Master of Laws (LL.M.)

The Master of Laws (LL.M.) program at Penn State Dickinson Law welcomes legal professionals from around the world who come to advance their legal careers by developing specialized knowledge and mastery in a particular area of law. Through its LL.M. degree program, Dickinson Law seeks to prepare 21st century lawyers who are able to successfully tackle complex on legal challenges with expertise and confidence.

The LL.M. program is designed for both domestic and internationally trained legal professionals who want to gain an edge in the legal profession. During this flexible one-year program, LL.M. students may enroll in a wide variety of courses that allow concentration in specialized areas of law. Dickinson Law offers a distinctive LL.M. degree for highly-motivated and passionate legal professionals who are serious about advancing next generation legal scholarship and practice.

The LL.M. program at Penn State Dickinson Law is highly selective with a limited number of well-qualified students admitted each year. To be considered for admission, applicants must have completed, or be in the process of completing, a first professional degree in law. This is generally a J.D. from an ABA-approved, U.S. law school or the equivalent to the J.D. from an international law school. Successful applicants are often licensed to practice law and have significant professional experience in legal practice.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants for whom English is a native language or those who have earned an academic degree from a college or university in which the language of instruction was English meet the language requirement. In some cases, an oral proficiency interview may still be required. For applicants who are not native English speakers and have not received a degree from a college or university whose language of instruction is English, a TOEFL, IELTS or similar score that demonstrates advanced proficiency in English is required. Applicants must provide evidence of a TOEFL score report of 88 or higher, an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher, a Duolingo English Test score of 120 or higher, or the equivalent.

The application cycle closes on December 1 or June 15 for the following semester.