LLM in Gender, International, & Comparative Law

The only program of its kind, the LLM in Gender, International, and Comparative Law equips graduates with the legal and policy skills needed to address challenges facing women and LGBTQ people worldwide. Students will study the legal and social structures shaping the day-to-day lives of women and LGBTQ persons: family law, anti-discrimination law, political participation, economic development, and reproductive rights. Students also explore recent developments in the protection of women’s rights and LGBTQ rights taking shape in international bodies, regional human rights mechanisms, and international tribunals. From there, students choose from an extensive array of specialized electives, including the prevention of human trafficking, labor exploitation, domestic violence, and the prosecution of rape as a war crime.

LLM Admissions

Hold a Juris Doctor (JD) from a US law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) or a first degree in law from a foreign law school with equivalent standards.
Submit a completed application form along with supporting documents before the application deadline.
International applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement

More information about applying is available on the Office of Graduate Admissions website.

LLM Degree Requirements

Students must successfully complete 24 credit hours from the designated list of classes with a grade point average of 2.0 (C) or better.
In the first semester, non-common law trained students must successfully complete American Legal Institutions (LAW-580-001; 2 credits) and Legal Research and Writing (580-002; 2 credits).
Before the end of the first semester of study, students must select one of the following graduation tracks:
- Research Track: students must successfully complete two research papers of at least 3,500 words each that demonstrate a high degree of skill in legal scholarship and writing.
- Practical Skills Track: students must successfully complete an externship for credit, and one research paper that demonstrates a high degree of skill in legal scholarship and writing.
The 24 credits needed for the LLM degree can be completed part-time, or full-time (two or three regular semesters). Students on an F-1 or J-1 visa must be enrolled in at least 8 credits during the fall and the spring, except for the last semester when students can take a reduced course load for 1-7 credits. To take a reduced course load, the Reduced Course Load Authorization Form must be filled out.
Students may enroll in a maximum of 15 credits per semester (fall and spring), however, it is recommended that students take no more than 13 credits per semester. WCL allows up to 7 credits in the summer.
LLM students may complete their degree requirements entirely by traditional classroom study or by classroom study combined with no more than six semester hours of approved externship and/or independent study credits.
Absent extraordinary circumstances, students must complete the LLM degree within sixty months of matriculating in a given LLM program.

Required Courses

Core Courses (7 hrs.)

Key Electives (5 hrs.)

LAW 619A Comparative Family Law (2 hrs.)
LAW 636 Family Law (3 hrs.)
LAW 637 Domestic Violence Law (2 hrs.)
LAW 739D Women and International Human Rights Law (2 hrs)
LAW 927 International Trafficking in Persons (3 hrs.)
LAW 978 Responses of International Law to Conflict-Based Sexual and Gender Violence (2 hrs.)
LAW 989S The Rights of Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Groups (2 hrs)

Complete remaining twelve credit hours from approved international legal studies or New York Bar track courses.