LL.M. degree at Wayne Law

Lawyers who already have received a J.D. degree from an accredited U.S. law school or an equivalent degree in another country and satisfy Wayne Law's LL.M. admissions criteria are eligible to undertake advanced legal studies for a master of laws (LL.M.) degree at Wayne Law.

Majors

Domestic and international students seeking specialized legal knowledge and skills may undertake an LL.M. degree with a major in one of the following substantive law areas:

International students who seek a general understanding of the U.S. legal system to enhance their home country practice may undertake an LL.M. degree with a major in U.S. Law.

Degree requirements, courses, scheduling

The requirements and expectations for the LL.M. degree are set forth in the Master of Laws Academic Regulations, which should be read in conjunction with the Wayne Law Academic Regulations.

The Law School is in the process of revising the LL.M. Academic Regulations and related List of Approved Courses. LL.M. students should be aware that Wayne State University Graduate School requirements mandate that the minimum cumulative GPA required to attain an LL.M. degree from the Law School is 3.00 (without rounding). All LL.M. students should review graduation requirements with the Law School's director of graduate studies.

The LL.M. curriculum includes day and evening courses taught by nationally recognized faculty and expert practitioners. Each LL.M. major requires that a student take specified core courses and allows a student to select electives from a large list of law courses approved for credit toward that particular major. In addition, LL.M. students majoring in one of the substantive law areas may select electives from among approved courses for their majors in other university departments or schools, such as business, finance and industrial relations. (Certain restrictions apply if equivalent courses are offered in the Law School in the same academic year.) LL.M. students other than those majoring in U.S. Law also must complete a master's thesis, written and researched in collaboration with a faculty adviser, as the capstone of their studies.

Courses are offered during three terms with the broadest offerings in the fall semester (beginning in late August) and winter semester (beginning in January). Additional courses are offered in the summer/spring term (beginning in mid-May). Course scheduling changes from year to year depending on faculty teaching commitments, but tentative schedules for two-year cycles are available on the website so that students can plan their pathways to the degree. Students should consult with the LL.M. program director and faculty in their major areas to determine reasonable schedules of courses.

Although students may initiate their LL.M. degree studies in the winter semester, students are encouraged to enroll in the fall semester so they can participate in the fall orientation program for new students (generally offered in the week prior to the commencement of the fall semester) and register for core courses (such as Taxation for tax majors, Corporations for corporate/finance majors or Survey of U.S. Law for U.S. law majors) that may not be offered in the winter semester and are often prerequisites for more advanced study.

LL.M. students are permitted to take up to six years to complete their degree. Full-time students usually can complete their LL.M. coursework in one year (often including work on the master's thesis over the summer), while part-time study generally requires two or more years.