Introduction to Written Work--LL.M.
4. LL.M. Written Work Requirement--All LL.M. candidates must satisfy the Written Work Requirement for the LL.M. degree. Methods of satisfying that requirement are described below. Further detailed guidance on the writing requirement is available from the Graduate Program Office.
a) The LL.M. Long Paper is a substantial written work of approximately 75 to 100 pages, undertaken under the supervision of a faculty member. An LL.M. Long Paper may be written in conjunction with a course or seminar for two credits (in addition to the credits for the course or seminar) or may be written independently under the guidance of a faculty member for three credits. Where there is no course or seminar in the field in which a student wants to work, normally a faculty member will be available to guide research in his or her field. Students who hold a J.D. degree from a U.S. law school (including a law school in Puerto Rico) must write the LL.M. Long Paper or LL.M. Thesis (described below). International LL.M. students have the option not to write the LL.M. Long Paper.
b) The LL.M. Thesis option is open to a small number of students who have significant research and writing experience and who plan careers in law teaching. The LL.M. Thesis calls for substantially more work than the LL.M. Long Paper, a fact that is reflected in the number of credits granted for the Thesis (five if written in conjunction with a course or seminar, six if written independently). The LL.M. Thesis is expected to be longer, to involve more research and reflection, and to be devoted to a more exacting subject than is the LL.M. Long Paper. It also will be held to a higher standard of academic contribution than is the Long Paper.
Students pursuing the Thesis must complete a minimum of 16 credits (or 17, if the Thesis is written in conjunction with a course or seminar) in courses and seminars in addition to the LL.M. Thesis.
The LL.M. Thesis option is available to a student only with the prior approval of the Committee on Graduate Studies. The Committee takes into account the substance and quality of the applicant's experience since obtaining the basic law degree and the quality of the applicant's published writings on legal subjects. Students interested in the LL.M. Thesis option should contact the Director of Administration and Student Affairs of the Graduate Program by no later than the August date specified in the preregistration materials received prior to arrival at the Law School.
c) Students Not Writing the LL.M. Long Paper or Thesis: All international students who do not write the LL.M. Long Paper or LL.M. Thesis must complete a paper of 25 or more pages that involves independent reflection, formulation of a sustained argument and, in many cases, outside research. The requirement may be fulfilled through a Law School course or seminar in which a 25-page paper is required, or through an independent paper of one or more credits supervised by a member of the Law School faculty. A series of shorter papers or journal entries does not satisfy the requirement.
Students writing the LL.M. Long Paper or Thesis must register for the paper at the Graduate Program Office by no later than the October deadline set forth at VI(F)(5). Students not writing the LL.M. Long Paper or Thesis must register for the 25-Page Paper with the Graduate Program Office by no later than the October deadline set forth in VI(F)(5) for a paper to be written in the fall term, or by no later than the February deadline set forth in VI(F)(5) for a paper to be written in the spring term. LL.M. students who fail to register for the Written Work Requirement by the February deadline set forth in VI(F)(5) are subject to removal from the June degree list for that academic year.