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On behalf of our Graduate Studies Committee, I welcome you to this section of the Law School’s web page describing our LL.M. Program. The Committee has provided extensive information here about the Program and the application process. We believe that if you will take the time to read this material carefully most of your questions will be answered. The section on Frequently Asked Questions may be especially useful. If you do have questions after reviewing this material, please feel free to write me directly. Any messages you send to me will eventually be included with your application material if you do decide to apply to Chicago.

Richard Badger, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, rbadger@uchicago.edu

The Law School offers two graduate degrees at the masters level: Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Master of Comparative Law (M.Comp.L.) While most students elect to receive the LL.M. the M.Comp.L. will be awarded at the student's option if the same degree requirements are met.

The LL.M. Program is limited to students who have already met at least one of the following requirements: (1) obtained a J.D. degree from an A.B.A. approved law school in the United States; (2) completed in a foreign country the academic (university based) legal education required to take the bar examination in that country or (3) be qualified to practice law (admitted to the bar) in a foreign country. Candidates may apply to the LL.M. Program even though they have not yet met any of these requirements but at least one of the requirements must be satisfied by the time the candidate enrolls in the Law School in September.

Unlike a number of other law schools, the University of Chicago does not offer specialized graduate degree programs with a large number of graduate courses in a particular field such as taxation or securities regulation. There are no specific courses which LL.M. students are required to take at Chicago, nor are there courses they may not take. This means that students have the flexibility to create their own programs. LL.M. students often put together course and seminar schedules that reflect certain practice specialties such as corporate/securities, intellectual property, antitrust/regulation of business or commercial transactions among others. Most, however, also add other offerings in areas like constitutional law, legal theory, law economics and comparative law to round out their academic experience. Other than an optional LL.M. writing course, there are no courses in the curriculum just for LL.M. students; LL.M. students will have all of their classes with students in the J.D. program.

The LL.M. degree is awarded to students who have successfully completed 27 course hours (generally nine courses) over three quarters while maintaining a grade point average of 170.

For a full description of what the LL.M. Program has to offer, please go to The Chicago LL.M. Experience .

Those who wish to apply to the LL.M. Program for the - academic year should go to the Admissions Process and Application Materials. Please note: all of the LL.M. Program materials are only available on this Web page. We do not send out any printed brochures or applications.