In 1941, the Department of Foreign Languages was established on the basis of the Foreign Languages Office, which had been created in 1936. The office was equipped with a library of foreign literature, posters, and drawings of ships with their names in foreign languages. Its staff served the entire institute by translating journal articles and monographs. Translations accompanied by photographs were stored in the manuscript department of the MKI.

N. Yu. Kushelev was appointed as the first head of the newly established department, followed later by T. I. Buznik. Subsequently, department heads M. T. Kovalevsky and N. M. Filippova made significant contributions to its development.

Gradually, the department expanded the scope of its activities. Its staff worked on developing textbooks, anthologies, workbooks, and teaching guides for English, German, and French language courses in technical disciplines at the MKI, and were actively involved in extracurricular activities.

In 1991, the department began teaching Russian to international students. The following year, a section for business Ukrainian was established. As a result, the department was renamed the “Department of Modern Languages.”

Today, faculty members continue to work productively in the field of research and pedagogy, studying and implementing innovative teaching technologies into the university’s educational process, and developing instructional, pedagogical, and research-based guides. Extracurricular work with students has also reached a qualitatively new level. Students are given opportunities to improve their conversational skills by attending meetings of the English-language club “VIP Forum,” the debate club, and the “Movie Club.”

Faculty members of the department hold foreign language competitions, contests for the best translation and essay writing, and organize academic student conferences.

Particular emphasis is placed on deepening students’ knowledge of the Ukrainian language and culture: the department runs a club dedicated to this under the guidance of Senior Lecturer A. I. Garbar.

Teachers participate in city-wide training seminars on business English for teachers and translators; conduct city-wide methodological seminars for English teachers with the support of America House and the U.S. Peace Corps in Ukraine; are members of international organizations for teachers of English as a foreign language (TESOL-Ukraine, “IATEFL-Ukraine,” “ASAU”), participate in German DAAD academic programs, and collaborate with the Ukrainian branch of the Alliance Française, the British Council, and the Goethe-Institut.

The Department of Modern Languages at Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding has established a branch of the “International Education” Coordination Center. Thanks to the information and guidance provided by its representatives, many students and faculty members have had the opportunity to participate in study programs in other countries.

In 1999, the "Applied Linguistics" program was launched at UDMTU, and the department became a specialized unit. In 2001, the Department of Applied Linguistics was established, with N. M. Filippova, Ph.D. in Philology and Professor at the National University of Kyiv, appointed as its head, while the Department of Modern Languages was headed by T. I. Kozimirska, Ph.D. in Philology and Associate Professor. In 2010, A. V. Minaylova, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, became the head of the Department of Modern Languages.

Since 2002, the department has been involved in three projects run by the British Council and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine: “English for Specific Purposes National Curriculum for Universities” (a program for teaching English for professional communication at non-English-speaking universities in Ukraine), “National Trainer Development Scheme” (a training program for foreign language teachers), “Assessment in ELT” (training of specialists in the field of external independent testing in foreign languages).

With the aim of providing career guidance and attracting prospective students to NUK, since 2016 the Department of Modern Languages has annually organized the NUK Regional English Language Olympiad for 10th and 11th-grade students from general education schools, boarding schools, technical schools, colleges, and vocational and technical schools in Mykolaiv and the Mykolaiv region. Over this period, approximately 500 participants took part in the events. The winners were awarded valuable prizes and certificates.

International cooperation continues between the National University of Kyiv and the Zhejiang International Maritime College (PRC). As part of this collaboration, faculty members from the Department of Modern Languages—Associate Professor and Department Chair A.V. Minaylova, Senior Lecturer M.K. Smuglyakova, and Senior Lecturer T.V. Kiselova conduct practical courses in Russian and Ukrainian as foreign languages, as well as English, for Chinese students majoring in “Shipbuilding” and “Robotics.” The course of study in these disciplines begins in China and continues in Ukraine when students from Zhejiang International Maritime College become students at NUO.

Today, the Department of Modern Languages employs 17 instructors of English, German, French, Ukrainian, and Russian. These include A. V. Minaylova, Ph.D. in Education, Associate Professor; S. V. Kirichenko, Ph.D. in Education, Associate Professor; G. Yu. Yatsenko, Ph.D. in Philosophy, Associate Professor; S. M. Belousova, Associate Professor at the National University of Kyiv; and senior lecturers A. I. Garbar, I. V. Garbar, T. P. Zadorozhna, L. I. Petrovich, I. B. Makeeva, O. S. Shlyakhtina, Y. A. Syschenko, O. B. Davydenko, T. V. Kiselova, Smuglyakova M. K., Fateeva V. G., Lecturers Koshkina G. L., Ovsyanko G. V., Leading Specialists Mazurevska N. V., Nazarenko O. O.

The Department of Modern Languages is a university-wide department. Faculty members teach the following courses: “Foreign Language (English, German),” “Ukrainian Language (for Professional Purposes),” “Business Communication,” “Practicum in Foreign-Language Academic Communication,” “English,” “Third Foreign Language,” “Business English Course,” “Foreign Language for Professional Purposes,” “Russian as a Foreign Language,” “Ukrainian as a Foreign Language,” and courses selected by students: “Practical English for Everyone,” “Business English and Technical English,” “Business Communication,” “English: International Exam (PTE) Pearson Test of English (Levels A2–B1)”, “English Speaking Practice”, “Practical Ukrainian Language Course”, “Ukrainian Language for Civil Servants and Officials”,  “American Spoken English,” “English for Travel,” “English Grammar,” “Technical English for Sailing Purposes,” “English for Academic Purposes,” “English for Everyday Communication,” “Soft Skills for the Workplace,” “English for Business Communication.”