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LL.M.-J.S.D. Program in International & Comparative Law
Professor Mattias Kumm, Director
Vanderbilt Hall 505
Telephone: 212.998.6244
mattias.kumm@nyu.edu
Leslie Jenkins, Assistant
Vanderbilt Hall 409
Telephone: 212.998.6244
leslie.jenkins@nyu.edu
This program is designed especially for graduate students who are prospective or current international law and comparative law teachers. The degree creates continuity between the LL.M. degree and the Juridical Science Doctorate (J.S.D.) program for a small number of graduate students focusing on international and comparative legal scholarship.
Those admitted are designated as Institute for International Law and Justice (IILJ) graduate scholars and are mentored during their LL.M. studies in the research and development of a dissertation proposal to facilitate their non-guaranteed entry into the J.S.D. program the following year. The program provides a fully integrated academic experience involving the presentation of research in conferences, working papers, and workshops, along with funded internships and clerkships in international law.
Along with LL.M. coursework, students will write a supervised thesis during the LL.M. year which may provide a basis for J.S.D. work. They will have the opportunity to participate in specialized international law colloquia and high-level seminars on advanced international law and comparative law topics, and to present and discuss their research at workshops attended by IILJ faculty and fellows, and invited outside specialists.
Degree Requirements
The LL.M. year requires the completion of 24 credits. Students must register for the 8-credit IILJ LL.M. Thesis course in the spring 2009 semester only, and they must attend the IILJ Scholars Seminar. They may opt to register for credit if they would like to write a paper for a grade in the seminar.
Other than the supervised thesis and the IILJ Scholars Seminar, there are no specific courses that must be taken during the LL.M. year. Students should work with the Faculty Director to design an academic program that best suits their research interests.(Note that this differs significantly from the LL.M. in International Legal Studies.)
If admitted to the J.S.D. program, students will complete the normal degree requirements for the J.S.D.