LL.M. Program

International Law

Apply online: Applicants must register with LSAC in order to apply online. Registration involves answering a limited number of questions, however, no fee is required to register.

The International Law program allows LL.M. candidates to take advantage of Hofstra's substantial international law curriculum and its intellectually diverse international law faculty. The International Law concentration is intended to appeal to candidates with either foreign or U.S. degrees in law. LL.M. candidates concentrating in international law are strongly encouraged to take up to six credits of independent research to produce a thesis of publishable quality under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Candidates with an undergraduate law degree from a foreign university must successfully complete the August minicourse on U.S. Legal Methods and Systems, conducted one week prior to the start of all classes.

Candidates must complete 24 credit hours of courses from the Hofstra curriculum. Normally, these credits will be earned over two semesters or one academic year. Students may also earn credits in the summer law programs in Nice, France, Sorrento, Italy, and Sydney, Australia, or the winter program in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. With permission, candidates may complete LL.M. degree requirements on a part-time basis. This permits completion of the LL.M. over four semesters, with an average course load of six credits each semester. To earn an LL.M. degree, students must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 out of a possible 4.0. An LL.M. American Legal Studies student who earns 24 credits with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 may receive a certificate of completion and may be eligible for admission to practice law in New York after passing the New York State Bar Examination.

Students pursuing an LL.M. with a concentration in international law must fulfill a minimum of 12 credit hours from the following courses:

Citizenship and Nationality Law	International Environmental Law
Comparative and Constitutional Law	International Family Law
Comparative Criminal Punishment	International Human Rights Law
Comparative Human Rights Law	International Institutions
Comparative Law	International Law
Energy, the Environment, and the Global Economy	International Sale of Goods
European Union Law	International Taxation
Foreign Affairs and the Constitution	Law of International Economic Development
Immigration Law	Law of International Trade
International Arbitration Law	Law of the Sea
International Business Transactions	Political Asylum Clinic
International Civil Litigation in U.S. Courts	Product Regulation and Liability in the United States and the European Union
International Commercial Arbitration	The Use of Force in the International Law: From Peacekeeping to Terrorism
International Criminal Law

Please note: All courses listed are offered at least once every three years.

The remaining 12 credits are selected with faculty advice and administrative approval. Students in the International Law concentration normally are permitted to use six credits for concentrated written international law research under the active supervision of a faculty member. To earn credit for these six hours, students must produce a written product of publishable quality in international law. If recommended by the faculty member supervising the research, papers may be submitted for possible publication in the Hofstra Law Review, the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal or the Journal of International Business and Law. Students may choose to have an additional or an alternative writing experience by taking a seminar that has a paper component or by pursuing an independent study.