Harvard University's law school is among the best law schools in New England, the United States and the world as well. Harvard is renowned for its various interdisciplinary degree programs in a variety of disciplines including law. Harvard's law school prepares law students to serve in a wide variety of capacities, from business law to public service. The school serves the educational needs of over 1,900 law students each year. Harvard law students receive top consideration among employers; the school boasts a placement rate of 97.1 percent for students prior to graduation. Aside from the standard Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, Harvard offers the Master of Laws (LL.M.) and the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.). The LL.M. program offers students considerable flexibility, allowing them to design their own degree plan to meet their own career goals. Harvard J.D. students also have the option of pursuing joint-degree programs in conjunction with other schools within the university or through its ongoing partnerships with other Massachusetts schools. Harvard's law program has been ranked No. 2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and top-law-schools.com in 2010 and 2011.
Harvard Law School
1563 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-3109
law.harvard.edu
Yale University's law school is considered by many to be the best in the nation and, by extension, New England. Yale ranked at the top of U.S. News & World Report rankings in 2010 and was likewise ranked at the top of the list by top-law-schools.com. Much smaller in size than Harvard, Yale's program serves the educational needs of just under 700 law students each year. Although the number of students is less than half of those at Harvard, Yale offers the entire spate of law degree programs that are offered at Harvard. At the master's degree level, Yale offers a Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.) degree in addition to the LL.M. This is a program offered to those who are not lawyers, but want to pursue the possible relationship between their vocation and the legal system. Yale offers one of the widest varieties of joint-degree programs as well, allowing students to study disciplines like medicine or religion in conjunction with their legal studies.
Yale Law School
P.O. Box 208215
New Haven, CT 06520
203-432-4995
law.yale.edu
Boston University's (BU) law school is considered by many to be the third best among New England's law schools. On the national scale, BU ranked No. 22 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for 2010. The school ranked in the top 10 for specific disciplines like intellectual property law and health law. LL.M. programs offered by BU include studies in taxation, banking and financial law, international business law and intellectual property. The school also offers a wide variety of joint-degree programs in conjunction with the J.D. degree. Students can pursue additional studies in the fields of European law, law and public health, law and philosophy and law and mass communication, among others.
Boston University
School of Law
765 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
617-353-3100
bu.edu/law