Legal Education in the USA: LLM/Master of Laws Programs

Education in the USA

There is an opinion that it is very difficult and impossible for foreign students to enter law schools in the USA and get a law degree in America. Indeed, studying law in US universities is not an easy task. After all, the system of higher legal education in the United States is fundamentally different from other countries. To enroll in a school of law for the JD (juris Doctor) program, a student already needs to receive a bachelor’s degree from a US university in any specialty. The educational agency EDUSTEPS decided to find out what programs are available for students from Ukraine and how best to study law in the USA.

We can conditionally distinguish two main ways of obtaining legal education in the USA for students from Ukraine: the way for school graduates and way for graduates of Ukrainian universities.

The Graduate Pathway
• Bachelor’s Degree from a US University: 4 years
• JD from Law School in the USA: 3 years

Get a higher education – a bachelor’s degree – in the USA in any direction. We advise you to consider specialties that are indirectly related to law – political science, philosophy, public relations, etc. To do this, you need to select an educational institution on the EDUSTEPS website and contact our consultants for help in preparing documents and enrolling.

A path for university graduates

Here the task becomes a little more complicated, because university graduates already have a bachelor’s degree from a university in Ukraine, but may not be ready to immediately enter the Law School (School of Law) in the United States due to a low level of English, poor academic preparation, or because that did not pass the profile exam for admission to American law schools – LSAT. Also, be aware that not all law schools accept international students for JD programs. Thus, the list of possible universities is reduced.

We, EDUSTEPS, offer two program options and several partner universities that offer these programs and are available to international students, including students from Ukraine.
• Option 1: Master of Laws (LLM) program – 1.5-2 years
• Option 2: Juris Doctor (JD) program – 3 years

В In this article, we want to present more Master’s programs in Law. You can read information about law schools and JD programs on our blog: Legal Education in the USA

Master of Laws/LLM

Duration of study: 1.5 – 2 years
Requirements: high level of English, bachelor’s degree, high GPA
This a program at US universities provides students with the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the American legal system, as well as become a specialist in a particular area of ​​law: tax law, business law, health law, trial advocacy, environmental law, intellectual property, etc.

A Master of Laws degree from an American university provides many benefits. Those who enroll in a US law LLM program are given the opportunity to expand their base of legal knowledge and establish themselves as experts in US law, which can open up new employment opportunities and high-level career paths.

This diploma gives the right to practice law or to work as a paralegal, lawyer and other legal activities. Please note that in the US, in order to practice law, you must pass the Bar Exam.

IMPORTANT! Foreign students are only eligible to take the Bar Exam after Master of Laws programs from universities that are on the ABA-approved law school list (https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/aba_approved_law_schools/in_alphabetical_order/) in states such as – California, Alabama, New Hampshire, New York, and Texas.

EDUSTEPS recommends considering the following Universities in the USA for Law Degrees

George Mason University

#42 Best Law Schools in nation – US News & World Report
MS Digital Forensics
LLM, Intellectual Property Law
LLM, Law and Economics
Admission: through the preparation program (2 semesters / 1 year) – Graduate Pathway in Law

Suffolk University Boston
Master of Laws, LLM (General Law, Global Law Technology)
Admission: through the preparation program (2 semesters / 1 year) – Graduate Pathway in Law
Tuition fees: from 52,000 USD

Saint Louis University
LLM, American Law for Foreign Lawyers
Admission: through the preparation program (2 semesters / 1 year) – Graduate Pathway in Law
Tuition fees: from 33,000 USD

University of the Pacific

Master of Science in Law
Master of Laws
Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Policy
Admission: through the preparation program (1 semester) – Advanced Master Accelerator
Price tuition: preparatory program – from 18,000 per semester
The cost of a master’s program: from 33,000 US dollars

Are you ready to start entering a US university? We can start selecting universities for you right now. Sign up for a free consultation with an EDUSTEPS academic advisor.

How can we help you?
Selection of the country of study and university
Preparation of a package of documents for enrollment
Admission to the program
Payment of documents for obtaining a student visa
Preparation for traveling abroad