LL.M. in Maritime Law

Why Miami for Maritime Law?

Location

Surrounded by water, Miami offers a unique opportunity to study Maritime Law. The city is unquestionably the cruise capital of the world. It hosts the largest single-ship cruise terminal and all the major companies' principal places of business located minutes from the Port of Miami - the top cargo gateway of the Americas.

Faculty

Miami Law is known for its renowned professors who share their knowledge and skills with students.

Advising & Networking

A career advisor with special training assists international LL.M. students with their job search, including resume writing and interviewing skills. See the top 10 reasons international students study at Miami Law. Students have the chance to attend conferences with experts in the field.

Bar Exam

Upon completing the LL.M. degree, students can qualify and elect to take an American Bar Exam as various U.S. jurisdictions permit non-U.S.-trained law graduates to become members of their bar, including New York.

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)

The Maritime LL.M. draws upon the expertise of RSMAS graduate school at The University of Miami. As one of the leading academic oceanographic and atmospheric research institutions globally, the School's basic and applied research interests encompass virtually all marine-related sciences.

The Rosenstiel School's main 65-acre campus is on Virginia Key, Florida, just 30 minutes from the law school. This location gives students unique proximity to nearby environments and research facilities, including:

• The National Hurricane Center
• The Caribbean Sea
• The beginning of the Gulf Stream
• The only coral reef ecosystem in the U.S.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories (NOAA)

• Marine Technology Life Sciences Seawater Complex

  The Marine Technology Life Sciences Seawater Complex at RSMAS is comprised of two connected buildings - one focuses on hurricane science and the other on marine research. The Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. SUSTAIN Building (SUrge-STructure-Atmosphere INteraction) houses the world’s largest hurricane simulator.

• Marine Life Sciences Center

  This hurricane simulator is a wind and wave machine that resembles a giant tank, without the fish, and helps better understand the physics of storm strength, and how the warmth of the ocean powers a hurricane and causes damage to homes and buildings.
  
  Attached by a walkway, the Marine Life Sciences Center houses laboratories for the study of marine animals, the connections between oceans and human health, and the impacts of climate change.

• Helicopter Observation Platform

  The Rosenstiel School also owns a helicopter, a one-of-a-kind flying scientific laboratory. The aircraft enables the collection of information on marine life, and the Earth’s surface, along with the thin atmospheric layer above it, allowing students to obtain vital information about climate and human health.

• Research Vessel F.G. WALTON SMITH

  This UM ship, also at The Rosenstiel School, can cruise on shallow waters enabling exploration of reefs, mangroves, grassbeds, and other shallow environments. The F.G. Walton Smith vessel can hold 20 people, has ten staterooms, and encompasses 800 square feet of laboratory space and 800 square feet of multi-use space.

• Marine Science Library

  One of the foremost marine science libraries in the United States, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Library holds more than 85,000 volumes, including over 300 atlases and 1,500 maps and nautical charts. It also includes an extensive Caribbean and Latin American collection, a museum with one of the world's most comprehensive collections – 400,000 specimens - of invertebrate tropical marine life.

• Marine Research Station in Key Largo

  The School also operates a 78-acre advanced satellite reception and analysis center - Broad Key Research Station - in southern Miami-Dade County off the coast of Key Largo, FL, providing direct access to conduct marine research in the sub-tropical Florida Keys. Here students use low earth-orbiting satellite systems to access direct data for environmental monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico, Southeastern United States, northern South America, Central America, and the Caribbean Basin.

• Diving Program

  The UM Dive Office and Scientific Diving Program supports students doing research in Conservation, Marine Affairs, Archaeology, Biology, Chemistry, and Geology. Project locations include local reefs, Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, Little Salt Spring (West-Central Florida), U.S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Galapagos, Dominican Republic, French Polynesia, Panama, and Australia. This office offers diving techniques (Nitrox, trimix, double tanks, staged decompression, surface supplied diving, diver propulsion vehicles, and closed-circuit rebreathers) and the latest techniques, technologies, support, and training while maintaining the highest standards of safety.

• Full-time, Part-time Study Options

  Students may study on a full-time or part-time basis. For part-time study, the same minimum number of credits is required for the LL.M. degree and must be earned within two years from the initial date of matriculation.

• J.D./LL.M. Joint Degree in Maritime Law

  Students wishing to obtain a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and J.D. students wishing to also obtain an LL.M. in Maritime Law should opt for the J.D./LL.M. in Maritime Law.

• Intensive Legal English + LL.M. in Maritime Law

  This three-semester program is designed for foreign-trained law graduates who need to improve their English proficiency before embarking on studying for their LL.M. in Maritime Law. For more information about our Intensive English program, please visit LL.M. with Intensive Legal English.

Fall, Spring Admissions Options: Applications to the Maritime Law LL.M. Program are accepted on a rolling basis with a Fall admissions priority deadline of May 1. Applications for admission are accepted until the beginning of the program in early August. Applications are reviewed by an admissions committee as soon as all required documents are received. 

Several scholarships are available and awarded to outstanding applicants each year based on skills and achievements.

To learn more, visit the admissions page.

Watch and Learn More

Information Session on "Legal Education and the Practice of Law in the U.S.: Opportunities for Foreign-Trained Lawyers"

• In English

• En Español

• Em Português

Contact Us / Meet the Team

• Meet the Team

  

  Sandra Friedrich

  Assistant Dean, International Law Programs; Director, International Arbitration Institute;  Lecturer in Law

  • Phone: +1 (305) 284-5402
  • Email: sfriedrich@law.miami.edu
    
  • Address: 1311 Miller Drive, A316
    Coral Gables, FL 33146

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  Christiane Reis

  Assistant Director, International Law Programs

  • Phone: +1 (305) 284-1831
  • Email:  cfr70@law.miami.edu
  • Address: 1311 Miller Drive, A316
    Coral Gables, FL 33146

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  Alexandria Sellers

  International Programs Manager, International Law Programs

  • Schedule a Meeting
  • Phone: +1 (305) 284-1965
  • Email: asellers@law.miami.edu
  • Address: 1311 Miller Drive, A316
    Coral Gables, FL 33146

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  Alejandro “Alex” Capote

  Senior Program Coordinator, International Law Programs

  • Phone: +1 (305) 284-2880
  • Email:  alcapote@law.miami.edu
  • Address: 1311 Miller Drive, A316
    Coral Gables, FL 33146

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  Cindy Spencer

  Administrative Assistant, International Law Programs and International Arbitration Institute

  • Phone: +1 (305) 284-5402
  • Email: crs328@law.miami.edu
  • Address: 1311 Miller Drive, A316
    Coral Gables, FL 33146

• Contact Us

  University of Miami School of Law
  Office of International Law Programs
  1311 Miller Drive, Room A316
  Coral Gables, Florida 33146
  Phone: 305-284-5402
  Fax: 305-284-5497
  E-mail: intl-llm@law.miami.edu
  Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET