Concentration in International Legal Studies

The concentration in International Legal Studies is designed to allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of the field. To qualify for the concentration, students must satisfy both the Credit Hours Requirement and the Distribution Requirement. Students will verify their satisfaction of the requirements by submitting an "Application for Concentration in International Legal Studies" to the College of Law Registrar at least one month prior to the date of their graduation.

Students must satisfy the following number of credit hours through the courses, experiences, and activities listed in the Distribution Requirement:

• JD Students: 12 Credit Hours
• LLM Students: 10 Credit Hours 

Students must satisfy each of the following four components of the concentration: 

Students must complete at least 6 credit hours (for a letter grade) from these courses:

• Human Rights
• Immigration
• International Business Transactions
• Public International Law

Students must take at least one of these courses:

• International Tax
• International Intellectual Property
• International Arbitration
• International Trade
• Asylum and Refugee Law
• Employment Based Immigration
• Crimmigration
• National Security Law
• International Criminal Law
• International Environmental Law
• An Individual Research Project on an international law topic (one credit maximum)

The list of courses offered at the College of Law varies from year to year. Many of the courses listed are offered only once every two or three years. Students should plan accordingly. Moreover, additional courses on various topics of international law may be added to the curriculum. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the chair of the International Programs Committee, may add courses to the Elective Coursework list.

Students must complete at least one of these experiences:

• Urban Morgan Summer Experience outside of the United States
• Bogotá short course
• Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot travel team
• American Society for International Law Annual Meeting student volunteer
• An externship in the United States in the area of immigration, international business law, or another international topic
• Additional experiences as approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, in consultation with the chair of the International Programs Committee

Students must participate in at least one of these activities for a full academic year:

• International Law Club
• LL.M. & International Student Club
  
• Attend at least five lectures, dinners, and other events sponsored by the College or University relating to international law
• Human Rights Quarterly editorial staff
• Immigration and Human Rights Law Review editorial staff
• Additional activities as approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, in consultation with the chair of the International Programs Committee

For further details about the Concentration, please contact Professor Jacob Cogan, who serves as the program’s faculty director. In order to apply for the Concentration in International Legal Studies, you may request the application.