Roger Williams University School of Law (RWU Law) - Maritime & Marine Law Programs

JD with Maritime Law Track & JD with Master of Marine Affairs Degree and Other Special Programs at RWU Law and Marine Affairs Institute in RI

Established in 1956, Roger Williams University (RWU) is a private coeducational liberal arts university located in Bristol, Rhode Island with a branch in Providence, RI. It was named after the Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams. Roger Williams University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. Roger Williams University enrolls over 4000 undergraduate and 700 graduate students in eight schools. 140 acre main campus in Bristol is on Mount Hope Bay overlooking the part of Narragansett Bay.

The only law school in Rhode Island, Roger Williams University School of Law (RWU Law) offers students hands-on affordable legal education and is a leader in providing experiential and pro bono education opportunities.

RWU Law is accredited and approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) & Association of American Law Schools (AALS). The School is the best-priced ABA-accredited private law school in the Northeast and one of the best values on the East Coast.

RWU Law has a concept called the Semester in Practice Clinical Externship, a full semester of credit training in Rhode Island, Boston, New York, or anywhere else that will benefit their educational and career goals.

When combining the Semester in Practice with other clinical and skills courses, RWU law students can spend as much as one-third of their law school experience gaining hands-on, practical legal experience.

JD Programs

• Juris Doctor (JD) Program: Few degrees are more versatile than the Juris Doctor, or J.D. Whatever your professional interest – private practice, public interest, government, litigation, corporate, marine, non-legal, or educational. Curricular Tracks are suggested paths of concentrated study, based upon various areas of law in which you may wish to practice upon graduation. They were created by the faculty and administration of the School of Law, with the intention of providing guidance to students as they plan their academic careers.
• Marine and Environmental Law Track: Covering issues related to waterfront development, piers and marinas, boating, fisheries, dredging, underwater cultural heritage, and the protection of Narragansett Bay, the Marine Law program also includes significant exposure to Environmental and Natural Resources Law, covering the network of treaties, statutes, regulations, common and customary laws addressing the effects of human activity on the natural environment.
• Maritime Law Track: Students of Maritime or Admiralty Law engage with the vast body of laws governing maritime activities, including relations between private entities that operate vessels on the oceans. Maritime Law addresses the body of laws, conventions and treaties that govern international private business and other matters involving ships, shipping or crimes occurring on the open water.

Joint Degree Program

• JD / Master of Marine Affairs (JD/MMA)Joint Degree with University of Rhode Island (URI): Students interested in more extensive study of marine law and policy may simultaneously earn a JD from RWU and a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island (URI) in 3.5 years through sharing of selected credits.  Joint degree students enhance their legal education with additional courses at URI on economic, international and policy considerations, positioning them well to address today’s complex maritime, ocean and coastal legal issues.

Graduate Program

• Master of Studies in Law Degree (MSL) with Admiralty and Maritime Law: The MSL is designed for students who want to bring legal knowledge to their work or whose job prospects would improve if they added legal knowledge to their existing knowledge base.  Anyone who works or would like to work regularly with lawyers or with laws and regulations could benefit from the MSL program. Students will have the freedom, with the help of a faculty advisor, to design a course of study that permits them to specialize in the area most valuable to their business and professional development. In Admiralty and Maritime Law subject matter area, students engage with the vast body of laws governing maritime activities, including relations between private entities that operate vessels on the oceans. Maritime Law addresses the body of laws, conventions and treaties that govern international private business and other matters involving ships, shipping or crimes occurring on the open water. The MSL program is not intended to prepare students for the JD program. Under ABA regulations, credits from the MSL program cannot count towards a JD degree.

LAST UPDATED ON Sep 5, 2023