For more than 75 years, Tulane Law's Master of Laws (LLM) program has offered students from across the globe a unique and valuable opportunity to pursue advanced legal education.
Candidates for the Master of Laws degree must complete 24 semester hours of coursework. Full-time students are expected to complete the LLM in two semesters (one academic year). LLM students must also write at least one paper in connection with a seminar in their field of interest or in connection with a directed research project.
LLM Students who received a JD or LLB (or equivalent) from a school located outside of the United States must enroll in a three-week summer orientation course, Introduction to US Law. International students must also complete and pass a legal research and writing course.
Candidates for all Master's degrees must satisfy the following requirements:
Satisfactory completion of 24 credits of coursework at the Law School. "Satisfactory completion" is defined under Academic Standards in the Student Handbook. All 24 credits of coursework must be completed at Tulane Law School, but up to 3 credits may be completed in a Tulane Law School summer abroad program. No transfer credit for work completed at other law schools can be granted toward the LLM degrees at Tulane Law School.
Full-time students must complete between 10 and 12 credits of coursework in each of two consecutive fall and spring semesters, except with special permission. Part-time students must complete between 4 and 7 credits of coursework each semester, completing all degree requirements in four semesters, with the option of attending one Tulane Law School summer session in New Orleans for up to 3 credits of coursework.
Students are required to write papers for at least three but not more than nine credits of coursework, in courses requiring or permitting completion of a paper in lieu of an exam. Directed research credit falls in this category and may be substituted for up to three credits of the writing requirement. Students may not receive credit for directed research beyond the nine-credit writing credit maximum. The course Legal Research & Writing for International Graduate Students may not be counted toward the writing requirement.
All master's degree candidates who have received the first law degree from a school outside the 50 United States must enroll in Introduction to American Law (2 credits) and Legal Research & Writing for International Graduate Students (1 or 2 credits), in addition to any specific degree requirements. Because the Introduction to American Law course is offered only in the summer immediately preceding the start of the fall semester, all LLM candidates whose first law degrees are from schools outside the 50 United States must arrive at Tulane by late July.
Clinical programs and the Trial Advocacy course are not open to graduate students.
Students in the full-time graduate studies programs must be enrolled as full-time students at the Law School for one academic year (i.e., two full-time semesters). A full-time semester is defined as enrollment in 10 or more credits of coursework. Students may not pursue degrees in absentia.
LLM candidates may pursue one of the following degree programs:
Coursework
Candidates for the Master of Laws degree must complete 24 semester hours of coursework. Full-time students are expected to complete the LLM in two semesters (one academic year). LLM students must also write at least one paper in connection with a seminar in their field of interest or in connection with a directed research project.
LLM Students who received a JD or LLB (or equivalent) from a school located outside of the United States must enroll in a three-week summer orientation course, Introduction to US Law. International students must also complete and pass a legal research and writing course.
Candidates for all Master's degrees must satisfy the following requirements:
Satisfactory completion of 24 credits of coursework at the Law School. "Satisfactory completion" is defined under Academic Standards in the Student Handbook. All 24 credits of coursework must be completed at Tulane Law School, but up to 3 credits may be completed in a Tulane Law School summer abroad program. No transfer credit for work completed at other law schools can be granted toward the LLM degrees at Tulane Law School.
Full-time students must complete between 10 and 12 credits of coursework in each of two consecutive fall and spring semesters, except with special permission. Part-time students must complete between 4 and 7 credits of coursework each semester, completing all degree requirements in four semesters, with the option of attending one Tulane Law School summer session in New Orleans for up to 3 credits of coursework.
Students are required to write papers for at least three but not more than nine credits of coursework, in courses requiring or permitting completion of a paper in lieu of an exam. Directed research credit falls in this category and may be substituted for up to three credits of the writing requirement. Students may not receive credit for directed research beyond the nine-credit writing credit maximum. The course Legal Research & Writing for International Graduate Students may not be counted toward the writing requirement.
All master's degree candidates who have received the first law degree from a school outside the 50 United States must enroll in Introduction to American Law (2 credits) and Legal Research & Writing for International Graduate Students (1 or 2 credits), in addition to any specific degree requirements. Because the Introduction to American Law course is offered only in the summer immediately preceding the start of the fall semester, all LLM candidates whose first law degrees are from schools outside the 50 United States must arrive at Tulane by late July.
Clinical programs and the Trial Advocacy course are not open to graduate students.
Students in the full-time graduate studies programs must be enrolled as full-time students at the Law School for one academic year (i.e., two full-time semesters). A full-time semester is defined as enrollment in 10 or more credits of coursework. Students may not pursue degrees in absentia.
Length of Study
All LLM programs are offered on a full-time and part-time basis. Full-time students are expected to complete the LLM in two semesters, or one academic year. Due to student visa requirements, many international students are required to enroll on a full-time basis. Attorneys in full-time practice in the New Orleans area have an exclusive option to enroll in the part-time program toward the LLM in Admiralty. All part-time LLM students must complete the program in four consecutive (non-summer) semesters.
Residency Requirements
All international LLM students begin the Introduction to US Law course in mid-July and proceed directly into the fall semester, which begins in late August and concludes at the beginning of December; fall-semester exams take place in December before the winter break. The spring semester begins in mid-January and concludes in late April, followed by spring-semester exams. Commencement ceremonies and conferral of degrees take place in May.
Summer Abroad Option
Tulane LLM students admitted to any of our full-time programs may begin the LLM program in the summer by attending one of Tulane’s summer abroad programs. Up to 3 of the 24 credits required for the LLM program may be completed in a Summer Abroad Program. Tuition is included in the academic year costs, leaving students who proceed immediately into the LLM program responsible only for their living expenses during the summer abroad program. International students must arrive in New Orleans by the start of the Introduction to US Law course in mid-July.