LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law Program Application Procedures and Instructions
Thank you for your interest in the LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law Program. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the program or the application process. We look forward to hearing from you.
- Eligibility to Apply
- Application instructions
- Application Deadlines
- Interviews
- Admissions Decisions
- Contact Current Students and Alumni
- Information for International Applicants
- Administrative Policies Relating to Federal Guidelines
- Contact Us
Eligibility to Apply
Candidates to the LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law Program must hold a first degree in law, or its equivalent, from an ABA-accredited law school or a comparably recognized law school or law faculty outside the United States. Admission is highly competitive and depends to a great extent on the demonstration of outstanding ability in previous law studies. Prior work experience in the intellectual property field is strongly recommended, though not required.
Application Instructions
Candidates for admission may submit their applications either online or by mail. Instructions for applications are available online. Applicants must submit the following items by the relevant deadline below:
- Completed Application for Admission form
We recommend that you complete the online application form. Alternatively, you may download and complete the application from the Web site listed above, or you may request a bulletin which includes an application for admission. - Application Fee
Payment of a nonrefundable application fee of U.S. $75 must accompany the application. Online applications may pay this fee only by credit card. Other applicants may pay this fee in the form of a money order or check drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to Boston University. - Official, Sealed Academic Records
Complete official transcripts or notarized, full-sized copies of all colleges, universities, or graduate schools from which you have received a degree must be submitted along with an official certification of the law degree received. You should fill out the identifying information at the top of the transcript request form included in the application materials and send it (or a copy of it) to the registrar’s office of each college or university you have attended. Schools should mail official transcripts to you to be submitted, unopened, with the application. (If this procedure is against school policy, you should indicate on the application form that your school is mailing the transcripts directly to us.) The official transcript or an accompanying report must contain your class standing or an official approximation of class standing, together with a description of the school’s grading system. All transcripts or other academic records must be official documents bearing the registrar’s signature and/or the institution’s seal. If these records are not in English, a certified English translation must be submitted together with the originals or copies. We recommend that international applicants register with LSAC's LL.M. Credential Assembly Service. For more information, visit LLM.LSAC.org or read below. - Two Letters of Recommendation
You must submit two letters of recommendation from individuals who are well acquainted with your academic or professional abilities. At least one must be from a former law professor. The other should be from a law professor, a law school administrator, or an employment supervisor. A recommendation form, which you may photocopy and distribute to your recommenders, is provided with the application materials. You should ask each recommender to enclose the recommendation form and letter in an envelope, seal the envelope, sign it across the seal and return it to you to be submitted, unopened, with the other application materials. (If a recommender prefers, she or he may mail the recommendation directly to us, and you should indicate on the application form that the recommender is doing so.) - Personal Statement of Interest
A carefully worded and detailed personal statement of interest is an important part of your application. You should discuss your personal and professional reasons for pursuing the LL.M. degree. You should also include an explanation of your study interests and their relation to your previous study, employment experiences and professional goals. - International Student Data Form
Foreign applicants are required to complete the International Student Data Form, which is included in the application materials. Applicants must provide the appropriate financial declaration and documentation, as described in the form. Applications cannot be processed unless complete Proof of Financial Support is submitted. - Curriculum Vitae
Please include your curriculum vitae as a separate item, not as a substitute for your personal statement.. - Law School Admissions Test.
If you have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), you must list on the application form each time you took the test and the sores you received. (We do not require GRE or other standardized test results.). The LSAT test is not required of foreign-trained applicants. - Proof of English language proficiency
(applicants whose native language is not English)
LL.M. students must have a high degree of proficiency in speaking, reading, writing and listening in the English language. If your native language is not English, you must demonstrate proficiency in English by achieving a minimum score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) of 600 (paper-based) or 250 (computer-based) or 100 (internet-based). If you have taken the new internet-based test, your scores on the individual sections should at a minimum be 25 (reading), 25 (listening), 25 (writing) and 23 (speaking). Candidates whose scores fall slightly below these minimums may still apply to the program, but may be asked to attend an intensive English language program prior to the commencement of law school studies.
You should take the TOEFL as early as possible, preferably eight months or more before your anticipated admission. You must arrange for an official report of your TOEFL scores to be sent to us from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Information on TOEFL may be obtained from:
The Educational Testing Service
TOEFL/TSE Services
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
USA
Telephone 609.771.7100
Fax 609.771.7500
E-mail TOEFL@ets.orgWhen completing the TOEFL Score Report Request Form, please use 9627 as the “Institution Code.” The code will be named “Boston University School of Law LL.M. Programs.” Please enter Department Code 03 (for law schools).
You also must indicate that it should be sent to:
Boston University School of Law
LL.M. Admissions Office
765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215Note: Applicants whose native language is not English may be exempt from taking the TOEFL is he/she has received their first degree in law from a college or university in a country where both the language of instruction and the official language is English.
Note Regarding TOEFL scores: We understand that some students are unable to get a TOEFL test date before our application deadline. We will gladly accept applications before the TOEFL scores are available, and make final decisions once we receive the TOEFL scores.
Interviews
The program Director and/or Assistant Director interviews all qualified applicants by phone (or in person, if practical). The Office of Foreign Programs will notify applicants of the time and date of scheduled interviews.
Admissions Decisions
We make admissions decisions on a rolling basis. Although the official deadline is April 15th, priority will be given to applications completed prior to this date. Upon notification of acceptance, a nonrefundable deposit of US $500.00 is required to hold your place in the class. If the deposit is not paid within the specified time, the acceptance will be canceled.
Contact Current Students and Alumni
We encourage all applicants to talk with current students and alumni to learn about the LL.M. In Intellectual Property Law Program and BU Law in general. Send an e-mail to the Office of Foreign Programs at ofp@bu.edu to get in touch with a program participant, or student(s) from any particular country.
Information for International Applicants
Boston University Overseas Liaison Offices
Boston University maintains permanent offices in the following cities to provide prospective students with information and assistance in communicating with the University: London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangkok and Taipei.
England (covers all Western Europe)
William Straughn, Director
Boston University Liaison Office
43 Harrington Gardens
Kensington
London SW7 4JU England
United Kingdom
Telephone: 44.20.7835.0916
Fax: 44.20.7373.7411
E-mail: liaison@bu-london.co.uk
Hong Kong
Marsha Lee, Director
Boston University Liaison Office
11th Floor, Unit 1113
Lippo Sun Plaza
28 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Telephone: 852.2.375.6278
Fax: 852.2.375.6215
E-mail: buhk@pacific.net.hk
Tokyo, Japan
Makiko Teraoka, Director
Boston University Liaison Office
Yatsuka Building, 6th Floor
1-3-8 Higashi Azabu
Minato-ku
Tokyo 106-004 Japan
Telephone: 81.3.3582.8421
Fax: 81.3.3589.2406
E-mail: bujapan@abelia.ocn.ne.jp
Bangkok, Thailand
Somnual Laohaprasit, Director
Boston University Liaison Office
11th Floor, RS Tower Building
121/46 Ratchadaphisek Road
Huay-Kwang
Bangkok 10310 Thailand
Telephone: 66.2.641.2120
Fax: 66.2.641.2134
E-mail: bubkk@asiaaccess.net.th
Taipei, Taiwan
Meierh Shen, Director
Boston University
Alumni Association of Taipei
Taiwan, ROC
10th Floor, Unit D, No. 332
Tun Hua South Road, Section 1
Taipei, Taiwan
Republic of China
Telephone: 886.2.2708.5235
Fax: 886.2.2703.6541
E-mail: butpe@ms23.hinet.net
LSAC Credential Assembly Service
We strongly recommend (but do not require) that international applicants register with the LL.M. Credential Assembly Service provided by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). This service collects and authenticates the academic records and TOEFL scores of international lawyers who are applying for admission to U.S. LL.M. programs, and sends reports to participating LL.M. programs to which these lawyers have applied. Because applicants will need to obtain only one set of official academic transcripts in order to make them available for all applications to participating law schools, the service should save them time and money. The registration fee of $185 (U.S.) includes five reports to law schools. (Additional reports can be ordered at an additional fee.) We encourage international applicants to register for this service online (LLM.LSAC.org). Please note that (i) the LSAC service only authenticates academic transcripts and related credentials from outside the United States, and (ii) international applicants must still complete the Boston University School of Law LL.M. program application and submit it with the required application fee.
Passport and Visa Information
International applicants who are currently in the United States must submit copies of all current visa documents. Applicants who are accepted for admission will ordinarily be issued the Form I-20 (needed to secure the F-1 student visa) directly from Boston University. For additional information concerning passport or visa requirements, international applicants should contact:
International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO)
888 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Phone 617.353.3565
fax: 617.358.1170
E-mail isso@bu.edu
Web site www.bu.edu/ISSO
Center for English Language Orientation Program (CELOP)
The Boston University Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) offers a number of intensive language courses, including six-, nine- and twelve-week summer “Legal English” programs for international students who have been admitted to an LL.M. program. We encourage all applicants for admission to American LL.M. programs who received their first degrees in law from countries other than the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom to seek early preparation for their studies by attending a CELOP summer program. The Boston University Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) conducts intensive language courses and cultural orientation activities for international students. In certain cases, a student may be admitted under the condition that he or she successfully complete an intensive English language program at CELOP during the summer prior to fall enrollment. Such students will receive information about CELOP with their acceptance letters; they should be aware that their expenses will increase accordingly. Applicants interested in learning more about CELOP can contact the Center for English Language and Orientation Programs, 890 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, telephone: 617.353.4870; fax: 617.353.6190 or visit their Web site.
Bar Admission
It is generally expected that international students enrolled in LL.M. programs in the United States will return to their home countries after they complete their studies. Most states in the United States will allow only individuals who have earned a Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association to take their bar examinations. However, New York and a few other states do allow some lawyers from abroad who have received LL.M. degrees from Boston University to take bar examinations. Each of the fifty states of the United States has its own criteria and procedures for admitting lawyers to practice, and these criteria and procedures change from time to time. It is essential that a foreign lawyer who wishes to practice in this country directly contact the lawyer-licensing authority in the state or jurisdiction in which he or she expects to be located. Individuals can also request a copy of the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements from:
The National Conference of Bar Examiners
ABA Order Fulfillment Department
750 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Phone 312.988.5522
Bar admissions information is also available at the American Bar Association.
Transfer to J.D. Program for Foreign-Trained LL.M. Candidates
Foreign-trained students who have completed or are enrolled in an LL.M. program at BU Law may apply for admission to the Juris Doctor (J.D.) program. The timing and procedures for such applications are the same as those for transfer admission to the J.D. program. If accepted to the J.D. program, students will receive J.D. credits for their BU Law LL.M. work, in accordance with American Bar Association regulations. All standard requirements for the J.D. degree apply, including completion of the full program of first-year study.
Administrative Policies Relating to Federal Guidelines
Equal Opportunity Policy
Boston University prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or marital, parental, or veteran status. This policy extends to all rights, privileges, programs and activities, including admissions, financial assistance, employment, housing, athletics and educational programs. Boston University recognizes that nondiscrimination does not ensure that equal opportunity is a reality. The University therefore will continue to take affirmative action to promote equal opportunity for all students, applicants and employees. Inquiries regarding the application of this policy should be addressed to:
Assistant Vice President for Human Resources
25 Buick Street
Boston, MA 02215
Phone 617.353.4477
Contact Us
Please direct all correspondence and inquiries to:
The LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law Program
Office of Foreign Programs
Boston University School of Law
765 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 1534
Boston, MA 02215
Phone 617.353.5324
Fax 617.358.2720
E-mail ipllm@bu.edu