Best Universities offering graduate programs in Law

The Coordinated JD/PhD Program is designed for students interested in completing interdisciplinary work at Harvard University and is founded on the belief that students’ 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.

GSAS students who apply to and are admitted to HLS after the G3 year at GSAS must then separately apply to the coordinated program. The application to the coordinated program should include (1) a statement detailing the way in which the student plans to integrate his or her legal studies with his or her graduate studies including how work done at HLS will inform the dissertation work and vice versa; and (2) a letter of support from the primary GSAS advisor; and (3) the Plan of Study.

Students will be registered in only one School during any given semester/term. Pursuant to ABA rules, students must complete all requirements for the JD degree within seven years of the date they first enroll in HLS; they may graduate from HLS before completing the PhD. Students must have satisfactorily completed at least 16 half courses in their GSAS department to receive the PhD. Students in the coordinated program will have two primary faculty advisors, one at HLS and one at GSAS, who will jointly advise students.

Students will be expected to complete the first-year program, three upper-level fall or spring semesters, and two winter terms at HLS, for a total of five fall and spring semesters and three winter terms. In lieu of the sixth HLS semester generally required of JD students, students in the coordinated program may take a semester at GSAS, completing courses or dissertation work pre-approved by HLS, and equivalent to at least 10 HLS credits. This GSAS semester may be taken only after a student has matriculated at HLS and completed their entire first year of study there. Students and their faculty advisors will determine the most appropriate sequencing for each student’s course of study, keeping in mind the HLS course, credit, and residency requirements for this program.

Yale Law School is an extraordinary community in which to study law. The world-renowned faculty teach a wide array of courses and there are countless opportunities for independent research, writing, and student-organized seminars.

Students are encouraged to learn deeply and investigate their own ideas about the law. Every student works closely with the faculty to complete two major research papers, and many students go on to publish their work.

Outside of the classroom, students have the opportunity to work with faculty members as research and teaching assistants. Yale Law School students leave law school with personal and professional connections that last throughout their careers.

In addition, Yale Law School fosters an environment of collaboration rather than competition. In the first term, all classes are ungraded. After that, classes are graded on an honors/pass/low pass basis with the option to take classes credit/fail. There is no curve and no class rank.

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.

During the three years at Columbia Law School, students will leverage all the benefits of a world-class institution and join a tight-knit community of driven intellectuals who are poised to be leaders in the field of law. Students J.D. academic experience at Columbia Law School is powered by connections that go far beyond the classroom.

The Law School offers globally focused courses in both emerging and traditional areas of law and our robust curriculum covers the most compelling issues in modern legal scholarship.

articipate in a broad range of clinics, externships, simulations, policy labs, and other public service opportunities, which provide an insider’s view into how the law operates in practical settings.

Mastering legal doctrine is just the beginning of a proper legal education. Lawyers play countless roles in the society—as advocates, as advisors, as leaders in their own right. They practice law, work in business and government, put their degrees to use in science, education, and policymaking, and serve their communities in many other ways. Knowledge of the law, both its content and how to argue about it, remains critical in all these roles. But it is not enough, and a lawyer must also understand the needs of the people he or she serves and the consequences for them of different legal positions. And because those needs cross disciplinary boundaries, Stanford Law—true to Stanford University’s heritage of learning without limits— offers the opportunity for a truly interdisciplinary, multidimensional legal education.

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, we 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. Stanford Law students have broad access to courses outside the law school that will fill out their legal education. In this way, students benefit from academic thought leaders across disciplines, not to mention the intellectual life of the campus found in the myriad of conferences and events held each year and in countless other multidisciplinary research programs.

Nor do the opportunities to broaden your legal education at Stanford Law end here. In addition, you can explore law’s intersection with a growing range of fields by pursuing a joint degree and adding a master’s or doctorate to your law degree or by taking teamwork oriented simulation courses with students and faculty from other parts of the university.

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; enables students to understand the business, institutional, and strategic considerations applicable to entrepreneurs; fosters an understanding of the public policy and legal frameworks that promote innovation; ensures that students master both the core substantive law and the lawyering skills that are necessary for effective representation of entrepreneurs; and provides students with an opportunity to explore their own potential for entrepreneurship.

The Doctor of Juridical Science Program (SJD) is the highest law degree offered by the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. The SJD program focuses on research and the production of original scholarship. The degree is granted upon the successful completion and defense of a dissertation.

All SJD candidates are required to be in residence at Penn for the first year of the program. Residency after this period is encouraged as it is highly conducive to completion of the dissertation.

Admission to the program is based upon the evaluation of a candidate’s past record and future promise as a legal scholar. Consideration is given to an applicant’s proposed research project, writing sample, academic record, professional experience, recommendations, personal statement, and English-language ability.

In keeping with its mission of training future legal academics and global leaders, Penn Carey Law provides fellowships for eligible SJD candidates that include full tuition, health insurance, and a stipend. Fellowships will cover three years of residence at Penn Carey Law.

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.

Building on the law school's nationally recognized specialty programs, the LLM provides advanced legal education for lawyers and law students seeking to develop expertise in one or more specific areas of study or who would like to survey a broader range of topics, particularly relevant for international candidates.

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.

Both residential programs operate on the semester system, with each semester divided into two eight-week terms: Fall 1, Fall 2, Spring 1, and Spring 2. Each eight-week term includes a seven-week session and a one-week session, called the “Power Week.” The seven-week sessions include foundational and in-depth classes, while the Power Weeks tend to include more focused, specialized, and workshop-type classes.

This unique structure of four separate seven-week sessions coupled with four Power Weeks allows MSL students to experience a wide variety of classes, topics, formats, and pedagogical techniques.

Full-time students are generally in class an average of 12 to 15 hours per week, divided between day and evening classes. Part-time students are generally in class an average of 3 to 6 hours per week, usually in evening classes that meet 1 or 2 nights per week. Additionally, students should expect a substantial amount of out-of-class work, approximately 4 to 8 hours per course per week.

Cornell Tech’s one-year Master of Laws (LLM) in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship degree will provide students with the specialized skills they need to support and lead tech companies in the increasingly complex and dynamic digital economy.

Cornell Tech’s Master of Laws in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship is the first degree of its kind in the world. It is a year-long immersion in innovation, creativity and new business development that will have students learning side-by-side with designers, engineers and business students. Working together in teams, they will create new products for existing businesses in the Product Studio and develop their own new business in the Startup Studio. Students will dive into studying law and transactional skills that emerging technology companies need in practitioner-led courses designed specifically for this program. Students will also have ample opportunity to network with the vibrant community of investors, business leaders and entrepreneurial faculty members that only a city like New York and a university like Cornell can provide.