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2004-2005 Law Catalog [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]
LL.M. Program
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 Return to: Programs Offered
Hofstra University School of Law offers an LL.M. degree with two concentrations
– in American Legal Studies for foreign law graduates and in International Law
for American and foreign law graduates.
All LL.M. candidates must complete 24 credit hours of courses from the Hofstra
Law School curriculum. Normally, these credits are earned over two semesters (one
academic year). LL.M. students may also earn credits in the Summer Law Programs
in Sydney, Australia, and Nice, France, held in June-July of each year and in
the winter law program in Curacao, the Dutch Antilles, in December-January of
each year. With permission, candidates may complete LL.M. degree requirements
on a part-time basis. This permits completion of the LL.M. over four semesters,
or three semesters and summer sessions, with an average course load of six credits
each semester. To earn an LL.M. degree, students must achieve a cumulative grade
point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 out of a possible 4.0
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LL.M. Concentration in American Legal Studies
The concentration in American Legal Studies should appeal to foreign law graduates
who are encouraged to obtain legal training in U.S. law and practice in order
to compete more effectively with U.S. law firms operating in foreign countries.
Foreign law graduates seeking U.S. law training in order to make themselves more
attractive to U.S. law firms will also benefit from this degree program. Every
LL.M. student who successfully completed 20 credits may be eligible for admission
to practice law in New York after passing the New York State Bar Examination.
The Law School’s extensive selection of courses in American Litigation and Advocacy
should be of particular interest to foreign law graduates who want comprehensive
exposure to American approaches to litigation theory and techniques in a variety
of lecture, simulation and practice settings. The Law School is the Northeast
region’s base for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and the Hofstra faculty
has extensive expertise in American litigation and advocacy.
LL.M. candidates who concentrate in American Legal Studies must:
- take a mini-course on U.S. Legal Methods and Systems at the start of their first
semester of study;
- complete the spring semester legal writing course taken by J.D. students; and
- complete an analytic writing requirement in the form of a seminar paper or independent
study that meets the standard for J.D. writing requirements.
LL.M. candidates are free to select their remaining courses from any courses
offered in the Law School curriculum, but must obtain approval from their faculty
adviser before registering for classes each semester. Concentration in International Law
The concentration in International Law allows LL.M. candidates to take advantage
of Hofstra’s substantial and growing International Law curriculum and its intellectually
diverse international law faculty. The International Law concentration is designed
to serve the needs of candidates with either foreign or U.S. degrees in law. LL.M.
candidates concentrating in international law are strongly encouraged to take
up to six credits of independent research under the direct supervision of a faculty
member.
The remaining 12 credits are selected with faculty advice and administrative
approval. Students in the International Law concentration normally are permitted
to use six credits of the remaining 12 elective credits for concentrated written
research under the active supervision of a faculty member. To earn credit for
these six hours, students must produce a written product of publishable quality
in international law. All students who elect this writing option meet together
regularly to discuss their topics and progress on their papers. If recommended
by the faculty member supervising the research, papers may be submitted to the
Hofstra Law Review or the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal for possible publication. Students may choose to have an additional or alternative
writing experience by taking a seminar that has a paper component or by doing
an independent study.
Students pursuing an LL.M. with a concentration in International Law must fulfill
a minimum of 12 credit hours from the following courses:
- International Sale of Goods
- International Arbitration Law
Admissions
For U.S. law graduates, a candidate must hold a first degree in law from an ABA-approved
law school. An LL.M. candidate who is a foreign law graduate must hold a first
degree in law from an accredited or comparably recognized foreign law school or
law faculty. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) must be taken by
all applicants for whom English is not their native language, with a minimum required
score of 580 on the paper-based test or 237 on the computer-based test. Information
about the TOEFL can be obtained by contacting the Educational Testing Service,
P.O. Box 6155, Princeton, NJ 08541-6155, USA. Tel: (609) 921-9000, Web: http://www.toefl.org/.
Each application is individually assessed. All LL.M. applicants must demonstrate
ability in prior law studies and in practice, if applicable. Admission decisions
are based on a variety of factors, including law school record, recommendations,
professional accomplishments and areas of interest. Financial aid from the Law
School may be available for admitted students, depending on citizenship status.
Sources of student funding can be found at the LL.M. Web site: hofstra.edu/law/llm.html. Tuition
Tuition for the LL.M. degree is the same as two semesters’ tuition for the J.D.
degree, whether completed on a full-time or part-time basis. The current tuition
for the J.D. degree is $15,400 for each semester of study. For part-time LL.M.
students, tuition is $7,700 for each semester. In addition, there a re University,
Activities, Technology and Health Center fees of $308 per semester for domestic
students and $564 per semester for international students ($197 per semester for
domestic part-time students and $453 per semester for international part-time
students). The University reserves the right to change its tuition and fees at
any time, and it is likely that tuition will increase for the academic year 2005-2006.
The registration period begins in May for the fall semester and during December
for the spring semester. Applications
Hofstra Law School begins accepting applications for the fall semester from the
first day of October prior to the September in which the applicant seeks to be
admitted. Applications for the spring semester are accepted from the first day
of February prior to the January in which the applicant seeks to be admitted.
Applications are processed on a modified rolling admissions basis. Therefore,
it is advisable to complete the application and related materials as early as
possible. The deadline for filing applications is June 1 for the fall and November
1 for the spring semester. The Law School Office of Admissions is open Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except holidays. For more information, including
tuition and fees, tours, and an academic calendar, please contact the Office of
Admissions at (516) 463-5916. |
Return to: Programs Offered
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