SIRC, the Seafarers International Research Centre, is a constituent center at the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences. At this institution, The Nippon Foundation has established a masters program under which participants study maritime-related social science. In the course, students are given training in social science research methods, required to write a thesis of up to 60,000 words, and funded to attend an international maritime conference related to the human element. One exceptional student each year will be offered the opportunity to continue on to a PhD. The purpose of the course is to create an international network of social scientists studying the lives of seafarers.

Students participating in the program, through the graduating class of 2009, have been posted on our site, and are accessable through the link below.