The University
Established in 1869, Boston University is one of the world’s premier institutions of higher education and research. With more than 30,000 students from 50 states and 130 countries, BU is the fourth largest independent university in the United States. And with one of the largest international student populations, BU embodies the diversity that characterizes the best in U.S. education.
The Law School
Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is one of America’s most distinguished law schools. The core of the BU Law learning experience is superior teaching and a supportive, dynamic learning environment in which teachers guide, inspire and challenge. BU Law professors are nationally acclaimed for their legal skills and scholarship, on the cutting edge in research, writing and advising to both the public and private sectors. But what uniquely defines them is their devotion to students — academically, professionally and individually. This explains why the school is consistently ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the top schools in the nation for “Best Professors” and “Best Classroom Experience.” The school is also ranked in the top 15 percent of American law schools in U.S. News and World Report, and in the top ten in the specialty areas of intellectual property, tax and health law.
The Program
The school’s roughly 280 LL.M. students bring an astounding mix of backgrounds and interests to campus. In any given year, they come from over 40 law schools throughout the United States and from more than 45 countries worldwide. BU Law offers foreign-trained and domestic lawyers five leading LL.M. programs:

LL.M. in American Law (for foreign-trained lawyers)
The LL.M. in American Law Program is a one-year, full-time graduate law program designed to introduce jurists trained outside the United States to American law and the U.S. legal system. Fully immersed into the school’s J.D. classes, LL.M. in American Law students select topics from over 190 courses available at BU Law. These include such important fields as intellectual property and corporate law, and such fundamental topics as contracts, civil procedure and constitutional law. By taking classes with full-time American J.D. students, LL.M. in American Law Program students learn first-hand about how American lawyers are trained to analyze and address legal problems. Students can pursue specialized concentrations in the important areas of International Business Practice, Intellectual Property and Taxation.

LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law
For lawyers with focused interests in banking and financial services, BU Law’s Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law offers a course of study leading to an LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law degree. The program, the first of its kind in America, prepares U.S. and foreign-trained lawyers for leadership positions in both the American and international financial markets. The program’s faculty consists of industry practitioners who are dedicated to sharing their wealth of experience. The 2,000 plus graduates form a cohesive professional network that is unmatched in the financial services industry.

LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law
Our LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law program builds upon our national reputation in intellectual property law and enables U.S. and foreign-trained students to study not only the core topics of copyright, patents and trademark and unfair competition, but also to explore advanced, specialized topics through an expansive range of electives in such cutting-edge fields as Internet and biotechnology law, all offered through the school’s J.D. curriculum. In a year of full-time study, students also participate in the spring semester Intellectual Property Workshop Seminar, where they discuss and react to the scholarly works-in-progress of America’s leading IP academics.

LL.M. in Taxation
The Graduate Tax Program is designed for U.S. and foreign-trained lawyers specializing in tax law. Ranked as one of the top tax schools in the country by the National Law Journal, the program provides a rigorous study of current tax law taught by both full-time academicians and nationally recognized practitioner/scholars. The extremely broad curriculum allows students either to undertake a diverse tax program or to concentrate in a subspecialty area such as business organizations and transactions; personal, family, and estate tax; or international tax. Students may attend on either a full- or part-time basis in Boston, or on a part-time basis online.

Executive LL.M. in International Business Law (blended learning)
In addition to the four residential LL.M. programs, Boston University offers an Executive LL.M. Program in International Business Law, open to U.S. and foreign-trained international law practitioners, it offers an innovative and rigorous blended learning format that incorporates intensive two-week residential periods with state-of-the-art distance learning. The program’s residency periods can be completed in Boston or Budapest, in as little as one summer, or distributed over one year or several years. Up to one-third of the program can be completed entirely online.

Legal English Certificate Program and Two-Year LL.M. Track
BU Law is pleased to offer a Legal English Certificate Program (LECP): a two-semester, full-time program designed for international lawyers and professionals who seek to improve their general English and legal English communications skills. The innovative program, developed in collaboration with the University’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP), is available through two tracks: (1) a two-year LL.M. track, for international LL.M. candidates whose admission to a BU Law LL.M. program is conditioned on their completing the one-year LECP; and (2) a “certificate-only” track, open to foreign professionals – including non-lawyers – who seek only a legal English training credential, with no plans to pursue LL.M. studies.

Extended LL.M. Option
Prospective students with impressive qualifications but who lack the required level of English language proficiency to excel in an LL.M. program may be eligible for BU Law’s three-semester “Extended LL.M.” option, the first semester of which includes intensive English language courses at the University’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP), as well as introductory courses at BU Law. Students then complete the LL.M. degree requirements over the following two semesters.