University of Georgia LL.M. Program
The Next Application Deadline is March 16, 2009
The University of Georgia (Master of Laws) LL.M. Program offers a limited number of qualified and highly motivated persons who already hold law degrees the opportunity to pursue an individually fashioned program of course work in areas of law in which they are professionally interested. Except for the Graduate Seminar, LL.M. candidates take courses and seminars open to J.D. students. The LL.M. degree is awarded upon the successful completion of 24 semester hours of academic credit during two consecutive semesters of residency of an academic year. The academic year consists of a fall semester of 15 weeks, beginning in the second half of August, and a spring semester of 15 weeks, commencing in the second half of January.
LL.M. candidates may opt for the All-Courses track in which case their program will consist of course offerings. Alternatively, candidates may elect to follow the LL.M. Essay track, substituting the LLM. Essay for six semester credit hours of courses. LL.M. candidates who opt to prepare the LL.M. Essay have until December 1 of the calendar year in which they completed the required residency to submit their completed and graded work to the law school registrar.
LL.M. candidates who have received their training outside of the United States are expected to expand their knowledge of the American legal system. These students take the two-semester credit Graduate Seminar I in the fall semester. Both American and foreign LL.M. candidates take Graduate Seminar II (one semester credit hour) in the spring semester.
The Course of Study
LL.M. candidates are encouraged not only to take subjects of immediate professional interest but also to expand their understanding of law and legal issues. For foreign LL.M. candidates a possible program of study might include courses in U.S. law (such as constitutional law), in international law, in non-law subjects, and in a basic subject offered to first year J.D. students. The study of contracts, torts or another first year course will help the student to acquire an understanding of common law legal analysis.
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The students are introduced to the University of Georgia during the week before the beginning of classes through the orientation programs sponsored by the Graduate School and other university offices. They then participate in a special law school LL.M. orientation program the day before classes begin.
An important characteristic of the LL.M. program is the flexible approach it offers in fashioning an individual program for each LL.M. candidate. In individual meetings with the director of Graduate Legal Studies, during the law school orientation, each student finalizes his or her own schedule of courses based on the proposed program of study submitted as part of the initial application. Students take ten to fourteen semester credit hours of courses each semester. Other University courses appropriate to the study program of a student may be authorized by the director of Graduate Legal Studies for up to six semester hours of credit.
A Message from the Director
of Graduate Legal Studies
Gabriel M. Wilner
Your interest in the Graduate Legal Studies Program at the University of Georgia School of Law is welcome. The current structure of the LL.M. program, which has been in effect since the 2007-2008 academic year, gives its participants the greatest freedom possible to select among the fields of law in which they will spend a year of specialization. LL.M. students can now also make a choice between a curriculum which emphasizes the classroom and one in which research and writing is more prominent. For participants in the LL.M. program whose legal studies have been accomplished outside the United States, the program offers the added advantage of a substantial introduction to the major subject areas of the law of the United States, including the various aspects of federalism and common law legal method.
We believe that one of the principal attractions of the law school is the friendly and informal interchange between the members of the faculty and both J.D. and LL.M. students. Moreover, the LL.M. students, who come from around the world, have many opportunities to interact among themselves and with the J.D. students, all of whom have studied at various colleges and universities in the United States before entering the School of Law.
Other attractions for LL.M. students include the extensive and efficient physical and technological facilities at the law school, and in particular the law library. Moreover, the relatively small number of LL.M. students makes it possible for the faculty and staff to give each LL.M. student individual assistance and support. I am joined by my colleagues in encouraging qualified law graduates of universities throughout the world to apply for study in the LL.M. program of the University of Georgia School of Law.
Gabriel M. Wilner
Associate Dean
Charles Kirbo Professor of International Law
The Program
The Graduate Seminar
The Graduate Seminar I, required only for all non-United States LL.M. students, focuses on certain aspects of law in the United States, particularly in the context of the American federal system. A number of the law faculty members participate in the Graduate Seminar I. A special segment on legal research and writing in American law is an important component of the Graduate Seminar and is offered to non-U.S. LL.M. candidates throughout the year. Training in the use of research tools, including computerized research is another key element of the legal research and writing program in the fall semester. All non-U.S. LL.M. candidates write a 20-page research paper on a timely issue of American federalism. Graduate Seminar II gives LL.M. students the opportunity to make oral presentations of legal issues in subject areas of particular interest to them, followed by discussion with the other students.
The Legal Writing Requirement
Each LL.M. candidate must prepare either a research paper for a law school seminar or course or a two or three hours credit supervised research paper, under the direction of a member of the law school faculty.
This writing is not required of students who elect to write an LL.M. Essay.
The LL.M. Essay
The LL.M. Essay is a substantial research paper, normally 40 to 60 pages in length, generally meeting standards for publication in a reputable legal journal in the United States. Six semester credit hours of the required twenty-four hours for the LL.M. degree will be given to LL.M. candidates who elect to prepare an LL.M. Essay under the direction of a full-time member of the law school faculty. A student will state his/her intention to prepare an LL.M. Essay as part of the Program of Study in the LL.M. application and will provide a provisional title and a two-paragraph description of the intended work.
The opportunity to prepare an LL.M. Essay will be given only if it is ascertained that a member of the law school faculty possesses sufficient specialized expertise in the subject of the proposed Essay and is willing to direct it. Applicants will be notified whether or not their request to take the LL.M. Essay track has been granted. If the request is not granted, the student will enroll in the LL.M. Program’s All-Courses track.
Training Opportunities
Before returning home, graduate law students are encouraged to take up
training opportunities with law firms and companies in Georgia and
elsewhere in the United States; such practical work complements and
completes the academic training at the law school. The Graduate
Legal Studies program and the School of Law
Office of Legal Career Services
assist LL.M. graduates in their placement searches. It normally is expected
that the international LL.M. students will return to their home
countries upon completion of their LL.M. work.
LL.M. Student Participation
The law school community makes every effort to assist the Graduate
Legal Studies program in welcoming and integrating LL.M. students into
the life of the law school, and they are included in law student
groups, such as the Georgia
Society for International and Comparative Law. LL.M. students also participate in
many official law school activities.
Requirements of the LL.M.
Graduate law students must complete 24 semester hours of credit during two consecutive semesters of residency:
1. All Courses Track for non-U.S. students
Courses-19 hours (combination of 2 and 3 hour courses)
Writing requirement-2 hours
Graduate Seminar I and II - 3 hours
2. LL.M. Essay Track for non-U.S. students
Courses-15 hours (combination of 2 and 3 hour courses)
LL.M. Essay-6 hours
Graduate Seminar I and II - 3 hours
3. All Courses Track for U.S. students
Courses-21 hours (combination of 2 and 3 hour courses)
Writing requirement-2 hours
Graduate Seminar II - 1 hour
4. LL.M. Essay Track for U.S. students
Courses-17 hours (combination of 2 and 3 hour courses)
LL.M. Essay-6 hours
Graduate Seminar II - 1 hour
The degree awarded is LL.M., without reference to specialization, although such specialization may be apparent from the student's study program.
Requisites for Applying for the LL.M.
U.S. law students who wish to pursue the Master of Laws degree must hold an A.B. degree or the equivalent from a law school which is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and which is approved by the American Bar Association.
Students from other countries who wish to apply for the LL.M. must hold a degree equivalent to the J.D. from a recognized law school and must have an academic record and study program acceptable to the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Law. Furthermore, applicants must possess proficiency in English as demonstrated by results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). LL.M. applicants should score at least 100 on the internet-based test (equivalents: 600-computer-based, 250-paper) on the TOEFL to be considered for admission to the program.
Each student's qualifications and record of legal studies must reflect high scholarly aptitude, and the data required in the LL.M. application forms must set forth a well-conceived plan of study and research.
Degree Approval
At the end of the second semester of resident study, the law school will review the LL.M. candidate’s file. Each LL.M. candidate is required to maintain a 2.3(C+) average for all the course work; students who opt for the LL.M. Essay track must receive at least the grade of 3.0 (B) for the Essay. When all requisites are fulfilled, graduation is authorized by the deans of the School of Law and of the Graduate School.
Cost and Financial Assistance
The University of Georgia is a state university which benefits from generous financial support from the people of Georgia. Accordingly, tuition costs are substantially lower than at many comparable institutions. The location of the university in the college town of Athens means that housing, meals, and other costs are lower for students. Information on LL.M. tuition and fees and average living expenses is available from the University of Georgia Graduate School.
Students should investigate sources of fellowship assistance in their own countries and should make timely application for such aid. Certain financial assistance, principally in the form of student assistantships and Tuition Equilization Scholarships (TES), is available to a limited number of the outstanding LL.M. candidates who normally must demonstrate requisite financial need.
LL.M. Application for Admissions
To apply for the 2000-2010 LL.M. program, please visit UGA Graduate Admissions. For supplemental information for
prospective international students, click here.
As part of your on-line application you will be required to submit the following documents directly to the Graduate School:
- TOEFL score, for students educated outside of the U.S.
- Official transcripts and proof of degree with appropriate translations. Please follow this link to learn more about country-specific requirements
- Two (2) copies of the Certificate of Finances form
- $50 application fee
Additionally, the following departmental requirements must be submitted directly to the Graduate Legal Studies department:
- An essay of approximately 500 words which indicates why you wish to attend the LL.M. program at UGA and which track you intend to pursue
- Three (3) letters of recommendation. Please note that on-line recommendations will not be accepted by the Graduate Legal Studies Department
- Program of Study form
- Financial Assistance Request Form
The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status in its programs or activities. The Director of the UGA Equal Opportunity Office at 3 Peabody Hall, Athens, GA 30602 (706-542-7912) has been designated to handle inquiries regarding these non-discrimination policies.