Curriculum
Virginia offers more than 200 courses and seminars each year, most of which are open to LL.M. students. Graduate students are encouraged to immerse themselves in the intellectual life of the Law School and will generally be enrolled in courses and seminars with upper-level J.D. students to encourage the exchange of viewpoints influenced by different cultural and life experiences. Elective courses include interdisciplinary offerings such as law and economics, law and social science, and law and medicine. Elective classes might be as small as 10 students or as large as 100.
Students pursuing interdisciplinary ideas benefit from an environment where nearly half of all law faculty also hold advanced degrees in fields such as psychology, economics, philosophy, history, medicine and theology. Outside the classroom, students plan and program many of the conferences, lectures and panels that enrich the school's intellectual life.
A full-time faculty of about 80 teaches the vast majority of offerings, but the Law School is also proud of a roster of more than 100 adjunct faculty members or part-time instructors, many from major East Coast and local law firms who teach in specialty areas. Over 15 visiting faculty from the United States and abroad supplement the School's offerings with short and semester-long courses.
Incoming LL.M. students whose native language is not English are required to take Graduate Legal Research and Writing, but any LL.M. student may choose to take the course. Designed for LL.M. students unfamiliar with the U.S. legal system, this class introduces students to the fundamentals of U.S. legal research materials, methods and strategies as well as various forms of legal writing.
All LL.M. students have to satisfy the writing requirement (a substantial research paper). Beyond these requirements, students are invited to be creative in selecting courses and research topics. For example, students
wishing to specialize in international human rights may register for the basic course and seminars offered in
that area. But such students would enrich their understanding
by sampling from the variety of courses that explore legal approaches
to similar issues in an American context, including courses dealing
with civil rights, employment discrimination and immigration
law. Similarly, students planning a law practice in international
business transactions may choose from a menu that includes foundational
courses in American corporate, commercial and regulatory law,
as well as courses with an explicit focus on international business,
trade and litigation. This process can be repeated for virtually
every other field of legal study that demonstrate the Law School's
commitment to intellectual diversity and individualized courses
of study.
Courses by Concentration/Subject
The assistant dean for graduate studies and the chair of the Graduate Committee will work with students individually to design a course of study based on each student’s personal and professional objectives. If a student is planning to take the New York bar exam following graduation, we will work with each student individually to ensure that his or her planned course selections meet the requirements prescribed by the Board of Law Examiners.
- Concentrations
A list of past and current courses by field. Students are not required to follow a concentration. - Current Courses
- Degree Requirements
- Academic Calendar
GRADUATE STUDIES OFFICE
University of Virginia School of Law
580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-1738
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Telephone: (434) 924-3154
Fax: (434) 982-6682
e-mail: gradadmitlaw@virginia.edu
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