Who Should Apply?

The LLM in American Law Program is designed for internationally trained lawyers who want to:

• Gain a sophisticated understanding of US law and the institutions that shape it
• Work on cross-border matters or advise clients with interests that intersect with the United States
• Experience the case-law method and American legal reasoning, especially valuable for lawyers from civil law systems
• Enhance global mobility and advance their professional credentials

With a selective class of talented students from over 30 countries, you will also benefit from a close-knit, collaborative environment and personalized guidance from the Director throughout the year.

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Admission Requirements

We look for students with strong academic backgrounds and evidence that the candidate can perform well in a rigorous academic program. In addition to transcripts and letters of recommendation, the application also asks for a personal statement and curriculum vitae (CV). All applicants, unless otherwise exempted, are required to submit either a TOEFL or an IELTS exam report. Because active participation in classroom discussion is central to the program experience, strong English proficiency is important for success. To support applicants and ensure a strong mutual fit, all promising candidates are invited to an interview with the Director and/or Assistant Director. This conversation offers an opportunity for candidates to share their goals and strengths, ask questions, and learn more about the program’s dynamic and collaborative environment.

Have questions about the application process or requirements? Visit our FAQ page for more information.

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Enrollment Options

While the 24-credit LLM in American Law can be completed in one year of full-time study, BU Law offers several other enrollment options based on your educational background, professional experience, and English proficiency.

Two-Year LLM Program

If you want to improve your fluency in English and your academic skills before enrolling in our American Law LLM program, the Two-Year LLM Program can provide you with the optimal format.

Financial Services Fundamentals

Financial Services Fundamentals is a course offered to provide necessary financial services information to students entering the Graduate Banking and Financial Law Program without employment experience in the financial services sector or a strong academic background in financial law, and is also available to American Law students with an interest in banking and financial law. Find more information on Financial Services Fundamentals.

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Courses of Study

The LLM in American Law Program empowers you to design a customized academic journey aligned with your professional goals. With a mix of required courses, specialized LLM instruction, and broad access to JD offerings, you have the flexibility to shape a curriculum that works for you. This unique combination ensures both targeted skill-building and comprehensive exposure to the full scope of American law.

LLM-Only Courses

Build your foundation in American law with two cornerstone courses—Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing—plus engaging professional development through the Graduate Colloquium or Skills Lab. From there, customize your experience with electives that align with your ambitions. Explore the LLM-Only Courses.

JD First-Year Courses

Jumpstart your mastery of US legal principles by choosing from the full suite of JD first-year subjects, including civil procedure, torts, contracts, constitutional law, legislation, property, and criminal law. These courses give you a powerful grounding in the core pillars of American legal practice.

Upper-Class JD Courses

Elevate your expertise with access to nearly 200 advanced JD courses spanning today’s most dynamic legal fields. You can further expand your options by taking classes through the renowned Banking & Financial Law Program or Graduate Tax Program. Explore Upper-Class JD Courses.

Students with focused interests in intellectual property and information law, international business law, or tax law may pursue a formal concentration and earn certification in their chosen field as part of the LLM in American Law degree.

American Law LLM Program Learning Outcomes

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Fundamentals Track

The Fundamentals Track is designed for LLM students who plan to sit for a US bar exam and want targeted preparation in challenging, bar-tested subjects. Offered in a condensed format during the fall and spring semesters, these courses provide intensive grounding that civil law-trained lawyers often find most difficult when preparing for the bar.

Although originally developed for students in the LLM in American Law and Intellectual Property programs, the Fundamentals Track is open to students in any BU Law LLM program on a space-available basis. These courses include intensive 2 credit options in Contracts, Torts, Property, Evidence, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, and Criminal Procedure.

The benefits of the Fundamentals Track include:

Efficient Use of Credits

JD courses in similar areas are semester-long, four-credit classes that go far deeper than most LLM students need for bar preparation. The Fundamentals Track provides a smart alternative: two streamlined, two-credit courses that deliver essential doctrine without overwhelming your schedule. By dedicating 2 total credits instead of 4, you free up room to pursue electives that support your professional goals, such as corporate transactions or intellectual property and information law.

LLM-Oriented Instruction

Students may take a number of different topics through the JD curriculum or through the Fundamentals Track’s LLM-only sections. These LLM-only classes are tailored specifically to the backgrounds and learning needs of internationally trained lawyers, with a clear focus on the “black letter” law emphasized in bar-review programs and tested on US bar exams.

Early Exposure to Challenging Topics

Most LLM graduates take a bar-prep program after completing their degree, but many report that encountering the wide range of subjects covered in the bar exam for the first time during a fast-paced summer course can be overwhelming. The Fundamentals Track offers a valuable head start, helping students build familiarity with these subjects during the academic year so that summer bar-prep becomes a true review rather than a first encounter. While not a substitute for a bar-preparation program, this early exposure gives students a meaningful advantage with two of the most difficult bar topics.

While we are most excited about the Fundamentals Track, please note that BU Law makes no claims that this option, or the School’s overall program of study, extracurricular programming, or advising resources will qualify any individual LLM student to take a bar exam; each student must confer with the relevant state bar authorities to determine his or her eligibility and each student is responsible for meeting the relevant requirements to take the bar exam. The Fundamentals Track is intended to complement, rather than replace, a dedicated summer bar preparation program, and completion of these courses does not ensure success on a bar exam. At the same time, the track is thoughtfully designed to provide students with a strong grounding in foundational subjects and to build familiarity with the types of legal analysis commonly tested on U.S. bar exams—offering valuable preparation as part of a student’s overall bar readiness strategy.

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Course Selection Process

Course selection in the American Law Program is highly individualized. There is no typical study plan. Popular courses include corporate, financial, and business law, alternative dispute resolution, intellectual property and information law, transactional contract drafting, and bar-related topics.

Students choose classes through one-on-one meetings with the program director or associate director, who provide guidance on content, teaching styles, workload, and other questions. Check-in meetings during the term ensure students stay on track and address any concerns.

The program emphasizes classroom learning, so there is no thesis requirement. Students may pursue supervised writing projects through research papers or seminars and can supplement their studies with courses from other BU graduate or professional schools, such as the Questrom School of Business, with credits applied toward the law degree where appropriate.

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Concentrations

As part of the LLM in American Law program, you may pursue concentrations in three key areas of global legal practice: Intellectual Property and Information Law, International Business Practice, and Tax.

A concentration is a focused program of study in a particular field of law. Many American law schools, including BU Law, offer concentrations to JD students, and BU Law is among the first to extend this opportunity to foreign LLM students. Concentrations require completing at least four courses in the chosen field. Pursuing a concentration does not change the LLM degree requirements or the application process.

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Why Pursue a Concentration?

Concentrations are entirely optional. You can decide to concentrate before or after you arrive and choose your courses. Reasons to consider a concentration include:

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Intellectual Property & Information Law Concentration

Boston University School of Law ranks 12th in the nation in Intellectual Property and Information Law, according to U.S. News & World Report. Students in this concentration study the core areas of copyright, patent, and trademark law while also choosing from specialized courses in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, digital privacy, legal issues in high technology startups, technology licensing, and biotechnology and the law. Situated in Boston, a global center of innovation that is home to hundreds of startups and major companies, the program offers students exceptional opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom and engage with a dynamic legal and business environment. The concentration requires a minimum of four classes. Intellectual Property and Information Law Concentration Requirements.

International Business Practice Concentration

BU Law’s leadership in corporate, business, commercial, banking, tax, and financial law is renowned. Students who concentrate in International Business Practice will immerse themselves in a range of business or commercial law courses offered through the School’s JD Program, LLM in Banking & Financial Law Program, or Graduate Tax Program. Students will select from over 50 specialized courses, receiving exposure to such important topics as international business transactions, corporations, international trade, securities regulation, international project finance, transnational litigation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and antitrust. The concentration requires a minimum of four classes, including a required fall-semester corporations class. International Business Practice Concentration Requirements.

Tax Concentration

BU Law ranks 15th in the nation in tax studies among schools that offer an LLM in Taxation, according to US News and World Report, offering American Law Program students a tax curriculum of unparalleled breadth and depth. Students with strong backgrounds in tax studies and/or professional tax experience can pursue the concentration in taxation, which requires a minimum of four specified courses taken through the JD curriculum and the School’s Graduate Tax Program. Beyond the concentration’s minimum requirements, students may also pursue further coursework in specialty practice areas such as general business taxation, estate planning, international taxation, or financial services, depending on their professional goals and interests. Tax Concentration Requirements.

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Beyond the Classroom

Support & Student Life

A robust support system, including academic advising, writing assistance, and personalized career counseling, ensures you thrive both in the classroom and beyond. Combined with a vibrant calendar of events, social programming, and cultural experiences, your time here becomes a dynamic journey of growth, connection, and lasting impact.

Connections with JD Students

LLM students have meaningful opportunities to connect with their JD peers through more than 30 student organizations, as well as signature community events such as the Barristers’ Ball, the annual Boat Cruise, and the Halloween Party. At Boston University School of Law, these shared experiences foster a strong sense of community, bringing students together across programs in ways that build lasting friendships and professional connections.

Discovery Series

Students further enrich their learning through dedicated academic trips to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Led by the Program Director, these immersive visits bring students into direct contact with the places where U.S. constitutional history was formed and continues to resonate today. By engaging with historic sites and institutions firsthand, students gain a deeper, more vivid understanding of foundational legal principles in the very settings where they were developed, creating a distinctive and highly experiential approach to learning law.

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Life & Community in Boston

Boston is a global hub of intellectual energy, where top universities like Harvard, MIT, and Boston University intersect with cutting-edge innovation and legal thought. Just across the Charles River, Kendall Square is home to leading startups and companies like Google, Meta, and Tripadvisor, placing you at the center of the ideas, networks, and opportunities shaping the future of law and technology.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Learn about academics, course options, and concentrations while discovering how BU Law supports your career goals. Our flexible curriculum allows you to study alongside JD and LLM peers in a collaborative, interactive environment. International students consistently highlight that close faculty mentorship and a vibrant community both inside and outside the classroom make BU Law an unforgettable experience.

Learn more about our program from Christina Rice, Assistant Dean of Graduate, International & Online Programs, or Maureen Tracy Leo, Director, International and Graduate Programs.