Shanghai Maritime University has 12 key disciplines above the provincial and ministerial level and they are as follows:

1. Transport Engineering Discipline
2. Management Science and Engineering Discipline
3. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Discipline
4. Industrial Economics Discipline
5. Power Electronics and Electric Drives Discipline
6. Port Mechatronics Engineering Discipline
7. International Law (Maritime Law) Discipline
8. Mechanical Design and Theory Discipline
9. Transportation Planning and Management Discipline
10. Marine Engineering Discipline
11. Logistics Management and Engineering Discipline
12. Vehicle Operation Engineering Discipline