LL.M. Curriculum
LL.M. students may choose from all courses offered during their year of study at Vanderbilt Law School. In addition, during the fall semester, all LL.M. students are required to take Introduction to Legal Research and Writing in the United States. This course, which is specifically tailored to meet the needs of foreign attorneys and scholars, provides a distinct academic forum in which LL.M. students learn:
- How to conduct legal research in the United States;
- The fundamental, generally accepted conventions of written legal analysis and citation in the United States; and
- The basic vocabulary of legal analysis and advocacy in the United States.
LL.M. students must also take the course entitled, Life of the Law during the week of orientation. LL.M. students may enroll in an additional non-credit course, Legal English, which addresses the legal vocabulary. This valuable course acquaints students with the legal terms and idioms they will encounter in the classroom and in legal texts.
Course Track Curriculum
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Students who wish only to pursue course work should choose this track.
Students in the Course Track choose their courses from the law school’s broad curriculum. Your faculty advisor or a law school administrator will help you tailor your studies to your career goals and intellectual interests. Students are required to earn 23 to 27 credits over two semesters of course work.
Thesis Track Curriculum
Students who wish to do extensive research that culminates in a lengthy scholarly paper may choose this track.
In addition to elective hours, total credit hours must include a substantial scholarly research and writing project, for which students may earn up to 7 course credits. Students are required to earn 17 to 27 credits over two semesters of course work.
