IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Admission
LL.M. Admissions
The LL.M. degree is designed to deliver in-depth knowledge in a specific area and can help you to take the next step in your career after you have earned a J.D.
The LL.M. degree is designed to deliver in-depth knowledge in a specific area, such as
- American Law for Foreign Lawyers
- Corporate and Commercial Law
- Health Law, Policy, and Bioethics
- Intellectual Property Law
- International and Comparative Law
- International Human Rights Law
We have found that students often enter the program unsure of which track is best for them, so you will be admitted into the LL.M. program and not a specific track of study. When you arrive for orientation, you will have the chance to talk with faculty, staff, and students about the LL.M. program and the different tracks, and then your academic advisor will help you to decide which track best fits your career goals and interests.
LL.M. Courses 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
The LL.M. program has several purposes:
- it gives currently practicing U.S. lawyers a place to hone their skills and deepen their knowledge base on a specific subject.
- it helps licensed lawyers from other countries get to know American law in preparation for passing the Bar in the United States.
- it provides 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.
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 LL.M. 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.
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, or a composite IELTS score of at least 6.5
- Official transcript showing satisfactory completion of Level 7, Advanced & Academic English at the Program for Intensive English (PIE) at IUPUI
- 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: http://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/admissions/llm/contact-llm.html
Last Updated: April, 2018.
