Admission to the University of Manitoba's law school requires that students have completed some college education. In Canada, where legal education more closely resembles the likes of European legal education, it is possible to receive a bachelor's degree in law. Unlike some bachelor's degree programs, however, entry into the law program at the University of Manitoba requires "advanced entry" rather than "direct entry." Advanced entry means that students enter the law program from within the university system after completing prerequisite coursework, exams and after being selected by the law school's admissions committee. Direct entry degree programs are programs that students can elect to follow based only on the fact that they have been admitted to the university. The law school does accept transfer students and does allow for advanced standing for those already holding a bachelor's degree in law. This means that these students can, once accepted, matriculate directly into the graduate law program. In order to apply for the program, all students must submit an application fee, transcripts, LSAT scores (Law School Admission Test) and any other required documentation if they are foreign students.
The legal right to practice law in Canada differs somewhat from legal practice in the United States. In the U.S., students complete the J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree and then complete a bar exam that allows them to legally practice law. In Canada, students must complete a master's degree or higher and then receive hands-on training while working under the supervision of a province's law society, until which time they are recognized as competent to practice law. For this reason, the University of Manitoba offers both a bachelor's degree (LL.B.) and master's degree (LL.M.) in the field. Bachelor's degree courses include studies in a wide variety of fields such as contract law, criminal law and procedure and commercial law. The master's degree program is a research-oriented program that requires a 90 to 120 page thesis on a topic approved by the law faculty. Students must also complete two courses relevant to their research topic as well as the "Graduate Legal Research and Theory course."
The cost of attending law school at the University of Manitoba as of the 2010-2011 academic school year was $9,500 in terms of tuition fees. The estimated cost of books was $3,000 and living expense costs were between $10,700 and $19,200. The total estimated cost of attendance for the law school was between $23,200 and $31,700.