Master of Laws in Air and Space Law Curriculum
A student may be awarded an LL.M. by earning 26 credits and satisfying the following requirements:
- Successful completion of 4 core courses (12 credit hours) and 2 elective courses (6 credit hours);
- Successful completion of 8 Master’s thesis credits supporting a Master’s thesis; and
- Successful completion of a Master’s thesis constituting a publishable work of 30,000 words in length.
| Core courses | Elective courses |
|---|---|
| Public International Air Law | Aerospace Business and Law |
| Private International Air Law | Comparative National Space Law |
| International Space Law | Cybersecurity Law |
| Either US National Aviation Law or US National Space Law | International Aviation Financing and Leasing Law |
| International Telecommunications Law | |
| Space Security Law | |
| Aerospace Technology, Security and Privacy | |
| U.S. National Aviation Law | |
| U.S. Domestic Space Law | |
| Astra Politica | |
| AstroLaw and Ethics | |
| Drone Law and Policy | |
| Problem Solving in Space Law |
Master’s Thesis Credits
In addition to course credits, students will earn 8 Master’s thesis credits for independent research conducted on their thesis topics. Topics will be approved in advance by a supervisor, who will guide students in development and research of thesis topics and provide support and critical assessments of the thesis project.
Master’s Thesis
A Masters thesis is 30,000-word project, including abstract, footnotes and bibliography, that provides a substantial analytical contribution to current academic discourse on a topic or to novel concepts or practices. The thesis must demonstrate substantial knowledge, intellectual curiosity, critical argument, and scholarly ambition and it must clearly articulate theoretical and methodological approaches to the research and writing.
Graduate Certificate in Air and Space Law Curriculum
Students may be awarded a Graduate Certificate by earning 12 credit hours in air and/or space law courses: 2 core courses (6 credit hours); and 2 elective courses (6 credit hours). The Graduate Certificate Program can be tailored to address aviation law, space law or both, in the following manner:
Core Courses (Students select two)
- International Space Law
- Public International Air Law
- U.S. Domestic Space Law
- U.S. National Aviation Law
Elective Courses (Students select two)
- Aerospace Business and Law
- Aerospace Technology, Security and Privacy
- Astra Politica
- Comparative National Space Law
- Cybersecurity Law
- International Aviation Financing and Leasing Law
- International Space Law
- International Telecommunications Law
- Private International Air Law
- Public International Air Law
- Space Security Law
- U.S. National Aviation Law
- U.S. Domestic Space Law
Air and Space Law Course Descriptions
Aerospace Business and Law (3 credit hours)
This course assesses and address the complex legal issues faced by the aerospace industry against the backdrop of fundamental business principles. In addition to reviewing regulations impacting the aviation and space industries, this course will provide students with a foundational understanding of US procurement, fiscal and export control law as well as other laws that directly affect planning in aerospace businesses.
Aerospace Technology, Security and Privacy (3 credit hours)
Aerospace technologies offer incredible benefits to support science, foreign policy, national security and commerce. This course will explore these benefits – including with respect to disaster management and environmental protections – as well as the significant privacy factors impacted and the concomitant legal challenges associated therewith. It provides an overview of national and international trends in the use of both satellite and drone platforms as surveillance tools and reviews the laws and regulations related to the same. The course will focus on both air and space surveillance platforms and consider the implications of each.
Astra Politica (3 credit hours)
This course provides an analysis of stakeholder motivations, legal and ethical responsibilities and relationships in space activities both in low Earth orbit and beyond in order to gain an understanding of the impact of space activities on national and international relations and assess legal frameworks and developing legal solutions for resource management.
Comparative National Space Law (3 credit hours)
This course surveys the national regulatory frameworks governing space activities, with a particular focus on the legal frameworks that govern private and governmental entities engaged in commercial space activities. Activities addressed at the national or regional level include discussions on national space authorities, supranational bodies, and licensing schemes and operation requirements for launching, remote sensing and telecommunications. The course provides students with a thorough knowledge of the myriad legal issues involved in space activities, including State obligations under the UN treaties, international law, private international law, and national space laws and policies.
Cybersecurity Law (3 credit hours)
This course provides students with an understanding of the development of law and policy related to cybersecurity. It will examine the social and legal processes developed by governments, the private sector, and civil society to protect cyberspace. The course will address U.S. and international laws related to cybersecurity, the security of Information and Communication Technologies, data security, information security, law enforcement surveillance, cybercriminal combat, privacy and other related issues. It will examine the interactive roles of nation-states and other stakeholders and consider the concepts of cyberpower and cyberwar.
International Aviation Finance and Leasing Law (3 credit hours)
This course covers the primary legal and practical aspects of international aviation finance and leasing Law, and focuses on special international and national private air law (lex specialis) that applies to cross-border financing and leasing of aircraft objects. This course also addresses the relevant international disputes that currently arise in the international aviation finance practice.
International Space Law (3 credit hours)
This course provides an overview of current international space law in U.N. resolutions and treaties and customary law. It identifies legal theory and principles used in the advancement of civil, military, and commercial space activities.
International Telecommunication Law (3 credit hours)
Telecommunications Law addresses legal issues of the transnational flow of information and the technology that facilitates these transfers. These issues addressed include State interests in technical controls as well as in content controls of international communication.
Private International Air Law (3 credit hours)
This course covers the unification of private international air law through the adoption of international conventions, such as air carriers’ liability under the Warsaw Convention System; the Rome Convention on liability caused by aircraft on the surface of the earth; the Geneva Convention on recognition of rights in aircraft; the Cape Town Convention on aircraft financing; insurance aspects and implications of the air carrier’s international liability; among others.
Public International Air Law (3 credit hours)
This course examines the relevant principles and public international law that apply to the use of airspace by examining the sources of international air law and the law-making processes affecting the regime of airspace and international air transport. The following topics are discussed: sources of international air law; case study of international aviation organizations (International Civil Aviation Organization, International Air Transport Association, and regional bodies) and their functions; civil and State aircraft; legal management of aviation security and aviation environmental harm; international standards and recommended practices regarding safety, security, airports, air navigation; State certification and licensing; and accident investigation; among others.
Space Security Law (3 credit hours)
Space Security Law covers a wide variety of legal issues dealing both with security of the space environment and national security derived from reliance on space assets. These issues are examined through both international and national legal regimes.
U.S. National Aviation Law (3 credit hours)
This course covers aviation laws, regulations, and policy of the United States. It explores all major aspects of aviation law, including, but not limited to: government regulation of aircraft, air carriers, airmen, and airports; airport, air traffic control, and aircraft manufacturers’ liability; air carriers’ liability in domestic carriage of passengers and cargo; aircraft financing; economic regulation of domestic air routes and rates; aviation security; and environmental aviation law.
U.S. Domestic Space Law (3 credit hours)
This course covers the most developed body of national space law in the world: that of the United States. It addresses the nation’s civil and commercial programs and offers a wide variety of commercial activities: launches, remote sensing, and satellite communications, among others.
Master’s Thesis I-III (8 credit hours)
These courses are dedicated to the development of a student’s written thesis. They will cover advanced legal writing and research skills, literature review, thesis proposal development, and completion of a student’s written thesis.
If you have any questions about the Program in Air & Space Law, please email llm@olemiss.edu.