Hello!

I am looking into masters programs for my future. I am confused about how the duration of LLM's varies so greatly. Does anyone have some insight on this issue on a larger scale. I would expect my masters program to last a full 24 months, not 12 months. However, many of the programs offered are only 12 months. What is the reason for this, does it depend on the specific country's national requirements or? I would want to receive my degree as extensive and competitive as possible. For example in Finland (my home country), the minimum duration is usually always 24 months.
Thanks for help!

Hei!

I can only answer as for the US: Simply put I think it it's because the requirement for most foreign lawyers to be able to sit for a US bar is to do a 1 year LLM. Plus, before it became a big thing for foreign lawyers it was usually for domestic lawyers to acquire some special skill, e.g. a tax specialty. What is key here is that before US law students start law school they have done a 4 year undergrad, and then a JD is three years. Doing nine years of university to become a tax lawyer with the tuition that they have was probably just too much and not very marketable.

It's different in Europe because we start law school as an undergrad.