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IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law

Admission

LL.M. Admissions

The IU McKinney Masters of Law (LL.M.) program has several missions:

  • to give currently practicing U.S. lawyers a place to hone their skills and deepen their knowledge base on a specific subject.
  • to help licensed lawyers from other countries get to know American law in preparation for passing the Bar in the United States.
  • to provide a focused curriculum for legal scholars who are interested in advancing their knowledge in a specific area of law in order to prepare for the S.J.D./Ph.D. in law and an academic career.

 

Finding the right track

The program is designed to deliver in-depth knowledge in a specific area. During the application process, prospective LL.M. students will be advised by admission counselors regarding their legal areas of interest and will have the opportunity to talk with faculty and students about the different program tracks to ensure that they select the track that best matches their career goals and interests.

Track choices include:

LL.M. courses are taught by Judges, Justices, and an Attorney General...

Our Master of Laws students come from around the world to study with the best our state has to offer. Courses for the LL.M. program have recently been taught by:

  • Justice Steven David, ’82, Indiana Supreme Court
  • Justice Robert D. Rucker, Indiana Supreme Court
  • Judge John G. Baker, Indiana Court of Appeals (former Chief Judge)
  • Greg Zoeller, Indiana Attorney General

As an LL.M. student, you’ll complete a 24-credit program. If you attend on a full-time basis, you can complete your degree in a single year. Foreign students, note that to satisfy visa regulations, you must finish within eighteen months.

However, if you are a domestic student, you have up to three academic years to complete the degree requirements, and can take classes on a part-time or evening basis.

 

The program includes:

  • Area-specific coursework with a wide range of elective options
  • Externships, clinical courses, or pro bono legal service and optional practical training (OPT) opportunities
  • A research component and Master's thesis (optional for the American Law for Foreign Lawyers track)
  • Advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction (the law school will provide a 50% scholarship for these courses, if required)
  • The opportunity to publish your thesis, if in a thesis track, on the ScholarWorks network at Indiana University.  This network makes your research available to lawyers and legal scholars worldwide.

Online options:

IU McKinney offers a substantial and increasing online course catalog, with most courses open to students in the LL.M. degree program. These courses are built and taught with the same attention to excellence in law school pedagogy that students enjoy in live classes.

Program Requirements

Eligibility requirements for the LL.M. program

To gain admission to the LL.M. program at the law school, you must demonstrate a combination of academic achievement, professional accomplishment, and English language competency (although work experience is not required). In addition, you must satisfy one of the following education requirements:

  • Hold a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school in the U.S.
  • Hold a first degree in law or comparable from a university outside of the U.S.
  • Prove that you are licensed to practice outside the U.S. (foreign applicants only)
Language requirements for the LL.M. program

If English is not your first language, you must provide proof of language proficiency by:

  • Earning a composite iBT TOEFL score of at least 81, a composite IELTS score of at least 6.5, or a minimum overall score of 105 on the Duolingo English Test (DET)
  • Official transcript showing satisfactory completion of Level 7, Advanced & Academic English at the Program for Intensive English (PIE) at IU Indianapolis.
  • Successfully completing Intensive English Master Level 112 at any ELS Language Center in the United States
  • Earning a "First Grade" on the national Japanese English Proficiency STEP Exam
  • Having earned a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a college or university in a country designated by the Office of International Affairs as predominantly English-speaking

Qualifying language scores must be less than two years old at the time of application.


For more information or help with the application process, feel free to contact us.


Last Updated: March, 2024.