LLM in International Human Rights Law Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

The IU McKinney Masters of Law (LL.M.) program has several missions

• to give currently practicing U.S. lawyers a place to hone their skills and deepen their knowledge base on a specific subject.
• to help licensed lawyers from other countries get to know American law in preparation for passing the Bar in the United States.
• to provide a focused curriculum for legal scholars who are interested in advancing their knowledge in a specific area of law in order to prepare for the S.J.D./Ph.D. in law and an academic career.

LL.M. courses are taught by Judges, Justices, and an Attorney General

Our Master of Laws students come from around the world to study with the best our state has to offer. Courses for the LL.M. program have recently been taught by:

• Justice Steven David, ’82, Indiana Supreme Court
• Justice Robert D. Rucker, Indiana Supreme Court
• Judge John G. Baker, Indiana Court of Appeals (former Chief Judge)
• Greg Zoeller, Indiana Attorney General

As an LL.M. student, you’ll complete a 24-credit program. If you attend on a full-time basis, you can complete your degree in a single year. Foreign students, note that to satisfy visa regulations, you must finish within eighteen months.

However, if you are a domestic student, you have up to three academic years to complete the degree requirements, and can take classes on a part-time or evening basis.

The program includes

• Area-specific coursework with a wide range of elective options
• Externships, clinical courses, or pro bono legal service and optional practical training (OPT) opportunities
• A research component and Master's thesis (optional for the American Law for Foreign Lawyers track)
• Advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction (the law school will provide a 50% scholarship for these courses if required)
• The opportunity to publish your thesis, if in a thesis track, on the ScholarWorks network at Indiana University. This network makes your research available to lawyers and legal scholars worldwide.

International Human Rights Law track

If you are a law school graduate or lawyer from the U.S. or abroad, the IU McKinney International Human Rights Law LL.M. Track will help you expand your understanding of international human rights law and prepare you to apply your knowledge in professional settings. You will:

• Develop the skills of legal research, analysis, and communication that are essential to understanding and applying human rights law in the transnational legal environment;
• Have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in international human rights law, including investigation and advocacy on human rights issues and access to internships with international human rights agencies and non-governmental organizations;
• Employ a problems-based approach to reviewing international human rights instruments and the United Nations and regional systems for the promotion and protection of human rights;
• Learn the concepts and principles of public international law, including the law of treaties, state liability and human rights, and jurisdiction and immunities from the jurisdiction;
• Earn a degree that will help you pursue employment with international human rights agencies, national government agencies, and non-governmental organizations;
• Begin a path toward an academic career in the field of human rights.

Curriculum

Required courses for international students (6 credits required)

• Contract Law for LL.M. Students (2 credits) or Tort Law for LL.M. Students (2 credits)
• Introduction to the American Legal System (2 credits)
• Legal Research for LL.M. Students (1 credit)
• LL.M. Legal Writing Analysis I (1 credit)

Recommended courses for international students

• Contract Drafting for LL.M. Students (2 credits)
• LL.M. Legal Writing and Analysis II (1 credit)
• U.S. Constitutional Law for LL.M. Students (2 credits)

International Human Rights courses (12 credits required)

Required (6 credits)

• International Human Rights Law (3 credits)
• International Law (3 credits)

Elective

• Civil Rights (2 or 3 credits)
• Comparative Constitutional Law (2 or 3 credits)
• Comparative Law (3 credits)
• Counter-terrorism and Intelligence (3 credits)
• Domestic Violence and the Law (2 or 3 credits)
• Environmental Justice (3 credits)
• European Union Law Foundations (2 or 3 credits)
• Health and Human Rights (2 credits)
• Health and Human Rights Clinic (3 credits)
• Illicit International Markets (2 or 3 credits)
• Immigration Law and Procedure (2 or 3 credits)
• Information Privacy Law (3 credits)
• International & Comparative Family Law (2 or 3 credits)
• International Environmental Law (2 or 3 credits)
• International Criminal Law (2 or 3 credits)
• Islamic Law (2 credits)
• Leadership and Law (2 or 3 credits)
• Race and the Law (2 or 3 credits)
• Sex Discrimination (3 credits)
• Transnational Corporations and Human Rights (2 credits)
• U.S. Constitutional Law for LL.M. Students (2 credits)
• World Trade Organization Law (3 credits)
• Track Director-Approved Externship, Clinic, or Advanced Course Related Experience in International Human Rights Law
• LL.M. Thesis (2 -4 credits)
• LLM. Thesis Organization (0 credits)

Other courses as approved by the track director. Students may be approved to take 1 first-year J.D. course (permission required)

Online options

IU McKinney offers a substantial and increasing online course catalog, with most courses open to students in the LL.M. degree program. LL.M. students may earn nearly 50% of their required credit hours online (up to 11 credit hours). These courses are built, and taught, with the same attention to excellence in law school pedagogy that students enjoy in live classes.