LLM

Van Hecke-Wettach Hall, 160 Ridge Road, CB #3380, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380, USA
Phone: 919.843.6247 | Website: www.law.unc.edu/academics/degreeprograms/llm

Introduction

The LLM program at the University of North Carolina School of Law builds on the school's existing international program; which includes exchange, study abroad, and visiting scholar programs; and faculty expertise in the most pressing global legal issues. LLM students receive legal training in American law through the school's nationally recognized centers and areas of academic strength in legal fields that are in high demand throughout the world.

Students are required to take 24 hours of coursework to receive the LLM degree. Students who have not received their legal training in common law countries receive grounding in the American law tradition through Foundations in United States Common Law. All students receive the essential training for those working with American law in the United States Legal Research and Writing course. Students then pursue an academic plan that fits their individual professional needs, choosing from among select first-year courses and most upper-level courses available to the JD program.

LLM students take most of their classes together with UNC law students, sharing their international perspective while learning American law from UNC faculty and students. UNC's LLM program is designed to give broad exposure to United States law and therefore has no formal concentrations or specialized degrees. However, students may concentrate their studies in the areas of their own special interest. These include:

• Corporate and Commercial Law
• Banking and Finance
• Intellectual Property
• Environmental Law
• Health Care Law
• Human Rights and Civil Rights Law
• International and Comparative Law
• Public Law and Regulation

In addition to the UNC law curriculum, LLM students may also receive instruction outside the law school, taking advantage of opportunities in other departments on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. The LLM program encourages collaboration between its students and University faculty and students, particularly those in business school and international studies.

Writing a thesis is not required, and most students choose instead to take additional coursework. With approval of the LLM Faculty Director, interested students may complete a thesis for six hours of credit, enrolling for three hours in each semester. The thesis option should be particularly attractive for students with an interest in academic careers. The thesis may be prepared on a broad range of legal topics selected by the student in conjunction with his or her faculty thesis supervisor.

For more information about UNC's LLM Program in United States Law, please visit the LLM Program website, or contact:

Beverly Sizemore
Director of LLM and International Programs
UNC School of Law, 160 Ridge Road
Van Hecke-Wettach Hall/CB #3380
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380
USA

Phone: 919.843.6247
Fax: 919.962.1277
E-mail: unc_ll.m.director@unc.edu

Financial Documentation and Total Program Cost

Admitted applicants must submit a Financial Certificate demonstrating their ability to cover the full cost of tuition and fees ($41,016) and estimated living expenses for the academic year (September to May), which include health insurance, housing, meals, books, and personal expenses ($13,850), totaling $54,866. The certificate must be signed by the applicant and include documentation such as bank statements, certificates of deposit, a guarantor's letter, or fellowship or grant funding information. It must be submitted before an applicant can be formally admitted.

Applicants are expected to secure their own funding. UNC is not able to provide financial aid. Those needing financial assistance may find helpful information through the Institute of International Education, www.iie.org and www.fundingusstudy.org. Information for US citizens and permanent residents is available at www.finaid.org.

Housing

Live On Campus

Odum Village: 1101 Mason Farm Road

Floor plans of this building and information can be found at the 1101 Mason Farm Road website. This option is a two-bedroom apartment in which students live with another graduate student of the same gender.

Live On Campus with Spouse

Baity Hill Apartments—Floorplans and pricing information for this option can be found at the Baity Hill at Mason Farm website. This option allows married couples or students with children to live on campus in a one- or two-bedroom apartment option.

Live Off Campus

We have online resources available at the Off-Campus Housing website. The UNC Housing Office has a staff person that can assist you in locating information. You may contact Heather Miller at heather_miller@unc.edu for more details.

Student Services and Organizations

LLM students at UNC School of Law are able to take advantage of numerous resources and centers on the UNC campus and in the local area to augment and enhance their LLM experience.

The International Programs office at UNC School of Law is the first stop for information and assistance for all LLM students. We look forward to assisting you during your time at UNC School of Law.

UNC Campus

• International Student and Scholar Services—International Student and Scholar Services promotes international educational exchange through its services and programs. It serves as the principal administrative, advising, and programming office for approximately 2,500 international undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and international faculty, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and academic staff.
• The Center for Global Initiatives—The Center for Global Initiatives is a catalyst for the innovative work of faculty and students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The goals of the Center are to cultivate ideas that have the potential to reshape intellectual communities, bridge disciplinary boundaries to generate diverse perspectives, and engage external audiences in the university's global activities.
• African Studies Center—The African Studies Center is a hub for interdisciplinary inquiry and communication on Africa. We sponsor activities that bring together faculty and students from throughout the university to address issues related to the African continent. Among our principle topical areas of focus are democratization, development, health, and gender.
• Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations—The Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations aims to promote understanding of the Middle East through teaching, research, and community outreach. The university aims to support a full range of traditional Middle East Studies, including the region's non-Muslim peoples and civilizations, while at the same time broadening the focus to include Muslim peoples and civilizations outside of the traditional area studies limits.
• Center for European Studies—The mission of the University of North Carolina Center for European Studies is to advance understanding of the social, political, and economic events that shape contemporary Europe, in particular the European integration project. The Center has been designated a National Resource Center by the US Department of Education and disseminates knowledge about contemporary Europe by funding new faculty and graduate student research and by developing original teaching materials for use in outreach programs with public schools, businesses, and media organizations. The Center is one of 11 European Union Centers of Excellence.
• Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies—Operated jointly by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies is one of 15 National Resource Centers (NRC) in Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies as designated by the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) Office of the US Department of Education. The Center supports a variety of activities including teacher training, undergraduate education, graduate student and faculty research, exchange programs, conferences, seminars, and public outreach programs.
• Institute for the Study of the Americas—The Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge of the Latin American experience in the Western Hemisphere. It builds on a long-standing and distinguished tradition of scholarly interest in Latin America.
• Carolina Asia Center—The Carolina Asia Center (CAC) seeks to promote interdisciplinary research of Asian history, languages, societies, and cultures by Carolina faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students in such areas as Asian modernities, the environment, urban studies, regionalization and nationalism, history and memory, media, arts and culture, gender, production, migration and global work, intercultural communication, economic development, and human rights discourses.
• Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases—UNC is committed to improving health in North Carolina and around the world. The Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) advances this goal by uniting and promoting global health research, teaching, and service activities across campus. IGHID recognizes that the most pressing health challenges and emerging diseases know no boundaries: global health is local health.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Resources

The Writing Center

The Writing Center is a free service available to students, faculty, and staff at UNC-Chapel Hill. Our main office is in SASB North at the corner of Manning Drive and Ridge Road. Additional services for international students and scholars and other English language learners are available through our ESL program.

Language Learning Resources

• Accent Modification Workshop is offered during the fall semester.
• Bell Tower Toastmasters is an organization of people committed to improving their public speaking skills.
• Durham Technical Community College runs free ESL Classes and noncredit courses in accent reduction, reading, oral communication, TOEFL^® preparation, and more.
• Help for Hire is a listing of private tutors, proofreaders, and editors available for hire.
• International Students and Scholar Services has compiled a list of ESL Resources at UNC and of other ESL opportunities (PDF) in the area.

When not in class, Carolina Law students can be found working on law review journals, practicing for moot courts, volunteering with community projects, playing intramural sports, or simply enjoying the beautiful campus and Chapel Hill area.

There are numerous student organizations in the law school and both the public service and the pro bono programs are very strong at UNC.

Career Services

The Career Services Office at UNC School of Law offers job-search assistance to UNC's law students while they study at the law school and upon their completion of the program.

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