Curriculum - LL.M. in American Legal Studies

Course Requirements

Students must complete the following 3 courses:

• Introduction to U.S. Legal System (3 credits - fall semester)
• Graduate Lawyering Workshop (3 credits - spring semester)
• Professional Responsibility (2 credits - fall or spring semester)

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: Investigation (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.

Advising and course selection are available to LL.M. students, including those who are interested in litigation, corporate transaction, international law or bar exam preparation tracks. Students seeking a more specialized curriculum may request approval from the LL.M. Program Director and 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.

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.

LL.M. Additional Program Highlights

Students receive support from a dedicated LL.M. Program Director, as well as additional tutoring from upper-level J.D. students.

LL.M. students participate in a pre-semester Legal English Intensive and orientation program before the fall semester begins. The anticipated start date for this program for the 2025-2026 academic year is August 5, 2025.

Dual-Degree Program

KU Law offers a dual-degree program to students from Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey, and Tashkent State University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Students admitted to the dual-degree program spend their final year of studies at KU Law and earn their Bachelor of Laws from the partner institution and an LL.M. in American Legal studies from KU at the end of the year. Dual-degree students participate in the LL.M. program along with other LL.M. students.

Admission to the dual-degree program is by consent of both institutions; English proficiency may be demonstrated by a TOEFL score of 85 or higher or by having taken a sufficient number of academic courses taught in English (as agreed upon by the law school and the partner institution).

Legal English Intensive

KU Law offers a required, two-week, in-person Legal English Intensive program and orientation prior to the fall semester. Offered in connection with the graduate student orientation program of KU's International Support Services office, this program is designed to prepare students for success in their coursework and their time at KU Law. There is no additional cost for this required, non-credit course.