JD/LLM International Studies

*Please note: degrees may not be offered every year*

Birkbeck College, University of London

• LLM in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice
• LLM in Human Rights
• LLM in Law and Political Justice
• MRes (Masters in Research in Law)
   

City University of Hong Kong

• LLM in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution
• LLM in Chinese and Comparative Law
• LLM in International Economic Law
• LLM in Maritime and Transportation Law
• LLM (General) 
   

University of Edinburgh

• LLM in Commercial Law
• LLM in European Law
• LLM in Innovation, Technology and the Law
• LLM in International Law
• LLM in Law
• LLM (R) in History and Philosophy of Law
   

University of Leiden

• LLM in European Law (click on "Specialisations")
• LLM in Public International Law (click on "Specialisations")
• LLM (Adv.) in Air and Space Law
• LLM (Adv.) in European and International Business Law
• LLM (Adv.) in International Tax Law
• LLM (Adv.) in Public International Law
   

National University of Singapore

• LLM in Asian Legal Studies
• LLM in International Business Law  (in Shanghai, China and Singapore)
• LLM in Corporate and Financial Services Law
   

Prerequisites

To be eligible to apply for any of the JD/LLM programs, a student must:

• have successfully completed all first-year courses
• meet the specific Villanova Law cumulative GPA required by the host school abroad
• have completed the first three semesters of law study at Villanova Law
• have completed all Villanova Law-required upper-level courses by the end of the fourth semester of law school, specifically:
  • Constitutional Law II - 3 credits
  • Legal Profession - 3 credits
  • Research Paper course - 2 to 3 credits
  • Practical Writing course - 2 credits
  • Legal Writing III - 2 credits
  • Externship (at least 6 credits)
  • 1L and 2L Modules
  • 2L Professional Development (JD/LLM students are exempt from the 3L Professional Development course requirement)

Degree Requirements

To obtain the Villanova Law JD and host school LLM degrees, a student must complete all Graduation Requirements, including:

• 34 credits of the required first-year curriculum at Villanova Law
• 64 credits of courses that require attendance in regularly scheduled classroom sessions or direct faculty instruction (does not include externships or directed research) 
• all academic requirements for the host school’s LLM degree, including any thesis or dissertation requirement

Note: Course requirements for each of the LLM degrees may vary significantly.  Please consult the web link for each program to determine the requirements for a specific program.

A student who enrolls in a JD/LLM International Studies degree program must:

• Complete all requirements for the JD and LLM degrees in three consecutive academic years of full-time study (the third year may extend to the end of the summer, depending on the host school's requirements).
• Complete all graduation requirements for the Villanova Law JD degree during the first two years of law study, which must be completed in residence at Villanova Law (i.e., the JD/LLM International Studies program is not available to transfer students).
• Complete all coursework at the host school abroad (including a thesis or dissertation, if required) to obtain the Villanova JD degree as well as the host school LLM degree.
• Understand that during the year of study abroad, the student can serve only in a limited capacity on the Villanova Law Review, the Villanova Environmental Law Journal or the Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal, and cannot remain a member of the Moot Court Board.
• Understand that the student will likely receive the JD degree in September after completion of the course and thesis requirements for the JD and the LLM (e.g., a student who would have received the JD in May 2015 will receive the degree in September 2015).
• Take the bar examination in the February following the student’s graduation rather than in July (exceptions apply in limited circumstances for certain LLM programs).
• Understand that he or she will not be ranked cumulatively with his or her class after the second year of law school, but will be eligible to graduate with Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) based on how the student's cumulative GPA at the end of the second year of law school compares with the student's original graduating class. The student will also be eligible for membership in the Order of the Coif honor society.