Master of Laws (LLM) Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Choose your interest, build your specialization

As an Indiana Law graduate student, in addition to earning a general LLM, you can choose from several specialized areas of study that suit your interests and career goals. Many students select from more than 80 courses in the six areas of specialization shown here, but the list is not exhaustive. Your academic advisor will help you select the courses that are right for you. Twelve credits are required to complete a specialization. Two courses — Introduction to American Law and Legal Discourse and Writing — are required for an LLM.

• Business and commercial law
  From accounting to white-collar crime, we have a wide variety of courses to prepare you for the global business environment
• Information privacy and cybersecurity law
  Indiana Law's faculty includes some of the world's leading experts in these areas, including a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
• Information privacy and cybersecurity law
  Indiana Law's faculty includes some of the world's leading experts in these areas, including a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
• Intellectual property law
  The Law School's top-25 IP program offers you a full range of courses in copyright, patent, and trademark law, including international IP law
• International & comparative law; globalization
  IU is one of the world's great global research institutions. The Law School alone offers more than 20 courses in this field.
• LLM in American law
  A broad range of courses that prepare you for the bar exam in the United States and provide an overview of American law

Earn your LLM while getting hands-on experience

Many international students want to gain some practical experience in the US legal system while they're earning their LLM degree. The Maurer School of Law's new LAW (learning and working) LLM program does just that.

The LAW program gives you hands-on, real-life experience while you're studying the law. Depending on your interests and qualifications (including visa status), you could earn law school credit by participating in unpaid experiential opportunities, such as:

• A semester-long clinical course in one of the school's legal clinics, which help real clients with legal problems, from family law to business issues to intellectual property matters;
• A research assistantship with a member of the Law School faculty, where you'll assist a professor with research on a variety of cutting-edge topics on the forefront of legal scholarship;
• The opportunity to complete job shadowing and informational interviews with local attorneys, nonprofit organizations, or judges, which will help you develop your understanding of the legal practice and build your professional network.

The LAW program is among the first of its kind anywhere in the United States, and it's backed by the Maurer School of Law's LLM program, which brings more than a century of experience to the classroom.

Why choose Indiana Law?

As a highly qualified legal scholar, you have many options for graduate studies. Our superb faculty, community support, and great location make Indiana Law a wise choice.

The approach to the study of law is different from that of other countries. An Indiana Law LLM student explains how in this video.

Your key to global success

Globalization is affecting almost every area of law. An international graduate degree from Indiana Law is your key to success in this new and rapidly changing world. Here are some of the reasons why:

World-renowned faculty and programs

Our LLM program is more than 100 years old — one of the oldest in the US. Our tradition and experience combine with the expertise and global prestige of our facultymembers to bring you a first-rate educational experience — for thousands of dollars less than at other universities.

Flexibility, support, and opportunity

The Law School has a six-person staff dedicated to international graduate students and programs. Students also enjoy excellent support from the university office of International Services. These offices are at your service for assistance with visas, housing, and other ways to make your stay in Bloomington more comfortable. Indiana Law graduate students benefit from the support of a six-person Office of Graduate Legal Studies and International Programs. This office is the home away from home for international students while they are in law school.

Some of the many ways in which we help you are:

• Teaching assistants to explain and clarify class assignments
• International peer group advisors– JD student peers who help you settle into Bloomington and get acclimated to law school life
• Specialized courses in legal discourse and writing, and an introductory course in American law for foreign lawyers
• An optional intensive course in legal Englishoffered the summer before the fall semester
• A professional development series that helps prepare you for the job market, both in the United States and in your home country
• Assistance in finding internships while you're in the US
• One-on-one academic advising and bar exam application and preparation
• If you're an aspiring academic, special programming to help you prepare for the profession, including the doctoral colloquium, a course on scholarly legal writing, and course development and teaching workshops
• Help with visa issues, integration into US culture, and other personal matters that may arise during your stay

You'll also have the benefit of Indiana University's global engagement. IU is one of the nation's leading public research universities, with a major commitment to a place on the world's stage. IU's new School of Global and International Studies brings together a distinguished community of scholars, students, staff, and alumni united by a common commitment to meet the global challenges of the 21st century with world-shaping ideas and world-altering graduates. Indiana University'sGlobal Gatewaysin China, Europe, India, and Mexico connect the IU community with resources that make international programs, projects, and other activities possible.

Beautiful Bloomington

You already know that law school can be difficult and often time-consuming. So why spend your graduate school year in a crowded urban area, juggling metro passes, dodging traffic, and paying high rent? In Bloomington, you’ll find a more relaxed pace — a college town focused on students, but with the amenities, sophistication, and fun of a large city. Everything you need is within reach in Bloomington, so you can bike to campus and shopping or take advantage of free bus service, and focus on what’s really important!

Master of Laws (LLM)

The LL.M. program is designed for international students with a first degree in law. The program requires at least two semesters of full-time study in residence. In addition to the traditional LLM, degree options include an LLM with a Thesis, for students interested in academic legal writing, and a number of LLM Specializations, for students interested in a specific area of law.

Traditional LLM Degree

Graduate students are admitted for at least two semesters in residence, leading to the degree of Master of Laws (LLM). To qualify for the LLM degree, students must:

• Complete at least 24 hours of course credit;
• Complete one academic year in residence in the Law School;
• Complete B504 Introduction to American Law for 2 credits and B530 Legal Discourse and Writing for 2 credits;
• Carry no fewer than 8 hours of course credit per semester;
• Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0; and
• Complete the degree requirements in no more than three consecutive semesters.

Applicants who will have received a J.D. degree from an American law school prior to matriculation in the LLM program at Indiana University may not earn an LLM degree without a thesis and may be subject to alternative requirements.

LLM with Thesis Degree

LLM students who want experience in academic legal writing and plan to continue on to an SJD or Ph.D. program may be interested in the LLM with a Thesis degree. LLM with Thesis students must complete the following requirements:

• Complete at least 24 total hours of course credit;
• Complete 6 hours of B706 Independent Research credits for the thesis;
• Complete one academic year in residence in the Law School;
• Complete B504 Introduction to American Law for 2 credits, B530 Legal Discourse and Writing for 2 credits, and B560 Academic Legal Writing for 1 credit;
• Carry no fewer than 8 hours of course credit per semester, except in the last semester;
• Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0; and
• Complete the degree requirements in no more than four consecutive semesters.

Other LLM Options

• Summer Programs for Graduate Students
  LLM applicants who need to improve their English and legal English skills prior to starting a graduate program may be admitted to our Summer Start Program, which begins in June each year.
• LLM to JD credit transfer option
  The Law School has a process that enables our LLM students to apply to transfer to the JD program. Students may nominate themselves to take part in the selection process, or faculty members may also nominate students with outstanding performance in their classes. Students who apply to the JD degree program may be able to count some LLM credits toward the JD degree, which will enable them to enter the JD program with advanced standing.
• Spring Start LLM Admission
  In addition to the traditional two-semester LLM program starting in the fall, students may elect to start the program in the spring semester (January). Spring start LLM students may complete their degrees in two semesters, or they can choose to complete the degree requirements at a slower pace, taking three semesters. The spring start LLM admission may be required for students taking classes in the Intensive English Program in the fall semester.