Pitt Law’s LLM program provides lawyers who have completed their law degree outside the United States with an opportunity to study the common law legal tradition and the U.S. legal system in the United States. At the same time, it allows concentration in one of several substantive areas relevant to the global practice of law.
While Pitt Law’s LLM program is traditionally completed over the course of a full academic year in Pittsburgh, we also offer a new hybrid program that allows students to complete the program in 16 months—12 months in their home country and four months in Pittsburgh.
Hybrid LLM and International Business Law and Dispute Resolution Certificate Program
From January to November, online students will be enrolled in Pitt’s International Business Law and Dispute Resolution Certificate. Taught by expert faculty with an emphasis on practical education, this program will allow students to learn on their own schedule with asynchronous classes—any time of day or night. The curriculum consists of five courses totaling 15 credits, and includes Introduction to U.S. and International Business Law, Commercial Aspects of Cross-Border Transactions, Specialty Areas in Cross-Border Transactions, Foundations of International Dispute Resolution and Litigation, and Special Topics in International Transactional or Dispute Resolution Law. Each course is offered sequentially, lasts eight weeks, and earns three credits.
At the end of November, online students will have earned the International Business Law and Dispute Resolution Certificate. You can then apply the 15 credits you have earned toward the remainder of the LLM Degree.
From January through May, students wishing to complete the LLM degree will need to be in residence at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where they will take the LLM Colloquium (1 credit), U.S. Legal Analysis and Writing (2 credits), a seminar or independent writing requirement (2 or 3 credits), and at least six credits of elective courses offered to Pitt Law JD students.
This hybrid program is designed to be cost efficient and flexible for professionals who want to further their education while minimizing time away from their home country. In total, the full program costs $11,505 in tuition and fees for the online certificate, and US $20,496 in tuition and fees to complete the LLM degree (not including insurance and living expenses). In all, this provides students with two credentials for 25% of the price of an LLM, and half of the time in residence.