A degree to match your ambitions
Your door to a world of possibilities
Iowa Law’s LLM program is a one-year graduate program that positions you to work with attorneys in the United States.
Why Iowa?
- A small program that fosters close interactions between faculty and students
- Take courses alongside JD students, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience
- Be part of a major research university with a tradition of interdisciplinary work and academic excellence
- Explore opportunities with Iowa Law's centers and institutes
- Utilize special facilities dedicated to foreign and international work, including one of the largest law libraries in the country
- Access support from the renowned Iowa Law Writing Center within the College of Law
- Receive English as a Second Language (ESL) assistance to enhance language skills
- Benefit from Iowa Law's affordable tuition and cost-of-living priced well below peer institutions
Important LLM Application Dates
Important LLM application dates:
- Applications open: Sept. 1
- Applications due: April 1
- Application consideration deadline: April 10
- $250 deposit due for accepted students: March 15–April 1
- Students accepted after March 15, deposit due two weeks after acceptance letter
LLM tracks
Legal practice
This track is for foreign-trained lawyers seeking practical training and a path to bar admissions. It is open to students from other countries who do not have a JD from a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or approved by the American Bar Association but are interested in qualifying to take a bar examination.
Legal practice track curriculum
The Legal Practice Track requires the LLM Orientation courses that provide an introduction to US law for foreign-trained lawyers; Legal Analysis, Writing and Research; Professional Responsibility; and at least two more courses selected from core courses tested on the bar exam, including, for example, Contracts, Property, and Torts from the first-year JD curriculum and many public and private law courses from the second- and third-year JD curriculum. LLM students may choose the rest of their courses from the large variety of regularly offered JD courses. Students work with Iowa Law advisors to tailor each of their programs to meet the bar requirements of the states in which they are interested. Students in the practice track may complete an LLM seminar paper, should they choose.
For more information, see Important Information for Foreign-Educated Applicants to the New York Bar.
Research
This track is for students seeking an academic career or one involving policy formulation or research, or who want to do doctoral work in the U.S. It is open to both foreign-trained lawyers and students holding a JD from a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or approved by the American Bar Association.
Curriculum
The LLM Research Track provides a setting that encourages close collaboration with renowned experts in such fields as international and comparative law, anti-competition law, intellectual property, law and economics, law and society, law of war and peace and international criminal law, human rights, and international arbitration.
LLM students without a JD from a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or approved by the American Bar Association must take the LLM Orientation course on the U.S. Legal System. All LLM students in this track take the LLM Seminar, a research and writing course during which they will write a research paper qualifying for at least one credit on a topic approved by the instructor.
For each student, the LLM seminar paper is the culmination of research conducted in our world-class law library, which includes an extensive international and comparative law collection. All LLM students are also required to take the one-credit Intro to Legal Reasoning course that is offered before the start of the fall semester during orientation week—unless they have already completed such a course in an American law school. Lastly, all LLM students in this track take LAWR 1, a two-semester first-year course designed to equip students with effective skills in legal analysis, writing, and research.
Graduation Requirements
To earn the LLM degree, each student must complete a minimum of 24 hours of academic credit, as approved by a faculty adviser.
The College of Law reviews and develops its curriculum, including both mandatory and elective courses, on an ongoing basis. Certain courses are specifically designed for foreign-trained law students. The college may develop additional courses for our foreign-trained students, including versions of existing courses, that may be required to graduate with an LLM degree.