LLM degree programs typically accept only applicants who have already completed a professional law degree, such as a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Some programs require applicants to pass the bar exam as well. Applicants to LLM degree programs also must submit academic transcripts, letters of recommendation and essays or personal statements.
Most LLM degree programs require one year of full-time study to complete. Some schools also offer part-time LLM programs that require two or more years to complete. Northwestern University Law School offers a part-time LLM degree program in taxation for working professionals and practicing attorneys. Tulane University Law School offers part-time LLM degree programs in admiralty and energy and environment. NYU Law School offers a part-time, online LLM degree program in taxation.
You can earn an LLM degree with a specialization in a variety of legal fields. Different schools offer LLM degree programs with different specializations. The UCLA School of Law, for example, offers LLM degrees with specializations in international and comparative law, entertainment and media law, business law, securities regulation, bankruptcy and tax law. Stanford Law School offers LLM degrees in three fields of specialization: corporate governance and practice; law, science and technology and international economic law, business and policy.
Many law schools, such as the Duke University Law School and the Wake Forest University School of Law, offer LLM degree programs for international students. These programs, often referred to as LLM degrees in American Law, offer foreign students a comprehensive introduction to the United States legal system and prepare them for careers within this country. These programs typically require applicants to have completed an advanced law degree equivalent to the JD.
Many of the nation's top law schools offer LLM degree programs, including Yale University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, the University of Chicago and New York University. Many institutions outside the United States also offer LLM degree programs, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.