The practice of law in the United States has a long and illustrious history, having played an important role in the country's creation and upholding the rule of law. Lawyers and legal students from all over the world come to the United States to study or practise law. The LLM is a law master's degree that differs from the JD. A JD is required to practise law, whereas an LLM is sought to gain knowledge of a specialised area of law, such as international law or tax law. Although it is possible to receive an LLM without a legal degree, most people do so after earning their JD.
Master's degree in Law is offered by 228 American universities.
Check out best universities offering online Master's program in Law
Check out our exclusive data on scholarships and financial aid offered by universities for the Master's program in Law. There are also 700+ scholarships available from accredited sources with the amount ranging from $1000-$22k.
Ranked as: #1 in Best National University
Tuition: $53,890
State: NJ
Acceptance: 5.63%
A PhD program in the Woodrow Wilson School, so that students who have JDs and want to go into law-school teaching and/or high-level policy work can get doctoral-level training in a policy-related field. Last year, 60% of the entry-level hires at the top 20 law schools had some form of PhD or other (DPhil, SJD, PhD). But often disciplinary PhDs take too long, are too disconnected from the sort of work that law professors do and pull away from topics that would be of most interest to law schools. A PhD in public policy would be a good degree with which to get a law school teaching job.
Graduate Programs in Legal Studies at Princeton
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Ranked as: #2 in Best National University
Tuition: $49,448
State: MA
Acceptance: 5.01%
Legal studies and their arts and sciences graduate studies can be mutually enriched through this pursuit. Students completing the coordinated program receive a JD from Harvard Law School (HLS) and a PhD from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). It is expected that these students will be strong candidates for teaching posts at law schools and in arts and sciences programs, as well as for other positions in law and academia. Prospective students must separately apply to and be admitted to both HLS and a GSAS PhD program in order to participate in the coordinated JD PhD program.
Coordinated JD PhD Program - Harvard Law School
Harvard University GRE score and admission requirements for graduate programs in Law and legal studies- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #3 in Best National University
Tuition: $44,500
State: CT
Acceptance: 6.53%
Yale Law School admits a limited number of graduate students each year to pursue one year of full-time study leading to the degree of Master of Laws (LL.M.). Admission is generally open only to those committed to a career in teaching law. The LL.M. program at Yale Law School is not designed to prepare students to take the New York State Bar Examination.
Master of Laws
GRE score required at Yale University master's degree programs in Law- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #4 in Best National University
Tuition: $60,300
State: IL
Acceptance: 7.31%
The University of Chicago Law School uniquely offers the combination of a small (70–80 students) and diverse (more than 25 nationalities) LLM program with a real sense of community among the students. The rigorous and elite academic atmosphere at the Law School is part of the experience both inside and outside the classroom, and is enhanced by the urban location in one of the great cities of the world.
Master of Laws (LLM) - University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago GRE score,GPA for masters degree in Law and legal studies- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #4 in Best National University
Tuition: $49,024
State: NY
Acceptance: 6.66%
The LL.M. Program offer students one year of boundless opportunities for intellectual, professional, and personal growth. The orientation program is designed to introduce students to Law School administrators and their fellow classmates, and to provide important information to help make the LL.M. year a success.
LL.M. - Columbia Law School
GRE score required at Columbia University in the City of New York master's degree programs in Law- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #4 in Best National University
Tuition: $54,315
State: CA
Acceptance: 5.19%
Stanford Law has adopted a variety of innovative approaches to prepare students to think not just like lawyers but also like clients and scholars. To begin, the law department make it easy to experience the diverse learning opportunities that are possible only at a university like Stanford—with its breadth of highly ranked schools and departments, all located close together on a well connected physical campus.
JD Program - Stanford Law School
Stanford University GRE score,GPA for masters degree in Law and legal studies- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #8 in Best National University
Tuition: $57,900
State: NC
Acceptance: 7.74%
The LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship is a two-semester, 24-credit program. The LLMLE program provides the opportunity to not only explore students interests further in the classroom, but to apply those interests during the practicum in a real working environment. The Law & Entrepreneurship program provides students with a deep understanding of the historical and current perspectives on entrepreneurship and the law.
LLM in Law & Entrepreneurship - School of Law
GRE score required at Duke University master's degree programs in Law- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #8 in Best National University
Tuition: $37,678
State: PA
Acceptance: 8.98%
The program is a one-year, full-time course of study in advanced legal topics designed primarily for lawyers trained outside the United States. Students select courses from an extensive curriculum of specialized courses and seminars at Penn Law. Penn Law grants a generalized LLM that allows each student to design his or her own curriculum and, in doing so, may choose to focus on a particular topic.
Law, LLM - Law School
University of Pennsylvania GRE score and admission requirements for graduate programs in Law and legal studies- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #12 in Best National University
Tuition: $57,010
State: MD
Acceptance: 11.06%
The Maryland LLM brings advanced American and foreign-trained lawyers together, exposing students to the broad variety of approaches to law and policy-making, domestically and internationally, and preparing them for the challenges of an increasingly global legal community. The Maryland LLM is a centerpiece of Maryland Carey Law's commitment to advancing legal expertise and promoting justice not only across the United States, but also around the world.
The Maryland LLM
Johns Hopkins University GRE score,GPA for masters degree in Law and legal studies- GRE Required: register to see the details
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Ranked as: #13 in Best National University
Tuition: $56,067
State: IL
Acceptance: 9.31%
The MSL residential program includes both full-time and part-time options. The full-time program can be completed in 9-months at Northwestern Law’s downtown Chicago campus. The part-time program is designed for STEM professionals in the Chicagoland area and can be completed in two to four years, also at the Law School’s downtown Chicago campus.
Master of Science in Law (MSL) Residential Program
Northwestern University GRE score,GPA for masters degree in Law and legal studies- GRE Required: register to see the details
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What is being taught at Graduate Schools of Juris Doctor(JD)?
J.D. stands for juris doctorate, and is a post-graduate doctorate degree for students seeking to become lawyers in the United States.
The curriculum of these schools tend to differ in the second and third year of the JD, however the first year generally teaches these courses:
Fall
Spring
- Legal Research and Writing
Subjects being taught, what courses, how JD in Law is different than the undergraduate program?
Undergraduate programs in law are generally called pre-law programs. These include classes in legal philosophy, political science, american legal history, and so on.
Students do NOT need to study pre-law to get into law school. Law schools will accept any undergraduate major from any accredited college or university, so long as students score well on their Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and have a good GPA.
How do public versus private schools differ for JD programs?
Top-tier schools, like Harvard, NYU, Yale, and Stanford, tend to be private. However, there are some very well-renowned public law schools as well.
Is it worth paying a premium for Ivy League JD Graduate Programs?
This is a big debate, and depends on the person, specifically on the person’s finances. Ivy League law schools will be very expensive, sometimes around $200,000 a year. That said, a degree from an Ivy League school will almost always allow you to find a job at a large, high-paying law firm where repaying your loans will be easier.
On the other hand, enrolling in a public school has its benefits. These schools are not as expensive and therefore have less loans. This will give a graduate the ability to pursue areas of the law they might not have been able to consider if they were hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans, such as working in public interest, compliance, or pursuing other fields.
How much will JD Law Degree Cost?
This depends entirely on the school as well. Private schools with good rankings like Harvard will cost around $90,000 a year, including tuition, housing, healthcare, etc. This averages out to around $270,000 after the three-year degree. On the other hand, a public school like University of Georgia, costs around $30,000 per year, all things included, and so averages out to be around $90-100,000 for the three-year degree.
Is previous work experience in Law helpful when applying for JD program?
It may be helpful, but not necessary. Most law students will undergo an internship after their first year of school, so experience in a law related field is not expected before applying to law school. That said, a demonstrated interest in the law from previous employment in the field may help your application. Additionally, statistics show that students who take time off between their college graduation and their first year of law school to work do better, on the whole, then students who go straight from undergraduate to the JD degree.
