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Profile
The University
UCLA represents the very best of what a university can be—a diverse community of talented people who enrich our society through education, research and service. Our extraordinary students are simply the best of the best. They come from every walk of life and share a commitment to excellence. Our world-class faculty includes many who are the top scholars in their fields. They are actively engaged in teaching and research because they love learning and discovery. Our scholarship advances medical science, engineering, education, the arts and humanities and many other fields all over the world.
Gene D. Block
Chancellor
The Law School
UCLA School of Law is the youngest top law school in the nation. At over 60 years old, our school has never felt bound by outmoded ideas of how law should be taught or studied. Instead, beginning in the 1950s, UCLA created its own tradition - a tradition of innovation. We maintain this tradition persistently, building off our past successes as we propel our school, and students, into a future of unparalleled distinction.
In every facet of our institution, through the amazing work of our faculty and staff, and embodied by our diverse and academically astute student body, UCLA School of Law is truly dedicated to pushing the field of law forward and upholding our own tradition of progressive teaching, influential scholarship and enduring innovation.
Location
Those of us who work and study in Los Angeles have a hard time understanding why people go anywhere else. In fact, UCLA's colors were chosen to represent regional attributes: blue to symbolize the Pacific Ocean and yellow to reflect "the Golden State," the California poppy and sunsets. Our lush, sprawling campus is ideally located in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city, just 15 minutes from the beach and 5 minutes from Beverly Hills. In addition to having what might arguably be the best climate on earth, Los Angeles is a dynamic, cosmopolitan cultural center of more than ten million people. Our arts and entertainment offerings rival any in the world. Why wouldn't you choose Los Angeles?
LLM Course Structure
LL.M. students attend classes full-time for one nine-month academic year, commencing in mid-August with a Fall semester of thirteen weeks. The LL.M. Program begins one week prior to the start of classes with a short summer course, American Law in a Global Context, designed exclusively for LL.M. students who do not hold a prior U.S. law degree. Following final examinations and Winter Break in December, classes resume in early January for the second and final thirteen-week semester, which concludes with Law School Commencement in mid-May.
Twenty-two (22) units of credit, over two semesters, are required to obtain the LL.M. degree. Students may enroll in a minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of fourteen (14) units per semester. Aside from the short summer course for students who do not hold a prior U.S. law degree, there are no required courses for the LL.M. degree.
LL.M. students create their own program of study from our rich selection of advanced course offerings, and take these classes alongside the Law School's Juris Doctor (J.D.) students.
LLM Faculty
The UCLA School of Law faculty is a treasured asset. Faculty members are leaders in their respective fields and are the mainstay of UCLA Law's high-quality legal education programs. The faculty includes leading experts in traditional areas of law, such as Environmental Law, Entertainment Law, Constitutional Law and Public Interest Law and Policy, as well as renowned experts in areas such as Critical Race Studies, Animal Welfare Law, Technology Law, Islamic Law, Law and Terrorism, Sexual Orientation Law and Native Nations Law and Policy.
Each year, the faculty demonstrates the caliber of its intellectual abilities by publishing groundbreaking scholarship in leading academic journals and law reviews, and the work is widely cited. Faculty members also demonstrate their dedication to teaching and they take a genuine interest in their students.
LLM Student Body
For over 20 years, the LL.M. Program has attracted applicants from over 60 different countries throughout the world. For the 2016-2017 academic year, we are pleased to be joined by students from Afghanistan, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. The LL.M. class consists of approximately 180 to 200 students.
LLM Alumni Network
UCLA School of Law has a robust and ever-expanding alumni network of more than 16,000 members, who have become powerful lawyers across a wide variety of fields, such as environmental law, public interest, commercial law, and entertainment, to name a few.
Graduates of our LL.M. Program constitute a group of over 1,200 legal professionals within the law school's alumni network, who represent over 70 different countries and work in a broad range of capacities internationally.
Career Services
The UCLA School of Law Office of Career Services includes a career counselor and an LL.M. development administrator who are solely devoted to assisting LL.M. students. In addition to counseling students on an individual basis, the LL.M. Career Services administrators host workshops on resume preparation, job interviewing skills, and career networking tips. They also organize an extremely valuable resource for our LL.M. students, the UCLA LL.M. Interview Program (formerly the West Coast International LL.M. Job Fair), hosted each year by UCLA School of Law. The Office of Career Services also prepares students to participate in the NYU International Student Interview Program job fair held annually in New York, and assists students interested in pursuing the one-year Optional Practical Training internship allowed under the terms of the F-1 visa.
Facilities
The Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library is the intellectual hub of the UCLA School of Law. With its world-class collection and cutting-edge resources, wide array of services, and beautiful and inviting space, the Law Library is deeply committed to the Law School’s research and teaching missions. The Law Library collection enriches every facet of the Law School, from its innovative and dynamic curriculum to its unparalleled range of programs and centers.
Students are drawn to the library by the panoramic views overlooking the Santa Monica Mountains, residential areas, and central campus, with vistas getting more dramatic at each level. The Tower Reading Room, with its spectacular 360 degree views of the city, cherry wood baffle ceiling, and magnificent bronze chandelier serves as a refuge for quiet study.
Student Accommodation
As demand for on-campus housing at UCLA currently greatly exceeds the number of available units, we regret that the university is not able to offer LL.M. students guaranteed on-campus housing. During the summer prior to their enrollment at UCLA, admitted LL.M. students may submit an application for an on-campus Graduate Student Housing unit. As these units are not guaranteed, students who submit applications will be entered into a housing lottery and notified of the result in the late summer.
Fortunately, there are numerous equally attractive off-campus housing options in the neighborhoods surrounding UCLA, and bus services like the Big Blue Bus, the Culver City Bus, and the Los Angeles MTA offer transportation to and from campus. The UCLA Community Housing Office provides a useful guide to securing housing accommodations in local areas. Students also locate off-campus apartments through websites such as Craigslist and Westside Rentals (subscription required). Affordable alternatives like the University Cooperative Housing Association are also available. Admitted students will receive further housing information and application instructions.
Student Life
UCLA School of Law affords its students many opportunities to get more involved with the law school community. The school provides services, sponsors activities, and coordinates organizations and volunteer opportunities. Students can participate in the law school's over 30 different organizations and programs or contribute to the student run journals and law reviews, covering a wide scope of topics ranging from Asian Pacific American law and entertainment law to law & technology and women's law.
LL.M. students may even supplement their academic experience with hands-on, practical work experience through academic-year externships held outside of the classroom. Law students are also encouraged to take advantage of the many other campus resources and services available to them, such as athletic, recreation and fitness offerings, health and wellness services, transportation, and more.
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UCLA School of Law has a reputation for excellence throughout the world. Consistently ranked in the top-tier of law schools in the nation, ours is the premier law school in southern California.