Introduction
The LL.M. program at Penn State Dickinson Law gives students and lawyers trained outside of the U.S. a high-level understanding of the American legal system. The program’s foundational courses introduce you to our unique analytic methodologies.
To ensure that we can provide hands-on training for our students, Dickinson Law admits its LL.M. cohort on a highly selective basis. The LL.M. program's intentionally small class size ensures that students receive focused attention from faculty, guarantees ample opportunities to learn in practice settings, and fulfills the law school’s promise to best position its students to secure employment in a competitive marketplace.
The LL.M. program is a one academic year course of study of at least 24 credits. Students must enroll in at least 12 credits per semester and in no more than 17 credits per semester. The program’s foundational courses introduce you to the unique analytic methodologies of the U.S. legal system. Students then may choose courses from our “The Lawyer As …” curriculum divided by specialized fields of study, and create personalized tracks based on areas of interest.
LL.M. students may enroll in a rich array of courses offered in the law school curriculum, including a focused course of study in one of the specialized fields below:
Arbitration, Mediation, and Negotiation
Business Law
Constitutional and Administrative Law
Criminal Law and Procedure
Cyber Law, Data Privacy & Information Security
Elder Law
Health Law and Policy
Intellectual Property & Innovation
International Trial Advocacy
Security Law
Public Interest Law
Tax law
Trial Advocacy and Litigation
LL.M. Degree Requirements
To earn the LL.M. degree, students must earn a minimum of 24 credits, and complete with a passing grade the following courses:
LL.M. Legal Research (1 credit)
LL.M. Legal Writing and Analysis (2 credits)
Introduction to the United States Legal System (2 credits)
In addition, students must enroll in one course from the following list:
Civil Procedure
Constitutional Law I
Contracts
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Property
Torts
The academic deans may waive any of the course requirements where students have satisfactorily completed equivalent courses at another U.S. law program or in a common-law country.
LL.M. Elective Courses and Concentrations
To complete the degree requirements, LL.M. students may enroll in a rich array of courses offered in the law school curriculum, including a focused course of study in one of the specialized fields below:
Arbitration, Mediation, and Negotiation
Business Law
Constitutional and Administrative Law
Criminal Law and Procedure
Cyber Law, Data Privacy, and Information Security
Elder Law
Health Law and Policy
Intellectual Property and Innovation
International Trial Advocacy
Public Interest Law
Security Law
Tax Law
Trial Advocacy and Litigation
LL.M. Graduate Level Courses
With the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, LL.M. students may enroll in courses offered in other Penn State graduate programs, including but not limited to the University’s Master of Public Administration and Master of Business Administration degree programs (offered at Penn State Harrisburg), and the University’s World Campus.
LL.M. Independent Study and Experiential Learning
LL.M. students may take independent study courses for up to 3 credits in any one semester, and no more than a total of 4 credits during the two semesters of the LL.M. program.
Students in the LL.M. program may take a range of experiential skills courses.
Advanced Appellate Advocacy
Advocacy I
Advocacy II
Client Counseling
Death Penalty Practice
Drafting Transactional, Legislative, and Client Documents
Entrepreneurship Law: Company Creation
Entrepreneurship Law: Operational Issues
Health Law: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Negotiation/Mediation
Real Estate Negotiation and Drafting
Strategic Legal Research
With the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, LL.M. students may also enroll in pro bono experiential learning courses offered at the law school (usually as part of the third-semester option in the program). LL.M. students who are eligible for Curricular Practical Training or have work authorization in the U.S. may also enroll in internship programs.
LL.M. Third Semester Option
LL.M. students may apply to stay for the third semester of legal study with the intent of completing an experiential learning program or preparing for a U.S. bar exam.
Transfer to the J.D. Program
Candidates for the LL.M. degree may seek to transfer to the J.D. program. Criteria for transferring to the J.D. program are set by the associate dean for admissions and associate dean of academic affairs. Important factors are excellent English language skills and strong performance in classes taken at the Law School. For more information, review the LL.M. Academic Policies.
