Curriculum

The main feature of the LL.M. Program for Foreign Lawyers is its attention to the individual needs of its students. The curriculum allows each LL.M. student to design, in cooperation with a faculty adviser, a course of study meeting the student's personal needs and goals. The student may choose from the full range of courses and seminars offered in the law school curriculum, as well as up to three (3) credit hours of courses from the University's School of Business. The student has the option to write an LL.M. thesis under the guidance of a faculty adviser. Upon successful completion of the thesis, candidates will be awarded six (6) credit hours. Finally, the student may engage in independent research supervised by a member of the faculty.

The Program requires successful completion of 24 credit hours. At least two (2) credit hours include a written work, such as a seminar paper or a research paper, prepared under the direction of a faculty member. However, no more than eight (8) of the 24 hours may consist of an LL.M. thesis, seminars, or research papers. Students are also required to complete a three (3) credit hour class in legal research and writing, and a foundation course in a common law subject, such as contracts, torts or property. Students must maintain a "C" average (2.0) based upon an A-F grading scale. Grades received in directed research and courses taken in the University's School of Business will not be considered when computing the student's grade point average.

All examinations are written. Examination criteria for foreign students are the same as those for American students. However, when English is not the student's primary language, the student will receive additional time, and the use of an English-foreign language dictionary during the examination will be permitted.

Students are required to purchase a laptop computer that meets the minimum operating requirements established by the School of Law's ITS Department. In some cases, law school examinations may be administered through use of laptop computers.

Students are expected to complete the work for the LL.M. degree in two semesters (fall and spring) with the opportunity to continue through the following summer to complete a thesis. The fall semester begins in mid-August and ends in mid-December; the spring semester starts in mid-January and ends in mid-May