Shanghai Maritime University (SMU) is a multi-discipline university with 6 fields of study: Engineering, Management, Economics, Literature, Science and Law.

Chinese maritime education was originated at Shanghai and grew out of the Shipping Section of Shanghai Industrial College founded in 1909(towards the end of the Qing Dynasty). SMU was established by the Ministry of Communications in 1959. Since 2000, SMU has been mainly administered by Shanghai Municipality and has been co-constructed by Shanghai Municipality and the Ministry of Communications.

Currently, SMU provides 35 programs leading to a Bachelor's degree, 12 programs leading to an Associate's degree. SMU has been authorized by the State to offer 30 programs leading to a Master's degree and 5 programs leading to a Doctor's degree. The courses of "Communications & Transport Planning and Management", "Industrial Economics", and "Power Electronics & Electrical Drive", "International Law",  "Mechanical Design & Theory", "Logistics Management & Engineering", "Delivery Means Utilization Engineering" and "Port Machinery Electronics Engineering" have been designated as key specialties by the Ministry of Communications and Shanghai Municipality. The specialties of "Customs Logistics", "International Trade & Economics" and "Maritime Law" are classified as Shanghai's key bachelor-degree disciplines for further development. In 2004, SMU got an "A" in the Undergraduate Teaching Evaluation by the Ministry of Education.

Currently, SMU has a full-time student population of near 15,000, of whom over 10,000 are studying for a Bachelor's degree and over 2000 for a Master's degree. For decades of years, SMU is devoted to fostering qualified talents for shipping industry. SMU has provided the shipping enterprises, public institutions and government departments with over 40,000 graduates. SMU is therefore honored as "Cradle of qualified shipping personnel".

SMU prides itself on the quality of its staff. It has a teaching and research staff of more than 800, of whom over 100 are full professors.

Currently, SMU offers programs in cooperation with Maastricht School of Management of the Netherlands, Saint Martin's university of the United States, The University of Western Australia, and World Maritime University of IMO. SMU has also concluded cooperation agreements with Erasmus University Rotterdam of the Netherlands, Gdynia Maritime University of Poland, Tokyo University of Marine Science & Technology of Japan, Kobe University of Japan, Korean Maritime University, Arab Academy for Science and Technology, California Maritime Academy of U.S.A., Liverpool John Moores University of U.K. Vietnam Maritime University. As well, SMU has set up close ties with Cardiff University, State University of New York Maritime College, and such shipping companies as NYK, V-Ships, NORDEN and MOL.

To satisfy the needs of building Shanghai as an international shipping center, according to the Shanghai Municipal Government, SMU will move to a new campus of 133 hectares located in the developing New Harbor City in 2007. SMU will avail itself of this opportunity and strive for the goal that SMU will be built as a high-level maritime university of the world.