Hi! Which university offers in your opinion the best llm in maritime law?
On one hand,Southampton seems to have a certain reputation in this particular field.People recommended me soton,for professors such as Debattista. However,the lessons there are taught by people who don't even have a PhD.Don't misunderstand me,obviously they must be experts in their field,but it still gives me a very negative picture.
On the other hand,Bristol is more prestigious than Southampton,and higher in the rankings.So,you can't really go wrong with Bristol,no??Apart from that,professors there have impressive CVs.However, I don't know anything about the particular programme,apart from the fact that it offers the same courses..
So I would appreciate it,if you could give some information on both,especially from current students!!

Hello Mia,
both universities are solid choices, I would decide upon pure gut feeling and soft factors (accommodation, transport links etc.).

Apart from that, just two little remarks:
1. Even though I have done my best I have desperately failed when it came to finding out the respective lecturers assigned to the modules in Bristol. I then checked the staff list - the only staff member who is truly know in the world of maritime law (outside the UK), Mr Baughen, "does not even have a PhD" (according to the website - I don't know and don't care). He does not have an LLM, either (according to the website). Still, he is definitely one of the leading academics in the field... With all due respect - I think your decision parameter when it comes to "PhD - no PhD" has no relevance at all when it comes to deciding upon the right LLM programme.

2. Prestige: If you are in for the general prestige (outside the world of maritime law), both Southampton and Bristol are suboptimal choices. At least in my home country their _general_ reputation is mediocre at best.

Bye
flori

Bristol hands down...its a no brainer...

Bristol hands down...its a no brainer...

Thanks for your answer Flori
1.Well,in my country noone teaches in a university unless he/she holds a PhD..So you can understand my surprise!You refer to a specific staff member regarding Bristol.What's the case with Southampton?Any leading academics there?If you know,of course

2.I already know that they're not UCL. But,what concerns me is the prestige in the UK. I am not for the general prestige,I am talking only for the world of maritime law.

Wheretogo,I would appreciate your opinion.Are you a current student?Please,give me some more information

Bristol hands down...its a no brainer...

And why is that so? Because of the huge teaching team consisting of several maritime law specialists? Or the splendid general prestige as (together with Durham and Exeter) "The place to go to, if you have been rejected by Oxford and Cambridge"?

Sorry for this sarcastic response, but I am rather tired of this kind of post ("Bristol, all the way..." "No, you should consider Swansea - it's the best.", "Southampton rocks!", "Nottingham rules..." etc to include all usual suspects for maritime law in the UK.)

Bye
Flori

Thanks for your answer Flori
1.Well,in my country noone teaches in a university unless he/she holds a PhD..So you can understand my surprise!You refer to a specific staff member regarding Bristol.What's the case with Southampton?Any leading academics there?If you know,of course

2.I already know that they're not UCL. But,what concerns me is the prestige in the UK. I am not for the general prestige,I am talking only for the world of maritime law.

Always valuable your opinion!!!:)

You sound so pessimistic,sometimes,though.So,which is the best programme for you? Worldwide,or in the UK,I don't mind!Just tell me one

Hello wheretogo,
thank you for your informative posting.

The facilities of the law school are first class. The teaching of maritime law is also first class.

The LLM is one of the very best courses in the UK

The library is impressive and offers you everything you need.

I don't want to go through the prestige thing...but if you are a lawyer and I suspect you are...prestige does matter a GREAT deal. Its sad but true.

I am not a student but I was going to be and I visited the law school and witnessed first hand so I know what I am talking about. It was my first choice and I had offers from other good places. It may well be my first place very soon.

I gave you my opinion..I am not going to get into this discussion any further. Take it or leave it

Bristol hands down...its a no brainer...

And why is that so? Because of the huge teaching team consisting of several maritime law specialists? Or the splendid general prestige as (together with Durham and Exeter) "The place to go to, if you have been rejected by Oxford and Cambridge"?

Sorry for this sarcastic response, but I am rather tired of this kind of post ("Bristol, all the way..." "No, you should consider Swansea - it's the best.", "Southampton rocks!", "Nottingham rules..." etc to include all usual suspects for maritime law in the UK.)

Bye
Flori

Flori:

The facilities of the law school are first class. The teaching of maritime law is also first class. The LLM is one of the very best courses in the UK and not to mention that is one of the best Universities of the country. The library is impressive and offers you everything you need.

I don't want to go through the prestige thing...but if you are a lawyer and I suspect you are...prestige does matter a GREAT deal. Its sad but true.

To original poster, Southampton is indeed good but I would pick Bristol not only for the University and department but also because there is nothing to do in Southampton and it is quite a grim place to be.

I am not a student but I was going to be and I visited the law school and witnessed first hand so I know what I am talking about. It was my first choice and I had offers from other good places. It may well be my first place very soon.

Mia like I said I would take Bristol.

I have not studied there but I know the course (from people that have studied there and through lawyers in my previous firm) that is both is rigorous and academically challenging.

Now this is your decision solely and wherever you go I am sure you going to be very happy with your decision. By all means look at Swansea as well. In fact ask flori to tell you all about it.

Bristol hands down...its a no brainer...

And why is that so? Because of the huge teaching team consisting of several maritime law specialists? Or the splendid general prestige as (together with Durham and Exeter) "The place to go to, if you have been rejected by Oxford and Cambridge"?

Sorry for this sarcastic response, but I am rather tired of this kind of post ("Bristol, all the way..." "No, you should consider Swansea - it's the best.", "Southampton rocks!", "Nottingham rules..." etc to include all usual suspects for maritime law in the UK.)

Bye
Flori

Flori:

The facilities of the law school are first class. The teaching of maritime law is also first class. The LLM is one of the very best courses in the UK and not to mention that is one of the best Universities of the country. The library is impressive and offers you everything you need.

I don't want to go through the prestige thing...but if you are a lawyer and I suspect you are...prestige does matter a GREAT deal. Its sad but true.

To original poster, Southampton is indeed good but I would pick Bristol not only for the University and department but also because there is nothing to do in Southampton and it is quite a grim place to be.

I am not a student but I was going to be and I visited the law school and witnessed first hand so I know what I am talking about. It was my first choice and I had offers from other good places. It may well be my first place very soon.

I do agree with Flori.

In general, people post questions in this forum in order to get firsthand information on particular LL.M. programmes in order to choose a university.

However, many replies only appear to have been designed for one purpose, i.e. in order to justify the particular person's choice of university and to portray him as an excellent academic on account of the fact that he has - or would like to have - attended an excellent programme at an excellent university.

The flaws of this approach are obvious, as the replies are superficial at best and hardly serve the purpose of aiding somebody to make a decision which, in most cases, has a considerable impact on one's life, career and finances. The same applies, no offence intended, to the answer of somebody who even has not attended a particular programme and whose assessment merely is based upon a short stay at a particular university.

Unless you have attended a class, you cannot speak about the quality of teaching of a particular lecturer. Unless you have studied in a library for a longer period of time, you cannot give information on the amount of textbooks available, etc., etc.

To cut a long story short, my point is as follows:

If you strive for a universitys general prestige, you should apply to Oxford, Cambridge or maybe LSE. Neither Durham nor Bristol nor Nottingham nor Southampton can live up to that.

If you aim for the quality of a particular course and one of the aforementioned universities offers courses living up to this standard, it's even better for you.

If not, or - for whatever reason - you cannot or do not wish to study at any of the aforementioned universities, you should pay close attention to the individual features of a programme, i.e. the modules availabe, the assessment, the lecturers, the accommodation, the surroundings, the costs of living etc. A helpful answer should live up to this standard.

Pit Possum,none of the prestigious unis you mentioned offer a llm in maritime law.

You confused me a bit..In the last 2 paragraphs you refer to bristol,soton,etc?

Wheretogo,thanks for your opinion.I was looking for any bristol postgraduate students in this forum,though

Hello Mia,

Always valuable your opinion!!!:)

You sound so pessimistic,sometimes,though.So,which is the best programme for you? Worldwide,or in the UK,I don't mind!Just tell me one

Pit Possum,none of the prestigious unis you mentioned offer a llm in maritime law.

Hi Mia,

I'm sorry if I confused you. My point was merely that if you want to study at a british university with an excellent general reputation, the aforementioned are the ones to go to. I know they do not offer any courses in this field of law.

You confused me a bit..In the last 2 paragraphs you refer to bristol,soton,etc?

I was speaking in general terms without favouring any university. My point is simply that, when choosing a university out of those offering maritime law programmes, you should look closely at the details of each specific programme in order to make your decision. If you want to consider a university's reputation, and this university is neither Oxford nor Cambridge, it should be the university's reputation with regard to the specific programme.

Unfortunately, I cannot give you any information on Bristol, Southampton etc. I attended the University of Nottingham but specialised in public procurement Law and EC competion law, although I ended up attending the course "Carriage of Goods by Sea" as a supplement to the course "International Sale of Goods". Thus, it is difficult to give you any advice on the LL.M. in maritime law.

From what I have heard, Professor Bennett is an excellent and very demanding academic when it comes to Maritime Law. However, you should make sure that he is also going to be the person giving the lectures and not someone else who may not live up to this standard. (E.g., my class was taught by someone else.)

When it comes to the programme's reputation, it is my personal impression that Tulane, Southampton and Swansea have a higher reputation considering maritime law than Nottingham.

Anyways, you should ask Flori about this, as he is clearly the expert when it comes to maritime law.

All the best

Pit Possum

Hello everyone,

By all means look at Swansea as well. In fact ask flori to tell you all about it.

Well, it's great that the thread is developing so dynamically. However, I am somehow getting lost among the many responses and seem to be replying to my own posting at the moment ;-)

To finish the "PhD or no PhD" discussion:
As far as Soton is concerned, the lecturers for the modules

LLM: Carriage by Air (LAWS6076) ; International Trade (LAWS6064) and Carriage of Goods by Sea (LAWS6076)

and

LLM: Marine Insurance (LAWS6065)

seem to be empty-handed (once again according to the website) in this respect as well.

To further extend the "PhD rate"-evaluation it seems to me that Swansea offers a 100%-PhD rate.
Bye
Flori
P.S.
Personally I don't care. One of ,my best lecturers in Swansea did not hold a PhD when he was teaching me in 07/08. He does now, though.

Thanks Pit Possum,I totally agree with what you're saying.

In my opinion,more or less this kind of unis are on the same level. To be honest,I find Bristol's programme better.

Of course,any other opinions are welcomed!!

Have a great time in Bristol!!!
If you know the names of the lecturers, please drop me a personal message (out of pure personal interest).
Bye
flori