Academic Calendar

Course Descriptions

Law Faculty

Degree Requirements

The LLM in United States Legal Studies program is designed to benefit both foreign-educated and domestic lawyers and law graduates.

To earn the LLM in United States Legal Studies degree, students must complete 24 units. Classes are offered during the day as well as during the evening to accommodate working professionals. Students may attend full-time and complete the program in as few as two semesters. Alternatively, students may attend part-time. All students must finish the degree requirements within three years of matriculation.

LLM students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale each semester. Students in the LLM program in US Legal Studies are graded according to the same grading scale as JD students. The grade scale is:

Scale
Grades	A	A-	B	B-	C	C-	D	F
Points	4.0	3.5	3.0	2.5	2.0	1.5	1.0	0

A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 is required to complete the program. Students who complete the program with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above graduate with honors. Lawyers and law graduates from other nations must take the required courses listed below. Since the LLM program is flexible and designed to help students meet individual goals, JD graduates of ABA- or California-accredited law schools may waive required courses with the program director's permission. Students choosing a concentration must satisfy the concentration requirements.

Required Courses
Introduction to the US Legal System (3 units)
Graduate Legal Writing and Research OR Writing and Research I (2 units)
Directed Study, Thesis, Curricular Practical Training, or Clinic (1-3 units)

The remaining units may be taken in a concentration or in an individually designed program. Students may choose any course offered in the law school, or up to 6 units from partner schools in the Bay Area Consortium.

Find out more about the Areas of Concentration for LLM in US Legal Studies students.

Click here for descriptions of courses in the LLM in US Legal Studies curriculum. Many international students work in paid law-related positions while in school and for a year after graduation. To qualify for clerk positions in law firms, public interest agencies, and nongovernmental organizations, students must have a basic grasp of US law and research methods. Courses, research fellowships, and clinical programs offered through the LLM in US Legal Studies program prepare international students for work in US legal settings.