LL.M. Degree Requirements

Classroom LLM

A minimum total of 24 credit hours for the two-semester LL.M. program leading to the LL.M. Degree.
A minimum total of 34 credit hours for the three-semester LL.M. program leading to the LL.M. Degree with an Advanced Specialization.
To maintain their full-time status, students must register for a minimum of 10 credit hours and a maximum of 17 credit hours per semester. We strongly recommend that students to enroll in, at least, 12 credit hours per semester in order to have a balanced workload across semesters and to make steady progress towards completing the credit hours required for graduation.

Students seeking the LL.M. Degree must complete the program in two consecutive semesters.
Students seeking the LL.M. Degree with an Advanced Specialization reflected in their transcripts must complete the program in three consecutive semesters.
A limited number of extenuating circumstances may be taken into account to alter the length of the program. Any student experiencing difficulties must contact promptly the [[llmadm,Director of the LL.M. Program]].

Students in F-1 status may enroll in the program for a maximum of 3 semesters, and a maximum of 34 credit hours.

Although students may choose their own coursework, most LL.M. students enroll in first-year J.D. courses including Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Torts. Students who wish to sit for a state bar examination are strongly encouraged to review carefully the relevant state bar’s application requirements and select courses that will meet those requirements. Visit the Career and U.S. Bar Information page for more information.
Legal Research and Writing (2 credit hours) is a graded, required course and must be taken in the first semester of the LL.M. Program.
For the LL.M. Degree with Advanced Specialization, in addition to the course work described above, students will select courses from six concentrations: corporate & business law, constitutional law, criminal law, intellectual property law, international law, and methods of dispute resolution. Students must obtain 34 credit hours, 10 of which must be taken in the area of specialization. Students who meet these requirements will receive their LL.M. Degree with a designation, reflected in their transcripts, that they have an Advanced Specialization in one of the six concentrations.

LL.M. Degree candidates must earn a final cumulative grade point average of 2.0 to earn the LL.M. Degree. They must also pass any pass-fail classes if those credit hours are needed to meet the minimum required credit hours to graduate with the LL.M. Degree.
For grading policies and options, please review the Taking Classes at William & Mary.

Questions? Contact our LL.M. Admissions Office at [[llmadm]].