Boston University School of Law (BU Law)

The school’s roughly 280 LLM students bring an astounding mix of backgrounds and interests to campus. In any given year, they come from over 40 law schools throughout the United States and from more than 45 countries worldwide. BU Law offers foreign-trained and domestic lawyers five leading LLM programs:

LLM in American Law (for foreign-trained lawyers)
The LLM in American Law Program is a one-year, full-time graduate law program designed to introduce jurists trained outside the United States to American law and the U.S. legal system. Fully immersed into the school's JD classes, LLM in American Law students select topics from over 200 courses available at BU Law. These include such important fields as intellectual property and corporate law, and such fundamental topics as contracts, civil procedure and constitutional law. By taking classes with full-time American JD students, LLM in American Law Program students learn first-hand about how American lawyers are trained to analyze and address legal problems. Students can pursue specialized concentrations in the important areas of International Business Practice, Intellectual Property and Taxation.

LLM in Banking and Financial Law
For lawyers with focused interests in banking and financial services, BU Law's Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law offers a course of study leading to an LLM in Banking and Financial Law degree. The program, the first of its kind in America, prepares U.S. and foreign-trained lawyers for leadership positions in both the American and international financial markets. The program's faculty consists of industry practitioners who are dedicated to sharing their wealth of experience. The 2,000 plus graduates form a cohesive professional network that is unmatched in the financial services industry.

LLM in Intellectual Property Law
Our LLM in Intellectual Property Law program builds upon our national reputation in intellectual property law and enables U.S. and foreign-trained students to study not only the core topics of copyright, patents and trademark and unfair competition, but also to explore advanced, specialized topics through an expansive range of electives in such cutting-edge fields as Internet and biotechnology law, all offered through the school's JD curriculum. In a year of full-time study, students also participate in the spring semester Intellectual Property Workshop Seminar, where they discuss and react to the scholarly works-in-progress of America's leading IP academics.

LLM in Taxation
The Graduate Tax Program is designed for U.S. and foreign-trained lawyers specializing in tax law. Ranked as one of the top tax schools in the country by the National Law Journal, the program provides a rigorous study of current tax law taught by both full-time academicians and nationally recognized practitioner/scholars. The extremely broad curriculum allows students either to undertake a diverse tax program or to concentrate in a subspecialty area such as business organizations and transactions; personal, family, and estate tax; or international tax. Students may attend on either a full- or part-time basis in Boston, or on a part-time basis online.

Executive LLM in International Business Law (blended learning)
In addition to the four residential LLM programs, Boston University offers an Executive LLM Program in International Business Law, open to US and foreign-trained international law practitioners, it offers an innovative and rigorous blended learning format that incorporates intensive two-week residential periods with state-of-the-art distance learning. The program's residency periods can be completed in Boston or Budapest, in as little as one summer, or distributed over one year or several years. Up to one-third of the program can be completed entirely online.

Legal English Certificate Program and Two-Year LLM Track
BU Law is pleased to offer a Legal English Certificate Program (LECP): a two-semester, full-time program designed for international lawyers and professionals who seek to improve their general English and legal English communications skills. The innovative program, developed in collaboration with the University's Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP), is available through two tracks: (1) a two-year LLM track, for international LLM candidates whose admission to a BU Law LLM program is conditioned on their completing the one-year LECP; and (2) a "certificate-only" track, open to foreign professionals - including non-lawyers - who seek only a legal English training credential, with no plans to pursue LLM studies.

Extended LLM Option
Prospective students with impressive qualifications but who lack the required level of English language proficiency to excel in an LLM program may be eligible for BU Law's three-semester "Extended LLM" option, the first semester of which includes intensive English language courses at the University's Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP), as well as introductory courses at BU Law. Students then complete the LLM degree requirements over the following two semesters.

Graduate Certificates

BU Law also offers several different graduate certificate programs to lawyers and non-lawyers alike. These programs allow students to take classes from a corresponding LLM degree program, without the full commitment or cost of a degree. Certificate graduates who meet the corresponding LLM degree admissions requirements are able to apply their certificate credits towards the full LLM degree.

Established in 1869, Boston University is one of the world's premier institutions of higher education and research. With more than 30,000 students from 50 states and 130 countries, BU is the fourth largest independent university in the United States. And with one of the largest international student populations, BU embodies the diversity that characterizes the best in US education.

Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is one of America's most distinguished law schools. The core of the BU Law learning experience is superior teaching and a supportive, dynamic learning environment in which teachers guide, inspire and challenge. BU Law professors are nationally acclaimed for their legal skills and scholarship, on the cutting edge in research, writing and advising to both the public and private sectors. But what uniquely defines them is their devotion to students -- academically, professionally and individually. This explains why the school is consistently ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the top schools in the nation for "Best Professors" and "Best Classroom Experience." The school is also ranked in the top 30 of American law schools in U.S. News and World Report, and in the top ten in the specialty areas of intellectual property, tax and health law.

All candidates must apply for our admission to our LLM programs using the BU Law LSAC application. Instructions for applications are available on our website. The application requirements include a completed application form; an application fee; official academic records; two letters of recommendation; a personal statement and a résumé or CV. International applicants must also submit proof of English language proficiency and an international student data form. All qualified applicants will also be interviewed by phone (or in person, if practical) by the program Director or Assistant Director.

Long recognized as the country's academic capital, Boston offers one of the world's greatest settings for advanced study. Over 50 colleges and universities make the greater Boston area their home. The city's unique blend of educational, cultural, financial and high-tech scientific activity attracts thousands of students and scholars each year from all over the world.

Nestled between the Charles River and the bustling Back Bay district, the campus of Boston University offers a unique combination of urban excitement and peaceful relaxation. You can immerse yourself in city life or take a break along Boston's famed Esplanade, a walkway adjacent to BU's campus that winds all the way to downtown Boston. Spread a picnic, rent a sailboat, launch a kayak, cycle for miles, feed the squirrels, enjoy a rock concert, or just clear your head between classes. As a BU Law student, Boston is your campus. You’ will be part of a city whose professional and cultural breadth has few rivals.

At BU Law we believe a great deal of learning happens outside the classroom. We encourage students to enjoy their legal studies, to expand intellectually and personally and to participate in extracurricular activities, student organizations, community service and other activities that enrich student life. To help encourage this, BU Law organizes a wealth of activities to help students connect with their fellow LLM and JD classmates. As an LLM student at BU Law, you'’ll have the opportunity to take part in receptions, movie nights, an international potluck dinner, Red Sox games, internationally-themed dinners, and much more.

For LLM students seeking advanced preparation for their upcoming graduate studies in America, Boston University's Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) offers a six-week Summer Program in Legal English designed to provide international jurists with the language and academic skills needed to succeed in a demanding LLM program. Through small-class instruction led by CELOP's distinguished faculty and through carefully selected law-related materials and assignments, students:

· Build their legal English vocabularies and strengthen their legal English writing skills
· Receive exposure to fundamental aspects of the American legal system and several substantive doctrines central to American Law
· Become acquainted with the materials, methodologies and culture of American law school instruction

The program, which runs from early July to late August, is open to all foreign jurists who have been admitted into an LLM program at an American law school in the following fall semester. For more information about the Pre-LLM course, visit CELOP's website.