نظرة عامة على البرنامج

Law (LL.M.) Program

The Law (LL.M.) program at Wayne State University is designed for lawyers who have already received a J.D. degree from an accredited U.S. law school or an equivalent degree in another country. The program offers advanced legal studies, allowing students to specialize in a particular area of law.

Overview

The LL.M. program is open to domestic and international students seeking specialized legal knowledge and skills. The program provides an opportunity for students to undertake advanced legal studies and earn a master of laws (LL.M.) degree.

Majors

The LL.M. program offers majors in the following substantive law areas:

• Corporate and finance law
• Labor and employment law
• Taxation
• U.S. law (open to international students who seek a general understanding of the U.S. legal system to enhance their home country practice)

Admission Requirements

The basic requirement for admission to the LL.M. program is a demonstration of sufficient ability to be a successful student. This ability may be demonstrated by a record that includes:

1. A J.D. (or LL.B.) degree from a law school that is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
2. A J.D. (or LL.B.) degree from a law school that is approved by the American Bar Association but is not a member of the Association of American Law Schools, but only if the applicant has compiled a distinguished academic record at that law school.
3. The equivalent of a J.D. or LL.B. degree from a law school outside the United States at which the applicant compiled a distinguished academic record. Applicants must receive a score of 600 or above on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or 250 or above on the computer-based TOEFL, or 100 or above on the internet-based TOEFL, or 7.0 or above on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, although a waiver of this requirement may be granted based on other evidence of English language competency.
4. In extraordinary cases, the Graduate Committee, on the recommendation of the director of graduate studies, may admit to the LL.M. degree program an applicant who has graduated from a United States law school that is not approved by the American Bar Association if the applicant has been admitted to practice without limitation in one of the states of the United States and has clearly demonstrated by experience, academic performance, and other qualifications the ability to perform well in the LL.M. program.

Degree Requirements

The requirements and expectations for the LL.M. degree are set forth in the Master of Laws Academic Regulations. The LL.M. curriculum includes day and evening courses taught by nationally recognized faculty and expert practitioners. Each LL.M. major requires that a student take specified core courses and allows a student to select electives from a large list of law courses approved for credit toward that particular major. In addition, LL.M. students majoring in one of the substantive law areas may select electives from among approved courses for their majors in other university departments or schools, such as business, finance, and industrial relations.

Course Scheduling

Courses are offered during three terms, with the broadest offerings in the fall semester and winter semester. Additional courses are offered in the summer/spring term. Course scheduling changes from year to year depending on faculty teaching commitments, but tentative schedules for two-year cycles are available so that students can plan their pathways to the degree.

Completion of the Degree

LL.M. students are permitted to take up to six years to complete their degree. Full-time students usually can complete their LL.M. coursework in one year, while part-time study generally requires two or more years.