Related Links

• Apply for the LL.M. Program
• LL.M. Curriculum
• Thesis-Track LL.M. Program

Uncertain about which LL.M. track to choose?

You may wish to enter the course track and apply for the thesis track during the fall semester of your year at Vanderbilt Law School. Read more about the thesis track program.

The LL.M. Program at Vanderbilt Law School

Vanderbilt’s LL.M. program offers foreign lawyers and international students an opportunity to pursue a one-year master’s degree program. LL.M. students may choose to pursue one of two options within the LL.M. program:

The Course Track, through which students earn a minimum of 23 credits and may take up to 27 credit hours of course work during their year of study, or

The Thesis Track, which combines coursework with a major research project completed during the spring semester. Students enrolled in the Thesis Track program earn between 17 and 27 credits.

LL.M. Degree Requirements

All candidates for the degree of Legum Magister (LL.M.) must meet the following requirements to receive their LL.M. degree:

• Pursue full-time resident law school study for a fall and spring semester, in that order, during one academic year;
• Earn between 17 and 27 credits;
• Take and earn a passing grade in the required Life of the Law (1 credit) course;
• Take and earn a passing grade in the required Introduction to Legal Research and Scholarly Writing (2 credits) course;
• Maintain at least a C average;
• Students on the thesis track must complete a substantial scholarly research and writing project during the spring semester, earning up to 7 credits;
• Pay in full all financial obligations due Vanderbilt University prior to the granting of the degree; and
• Receive the favorable recommendation of the faculty for the degree.