STUDYING SHIPPING LAW
IN AFRICA

UCT is the only university in Africa (and one of only a few in the world) which offers postgraduate tuition and research facilities in both the public and private law aspects of marine and maritime law. The Faculty of Law awards a specialist LLM (Marine) degree covering the international law of the sea and shipping law, and Graduate Diplomas in Shipping Law and in Marine and Environmental Law. Supervised research facilities are available for the LLD or PhD degree.

The specialised Master of Laws in Shipping Law requires four taught courses and a 20 000 word dissertation. It may be read full-time in a year's study or part-time spread over two years. The Graduate Diploma in Shipping Law requires two taught courses plus a 10 000 word dissertation, and can be completed in one year, part-time or full-time. All courses are semesterised, enabling students to commence studies in either February or July. A module in the Law of International Trade or Environmental Law is also permitted.  (More information about COURSES is given here.)

Other combinations of courses will lead to a non-specialised LLM. Recognition may be given to courses of equivalent standard for which credit has been gained from other universities in SA and abroad with which UCT has mutual co-operation arrangements.

An acceptable LLB or equivalent academic qualification is a prerequisite for admission to the LLM programme. Acceptable academic qualifications are required for admission to the Graduate Diploma in Law, with a Master’s Certificate of Competency being acceptable for admission to the Diploma in Shipping Law.

The collected dissertations of students over the past years amounts to a significant collection of research material. A synopsis of all completed dissertations and the full text of some can be found in Research Dissertations. Our students will build this section of our site each year, giving them and us an effective means to make the fruits of our research available to a larger readership. Please use our online e-mail in Research Dissertations to send us your comments on the research material you find on our site. You may also request copies of dissertations of which only a synopsis is given.

Application should be directed to the Faculty Officer, School For Advanced Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, fax (+27 21) 686-4277. You may also complete the on-line application forms available on the UCT Website. You will need to check the time limits for annual applications contained in the School for Advanced Legal Studies rules.

And don’t miss our Channel 16 admiralty discussion forum. We would like to hear from kindred spirits in admiralty.