The LLM program provides an excellent opportunity for foreign lawyers to study the United States legal system and the common law legal tradition. It offers a variety of electives that enable students to concentrate on a particular area of interest. The program includes various courses ranging from public international law and human rights to international business transactions, global disputes, and international arbitration. No matter your choice, at CILE we offer the opportunity to take all of your coursework in the same classes and seminars as our JD students among other benefits:
- Full integration with the JD student body: Other than two required LLM-only classes, you will take all of your coursework in the same classes and seminars as our U.S. JD students.
- World-class instruction with personalized interaction: Our faculty are a dynamic community of scholars who are at the forefront of domestic and international legal scholarship. Both the CILE staff and the law school faculty welcome inclusive contact with our LL.M. students and provide individualized advice and support.
- Moot competitions: Alongside our traditional strength in the Vis and Jessup moot court competitions, our LLM International Commercial Arbitration Moot team routinely ranks among the very best in the United States.
- Internship opportunities: LLM students who wish to stay in Pittsburgh or the surrounding region for the summer after graduation may intern at law firms, multinational corporations, international organizations, or with independent arbitrators. We work with each student to assist them in finding an internship provider that best suits their field of interest.
- Virtual to In-Person LLM Option: Students who are not able to reside in Pittsburgh for a full academic year may complete their LLM by first virtually completing one of Pitt Law's Online Certificates, followed by a Fall semester in residence in the LLM program.
Pitt Law’s LLM program welcomes applications from foreign-trained lawyers who are seeking to expand their knowledge of the U.S. legal system through a year of study in our dynamic community of students and scholars. We seek students whose record shows their ability to thrive in a demanding, competitive academic atmosphere.
Students must complete a minimum of 24 credits to graduate. The program is completed in one academic year from August to May. Part-time admission is considered on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about the LLM degree requirements.
Each of the micro-credential programs requires a minimum of nine credit hours of coursework chosen from a menu of courses currently offered on a regular basis by the School of Law.
A Virtual to In-Person LLM program can be completed in as little as a year and a half; a student will complete the LLM requirements by doing a one-year Online Certificate program, either in International Business Law, Corporate Compliance, Human Resources Law or Healthcare Compliance, and then spend the Fall semester doing coursework on campus.
Pittsburgh is regularly ranked as one of the most affordable metropolitan areas in the United States, and Pitt Law's tuition and fees have historically compared favorably to many competing programs. Pitt Law's combination of world-class faculty talent, small class size and dedicated staff support make our program a real value.
The bars of several states allow foreign-trained lawyers who complete an LLM degree to sit for their bar examinations and seek admission to legal practice. At present, most Pitt Law LLMs who wish to sit for a US state bar sit for the New York bar examination. LLM graduates who practiced in their home countries for at least 5 of the preceding 8 years may seek to sit for the Pennsylvania bar examination. CILE staff can advise you on which courses of study during your LLM would be best suited to preparation for one of these exams. Please note that current bar association rules allow an advance standing LLM student to sit for a state bar exam.