrical
Officers, and the course in Naval Architecture give additional backing to the
basic teaching task. There are also a number of short courses to meet
particular naval needs.
Although its principal commitment is with the
other professional training courses, housed in the College, the Humane Studies
Department, headed by the Professor of History provides a valuable leavening to
the dominant scientific atmosphere.
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