Degree Requirements
The LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law Program is a two-semester, full-time, 24-credit program, beginning in late August and ending in late May. All students take three of the four “core” courses: Intellectual Property, Copyright, Patents and Trademark and Unfair Competition. (The director may waive core course requirements for students who completed substantially similar work at another law school.)
Domestic students must complete 24 credits in intellectual property and related classes. Students with foreign law degrees must take "Introduction to American Law" and a "Legal Research and Writing seminar" (unless waived with the director’s permission), each for two credits in the fall semester. They must complete their remaining 20 credits in intellectual property and related classes.
All students complete a substantial three-credit analytical paper addressing an intellectual property law issue, either in connection with a seminar or as an independent study. Students' faculty advisors are responsible for certifying that papers meet the standard of a substantial research and analytical undertaking in intellectual property law.
Because of the formidable demands of the program's thesis requirement, candidates who hold a first degree in law from a foreign country (and who do not command a high degree of English-language proficiency) are strongly encouraged to consider applying to the LL.M. in American Law Program and pursuing that program's Intellectual Property Concentration, which affords them access to the same range of intellectual property coursework.
Except for the required courses for foreign law graduates, all courses are offered through the BU Law’s J.D. curriculum (and are therefore open to J.D. students). Students must complete their minimum 24 credits (with at least ten credits a semester) with a final weighted average of at least 2.30 (C+) for all courses taken.
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.
