Requirements

About the Program

The joint degree program allows matriculated students to complete the Juris Doctor and Master of Marine Affairs degrees in an accelerated period of study. By combining course work at the two institutions, students are able to complete both degrees in 3 ½ years.

As part of the Joint Degree Program, students design and submit a program of study to suit their particular interests. The School of Law offers a variety of courses in admiralty, environmental law, coastal and marine pollution, fisheries, law of the sea and international law.

The Department of Marine Affairs offers an equally wide range of courses in marine pollution policy, shipping operations, coastal zoning and development, and economic and statistical analysis of marine policy problems.

Law Courses Eligible for Transfer to Marine Affairs

  • Administrative Law
  • Admiralty Law
  • Climate Change Law & Policy
  • Collision and Limitation of Liability
  • Environmental Law
  • International Law
  • Land Use Planning
  • Law of the Sea
  • Maritime Practice & Procedures
  • Natural Resources Law
  • Ocean & Coastal Law
  • Zoning the Ocean: Planning for Ocean Resource Use

Assuming full-time study, the joint degree program can be completed in 3 ½ years, with one full semester at URI.

Students in the joint program must complete the following three-credit Marine Affairs courses as part of the 30-credit requirements in the MMA component of the program:

  • Economics of Marine Resources
  • International Ocean Law
  • Marine Affairs Seminar
  • Master's Research Project 
  • Ocean Uses and Marine Sciences

In addition to the 15 credits of required courses indicated above, students in the joint degree program take an additional 15 credits in Marine Affairs of which 6 law credits may be transferred from Roger Williams.

The MMA also requires that each student take a comprehensive examination to complete the program.

Requirements

At Roger Williams University, the JD program requires 90 semester hours or credits which can be completed, on a full-time basis, within three years. The Master of Marine Affairs (MMA) degree, at the University of Rhode Island, requires 30 credits, which can be completed, on a full-time basis, in one year.

A student matriculated in the joint program will transfer some credits taken in courses of study to help satisfy the overall credit requirements of the other degree program as well.

The School of Law will accept 9 credits from select Marine Affairs courses toward the overall total of 90; thus, the student in the joint degree program would need to register and pay for 81 law credits at the School of Law.

Marine Affairs Courses Eligible for Transfer to Law

The Department of Marine Affairs accepts 6 credits from select law courses toward the M.M.A.; thus, the student pays for a total of 24 Marine Affairs credits.

Marine Affairs courses, each of which earns three credits, which would be eligible for transfer toward the law degree are:

  • Coastal Ecosystem Governance
  • Coastal Zone Law
  • Economics of Marine Resources
  • Federal Ocean Policy & Organization
  • Fisheries Law and Management
  • International Ocean Law
  • International Ocean Organizations
  • Marine Pollution Policy
  • Master's Project Research
  • Ocean Uses and Marine Sciences
  • Port Operations & Policy
Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.