Our Graduate Legal Studies Program consists of the Master of Laws (LL.M.) and the Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) degree programs, as well as the Special Student non-degree program for attorneys who wish to continue their legal education without pursuing a degree. These programs have been designed for students who, having earned a basic law degree (the U.S. Juris Doctor [J.D.] degree or its foreign equivalent), wish to pursue a further course of full-time study in preparation for careers in teaching, public service, or the international practice of law.
Candidates for either of the graduate degrees in law, LL.M. or J.S.D., are required to spend one academic year (two terms) of full-time study and research in residence at the School. J.S.D. candidates are encouraged, but not required, to spend a second year in residence.
To be eligible for admission to the LL.M., the J.S.D. or the Special Student program, applicants must hold a first degree in law. A degree in a field other than law, even if followed by a master's degree in law, generally does not suffice for admission. Applicants who have earned a law degree by correspondence course work or distance learning are not eligible for admission. Graduates of foreign law schools who have already had a year of residence in an American law school are ineligible for admission to the LL.M. Program.
Degree candidates are admitted for studies commencing only at the beginning of the academic year, in late August-early September (there is no summer term); Special Students may begin their studies in January. Degree candidates are not admitted on a part-time basis and therefore may not accept employment during their academic year of residence. An exception to the prohibition of part-time studies is made for students who for family reasons (the care of children or elderly parents) may spread their studies over a three-semester period, taking eight points per term. A disadvantage of this approach, however, is that since the points are charged on a per credit basis, the degree costs more than if obtained in one academic year. Moreover, this approach is also incompatible with the University's 10-point per semester minimum requirement to qualify as a full-time student for student visa purposes.
