Columbia Law : LL.M. Program
http://www.law.columbia.edu/llm_jsd/llm
Application Deadlines
Early Review ProgramNovember 1, 2007
Regular Application Deadline: December 15, 2007
Application Forms (online)
Application Fee: U.S. $70 paid by credit card, a check drawn on a bank located in the U.S., traveler’s checks, or a bank or postal money order
TOEFL iBT: 105 overall score, 26 on the Reading and Listening sections and 24 on the Writing and Speaking sections;
Certificate of Proficiency in English: This form must be completed and returned with your application.
Personal Statement: You must submit a detailed Personal Statement describing your background, academic interests, the program of study you wish to follow and your reasons for doing so. This statement should be prepared without assistance from others, and should not exceed three double-spaced pages. Your application will not be considered without such a statement. We will not accept a résumé or curriculum vitae in place of the Personal Statement.
Resume or Curriculum Vitae: While resumes are not required, you may submit one for consideration as part of your application. Individuals applying for an Associates-in-Law position must include their resume with their applications.
Transcripts and Diplomas (Forms are not provided.)
If you have not registered with LSAC, you must submit an official transcript and, where applicable, a diploma or proof of degree from each college, university, graduate school and law school you have attended, whether or not you earned a degree. If you are unable to submit original documents, you may submit certified copies. If the originals are not in English, you must submit an official, certified translation of each document in addition to the original document. If you are in school at the time you submit your application, please send us your most recent transcript with your application, and send us an updated one once your fall grades are available. Please note: evaluations of transcripts from companies other than LSAC, such as those from WES, are not acceptable alone as they do not include original or official copies of your transcripts. They are acceptable only if accompanied by both the original (or certified copies of the original) and certified translations of your official transcripts. If your rank does not appear on your transcript, we must receive a separate, official statement of rank from your law school. If your law school does not rank its graduates, we must receive an official statement to this effect.
Letters of Recommendation
(Forms are not provided.)
We require two original letters of recommendation from your law school professors, employers, supervisors, or other persons qualified to appraise your academic potential for graduate legal studies. At least one letter should come from a law school professor. If you have work experience (in addition to internships while in school), one letter should also come from a work supervisor. "To Whom It May Concern" letters (which tend to be very general), letters from friends, and letters from prominent persons who have not supervised your work are not helpful. Letters of recommendation must be written by the recommender and addressed to the Office of Graduate Legal Studies. (If your recommenders cannot write in English, please submit certified translations together with the original letters.) We reserve the right to disqualify letters written or translated, in part or in whole, by the applicant. Please do not submit more than two letters. Even if you indicate that you are submitting more than two letters of recommendation, we will consider an application complete once we have received two letters of recommendation and all other required supporting documentation.
Note: Transcripts and letters of recommendation should be sent with your application in sealed envelopes.
Application Checklist: Please complete this form and submit it with your application.
Admissions Decisions: Admissions decisions for the Early Review Program are made by the end of December. Applicants will either be accepted, rejected or deferred to the regular admission cycle. All other admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis, in most cases no later than early May.
When does the program begin? Can I start in January?
The program is a full-time, one-year program beginning in August only.
LL.M. Degree
LL.M. candidates should note that the LL.M. Program consists essentially of a year of professional studies and is an opportunity for specialization in fields not fully covered in previous law work. Except for the Master’s Essay and some clinical offerings, the courses and seminars open to LL.M. candidates are generally those open to J.D. students in the second and third years. LL.M. candidates are required to earn twenty-four (24) points of academic credit and two LL.M. Writing Credits for the LL.M. degree. Of the candidate’s points of academic credit, no more than eight points can be earned through supervised research and no more than six points can be earned in courses outside the Law School. Ordinarily, a candidate’s program consists of 11-14 points in each of the two terms, but with approval may consist of a greater number of points. The academic programs of all candidates for graduate degrees are subject to the approval of the Dean for Graduate Legal Studies.
Columbia Law : Areas of Studyhttp://www.law.columbia.edu/curriculum/areasofstudy
