Curriculum - LL.M. in American Legal Studies


Program information

The LL.M. in American Legal Studies graduate degree program at KU Law will prepare you to take the New York Bar Examination. The curriculum, tied to the requirements set by the New York bar examiners, is outlined below.

Course Requirements

Students must complete the following 3 courses:

  • Professional Responsibility (2 credits - fall or spring semester)
  • Lawyering Skills I (2 credits - fall semester)
  • Introduction to Constitutional Law (4 credits)

Students must complete a minimum of 6 credits from the following menu of courses:

  • Business Organizations (3 credits)
  • Conflict of Laws (2-3 credits)
  • Contracts (4 credits)
  • Criminal Law (4 credits)
  • Criminal Procedure (3 credits)
  • Evidence (3 credits)
  • Family Law (2-3 credits)
  • Property (4 credits
  • Torts (4 credits)
  • Trusts and Estates (3-4 credits)
  • Commercial Law: Payments Systems (3 credits)
  • Commercial Law: Secured Transactions (3 credits)

Electives: Students may take 10 credit hours in any course offered by KU Law, subject to relevant prerequisites. Note that the New York Board of Examiners requires all applicants to complete 50 hours of pro bono work.  Your academic advisor will provide more information.

Students seeking a more specialized curriculum may request approval from the Associate Dean for International and Comparative Law to waive one or more course requirements.

To maintain full-time status, students must take a minimum of 12 credits per semester. Students seeking to attend part-time must receive permission to do so. There is no minimum credit requirement, but students must complete all requirements for the degree within three years of initial enrollment.

Grading System

An LL.M. student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 at the end of any regular semester is on probation. A student on probation is not in good standing for purposes of the rules of withdrawal or any other rules that require good standing.

All LL.M. students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 during the semester in which they complete 24 credit hours, or they will not be awarded the degree nor will they be permitted to continue in school. There is no appeal within this law school from this requirement.

LL.M. students are not subject to the mandatory grading guidelines applicable to students seeking a J.D. degree.

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