The Maritime Department (known as the Professional Faculty in Zadar) started working in the academic year 2001/2002 as a dislocated study of the Faculty of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka. The Maritime Department as a component of the University of Zadar (at first known as the Department of Transport and Maritime Studies) was founded at the end of the 2004. Organizational units of the Department are two divisions, namely:

- Division of Nautical Studies - carrying out study program of Nautical Studies and Maritime Transport Technology and

- Division of Maritime Engineering - carrying out study program of Marine Engineering and Maritime Transport Technology.

After the department had been founded, from the academic year 2005/2006 mentioned study programs started functioning as the studies of the University of Zadar with new structure in line with the Bologna Declaration.