Program Requirements

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Students must complete 24 credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.30/4.00 and comply with the LL.M. writing requirement in order to receive the Masters of Law in International Law degree. Many students pursue different paths in reaching this goal.

Required Courses

International Business Transactions: This course focuses on the problems likely to be encountered when firms engage in transnational business transactions, both inbound and outbound. Emphasis is placed on finding practical solutions to such problems in light of current events, and upon the interplay between the current law of the United States and that of the civil law countries.

The areas covered include: (i) sales and financing of goods and services, (ii) establishing and managing agencies, distributorships and other strategic alliances in transnational markets, (iii) protecting and licensing intellectual property rights, (iv) conducting direct foreign investments, including the protection of property from expropriation and nationalization, (v) complying with local laws including foreign exchange regulations, competition policies, laws aimed at protecting the nationals of the foreign country, and labor and environmental laws. The course will also touch upon problems involved in transnational litigation, including access to foreign courts, service of documents and discovery of evidence located abroad, the recognition of foreign judgments, and international arbitrations.

International Economic Law: This course reviews the basic principles that guide international economic activity, including: investment, trade in goods and services, foreign direct and portfolio investment and transfers of intellectual property. The course will focus on some of the principal multilateral institutions charged with regulating international economic policy: the World Trade Organization (WTO), including both the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the agreement on trade related intellectual property, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), regional trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), MERCOSUR and the European Union and organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Finally, the course will examine some of the ramifications of the globalization of the world economy for the environment, developing nations and regulation of multinational enterprises.

International Law: This course examines the law that governs the activities of nations. Included are such topics as what international law is and how it contrasts with domestic law, how international law is created, who is governed by and has rights under international law, how international disputes are resolved, and the role of the United Nations. In light of recent events, special emphasis will be placed on the law governing the use of force. The course is important for those wanting to understand the international legal system and global change, but also provides a useful foundation for many other courses, such as International Copyright, International Criminal Law, International Economic Law, International Environmental Law, International Human Rights Law, International Tax, and related seminars.

Writing Requirement

Seminar or independent research paper approved by Faculty Chair.

Additional Courses

Students must have 24 credits to graduate, and so the exact number of courses taken depends on how many credits are associated with each course.

International and Comparative Law Courses

Many students are most interested in our varied international and comparative law courses. Popular choices from past years, as well as some new course offerings, would include those listed below.

Comparative Law

International Business and Trade

International Law

Dispute Resolution

Immigration

Ocean and Coastal Law

Other Interesting Subjects

This listing includes some very innovative courses offered by UM that defy traditional categories:

Miami Law does offer several courses in Spanish. These courses are intended for law students who are trying to improve their knowledge of technical Spanish. We discourage native Spanish speakers from taking these courses.