Penn State University – Penn State Dickinson Law
150 S. College Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
United States
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The Program
Penn State Dickinson Law, University Park
The Master of Laws (LL.M.) program at Penn State Dickinson Law welcomes legal professionals worldwide who seek to advance their careers by developing specialized knowledge and mastery in specific areas of law. Through its LL.M. degree program, Penn State Dickinson Law aims to prepare lawyers for the 21st century, equipping them to tackle complex legal challenges with expertise and confidence.
Penn State Dickinson Law offers a generalized LL.M. degree program designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the U.S. legal system. LL.M. students study alongside J.D. students and have the flexibility to enroll in a diverse range of courses, allowing specialization in specific areas of law or law-related topics. Concentrations are available in various fields, including:
- Administrative Law and the Regulatory State
- Advocacy and Litigation
- Antitrust and Competition Law
- Arbitration, Mediation, and Negotiation
- Arts, Sports, and Entertainment Law
- Banking and Financial Regulation
- Business Law
- Civil Rights, Equal Protection and Social Justice
- Commercial Law
- Constitutional Law and Civil Rights
- Corporate Law and Practice
- Criminal Law
- Energy and Environmental Law
- Families, Children, and the Law
- Health Law
- Immigration and Migration
- Intellectual Property
- Intellectual Property, Technology and Privacy Law
- International, Foreign, and Comparative Law
- Labor and Employment Law
- Law, Science, and Technology
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- National Security, Military, and Veterans
- Public Interest Law
- Race, Law, and Equity
- Taxation
To fulfill the LL.M. requirements, students must earn a minimum of 24 credits. This can be completed full-time over one academic year or part-time over three to four semesters. Full-time students are required to enroll in at least 12 credits per semester, with a maximum of 17 credits. Additionally, students may choose to extend their studies into a third semester to participate in an experiential learning program or prepare for a U.S. bar exam.
The University
One of the world's preeminent research universities, The Pennsylvania State University combines strength in traditional academics with a forward-thinking, future-focused approach to interdisciplinary studies and internationalization. Consistently ranked in the top 1 percent of universities worldwide, Penn State is one of the largest and most respected universities in the world.
Note on Reunification
In November 2022, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi recommended the reunification of its two separately accredited law schools, Penn State Dickinson Law and Penn State Law, into a single entity to be known as Penn State Dickinson Law. This unified law school will maintain its locations in Carlisle and at University Park. Starting from the 2025-2026 academic year, Penn State Dickinson Law will offer a unified LL.M. program, providing students the opportunity to study at either location.
The Law School
Penn State Dickinson Law, Carlisle
Considered among the nation’s best law schools, Penn State Dickinson Law is the oldest ABA-accredited law school in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest in the United States. For over 190 years, Dickinson Law has produced some of the world’s finest attorneys, judges, government and corporate leaders, and legal scholars.
Why Penn State Dickinson Law?
Selecting the right institution is an important decision. Here are some of the many reasons why LL.M. students select Penn State Dickinson Law:
- Our Reach. Penn State University boasts a vibrant university community with 24 campuses located throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a global alumni network of over 700,000 alumni that both prepares students to work in the global economy and ensures a Penn State connection almost anywhere in the world.
- Our Faculty. LL.M. students learn from a distinctive and dedicated full-time faculty complemented by an adjunct faculty of practicing attorneys and judges. Our professors have spent years practicing law and engage nationally and internationally through practice, research and scholarship.
- Our Curriculum. Penn State Dickinson Law offers a one-year, LL.M. program. Studying alongside J.D. students, LL.M. students can enroll in a wide variety of courses that allows concentration in certain types of law or law-related topics. The Penn State Dickinson Law curriculum provides all coursework necessary to sit for the New York bar examination.
- Our Locations. Penn State Dickinson Law offers two distinct campus locations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The primary campus of the law school is located in Carlisle, PA, recognized as one of the most livable small towns in the U.S. This is due in part to its diverse community, institutions, amenities, and array of community activities. Carlisle boasts a variety of restaurants, shops, galleries, an independent movie theater, a downtown farmers market, and more. Nearly everything one needs is within easy walking or biking distance, and most LL.M. students select reasonably priced housing close to campus.
The University Park campus is located in State College, PA, a vibrant and picturesque town known for its energetic “college town” atmosphere and natural beauty. State College offers a lively downtown area with an abundance of restaurants, cafes, and shops catering to diverse tastes. Nestled near the base of Mount Nittany, the surrounding area of central Pennsylvania is known as "Happy Valley."
The Faculty
Penn State's Dickinson Law students learn from a distinctive and dedicated full-time faculty complemented by an adjunct faculty of practicing attorneys and judges. Significantly, all full-time faculty members have spent years practicing law, and they continue to engage nationally and internationally with the legal profession through pro bono litigation, mediation, advisory committees, and scholarship.
The faculty believes that their scholarly and teaching missions should be complementary. As engaged scholars, they accept that having a solid understanding of theory is indispensable to our students' ability to operate as legal professionals in an increasingly global, diverse, and sophisticated legal environment.
Click here to learn more about our accomplished faculty.
Alumni
Dickinson Law Students
Penn State boasts a vibrant university community with 24 campuses located throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a global alumni network of over 775,000 alumni that both prepares students to work in the global economy and ensures a Penn State connection almost anywhere in the world. We Practice Greatness Everywhere.
Entry Requirements
To be considered for admission, applicants must have completed, or be in the process of completing, a first professional degree in law. This is generally a J.D. from a U.S. law school or the equivalent to the J.D. from a law school outside of the U.S. Successful applicants are often licensed to practice law and have professional experience in legal practice.
English Language Proficiency
Applicants for whom English is a native language or those who have earned an academic degree from a college or university in which the language of instruction was English meet the language requirement. In some cases, an oral proficiency interview may still be required. For applicants who are not native English speakers and have not received a degree from a college or university whose language of instruction is English, a TOEFL, IELTS or similar score that demonstrates advanced proficiency in English is required. Applicants must provide evidence of a TOEFL score report of 88 or higher, an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher, a Duolingo English Test score of 120 or higher, or the equivalent.
Admissibility
Dickinson Law maintains a holistic approach to admission. Applications shall be evaluated with consideration to previous education and legal qualifications, professional experience, community service and personal accomplishments. Successful applicants will have provided a clear and compelling rationale for pursuing an LL.M. degree and specifically at Penn State Dickinson Law. It is important that applicants have well-defined career plans and demonstrate the important of earning a LL.M. degree in realization of those plans. Admissible applicants may be invited to an interview (in person or via Zoom).
Application Procedure
Prospective students have the option of applying directly to Penn State Dickinson Law or via the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Dickinson Law does not charge application fees, making the process accessible to all prospective applicants.
Direct Application Instructions
Applicants may apply directly on the Penn State Dickinson Law website (Application Link for 2025-2026 Forthcoming). No application fees are required. Following submission, students must send all required application documents to LLMAdmit@pennstatelaw.psu.edu. Required documents include:
- Personal Statement
- Résumé or Curriculum Vita
- Writing Sample (Optional)
- Transcripts
- English Language Proficiency (If applicable)
- Letters of Recommendation (x2)
- Additional Documentation
LSAC Application Instructions
Applicants may apply via Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Penn State Dickinson Law does not assess an application fee. However, LSAC does require certain fees. Students requiring an LSAC application fee waiver are requested to contact DickinsonGradEd@psu.edu for more information. Fee waivers requests are limited.
Tuition and Fees
Penn State Dickinson Law is committed to providing every student access to a world-class education. All LL.M. applicants are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships at the time of admission. No application is required for scholarship consideration. Scholarship awards are based on several criteria, including: 1) academic performance, 2) professional experience, and 3) other professional and personal experience (e.g., volunteer activities and initiatives demonstrating exceptional leadership skills).
For the most current information about Dickinson Law's tuition and fees, please visit the website below: Financial Aid and Scholarships | Dickinson Law
Financial Aid
All LL.M. applicants are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. On average, scholarships average 60% of tuition. No additional application materials are required.
There are also a number of government and private scholarship opportunities available to prospective LL.M. students applying to Dickinson Law. Learn more about outside scholarships here.
Location
Penn State Dickinson Law offers unparalleled access to legal education at two distinct campus locations: Carlisle and University Park.
The historic Carlisle campus features a state-of-the-art facility and a modern research library to support advanced legal scholarship. Strategically located near Harrisburg—the capital of Pennsylvania—the Carlisle location offers proximity to judicial, legislative, and executive offices.
The University Park location in State College, PA is Penn State’s largest campus with a diverse population of nearly 50,000 graduate, undergraduate, and professional students, including about 7,500 international students. Both campuses offer convenient access to Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore and New York City.
Accommodation
Carlisle, PA
Students are responsible for securing their own housing. Most LL.M. students choose housing options within walking distance to the law school campus, local shopping and entertainment. Housing is generally affordable, especially for those that share expenses with roommates. Most students spend between $300-$1,000 USD per month on housing.
Student Life
State College, PA
Penn State Dickinson Law is as committed to welcoming people of diverse cultures and lifestyles as we are to preparing them to become the next generation of practice-ready attorneys.
As an inclusive community, Dickinson Law defines diversity broadly to include racial and ethnic minorities, women, the differently-abled, members of the LGBTQ community, veterans, first-generation students, adult learners, and any others who have experienced subordination, marginalization, or isolation in academic communities because of their identity status.
We are delighted to support a variety of student affinity organizations such as BLSA (the Black Law Students Association), LLSA (the Latino/a Law Student Association), APALSA (the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association), and OutLaw (the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender student organization).
Dickinson Law has recently launched an International Law Society to offer students the opportunity to advance the study, research and exploration of international law.
Moreover, Dickinson Law's core courses integrate diverse perspectives and examine the relevance of diversity to law, legal process, and practice. Through the law school's curricular offerings and its extracurricular activities, Dickinson Law students are able to develop cultural competencies and better understand minority viewpoints.
Programs at Penn State - Dickinson Law
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- Business Law
- Civil Rights, Equal Protection and Social Justice
- Intellectual Property, Technology and Privacy Law
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
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Penn State University – Penn State Dickinson Law
150 S. College Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
United States
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