General Master of Laws Program (LL.M.)
Our new general LL.M. program is designed to allow students the option of selecting from multiple concentrations on the Delaware or Harrisburg campus. The program is open to graduates of US Juris Doctor programs and International Students who have completed a first degree in law from a non-U.S. law school that fulfills the academic requirements for the practice of law in that country.

This degree is ideal for attorneys seeking in-depth training in an area of law in which they currently practice, as well as for those planning to develop a new area of practice. Students can build their General LL.M program in one of the following areas of concentration.

Areas of Concentration Delaware Campus:

Students may select one of the following areas of concentration on the Delaware Campus.
Areas of Concentration  Harrisburg Campus:
Concentration Degree Requirements
All students in the Widener University School of law LLM programs must satisfactorily complete 24 credits of coursework for the degree. "Satisfactory completion" is defined under Academic Standards in the graduate programs student handbook.

Delaware Campus LLM Concentrations:

1. Corporate and Business Law

Students must take Business Organizations, Business Principles, Securities Regulation, and one other business related course, such as those in the following list, or another course with director approval:

International Business Transactions, Business Planning, Mutual Funds, Advanced Corporations, Corporate Governance, Colloquium: Selected Topics in Corporate Law, Corporate Bankruptcy/Chapter 11, Corporate Reorganization Under Chapter 11, Federal Income Tax, International Law, and Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property and Business Associations, Taxation of Business Entities.

Note: This concentration will be available only to international law graduates. Domestic J.D. graduates interested in this specialty area will pursue the standalone corporate law LL.M. degree.

2. Environmental Law

Students must take at least 12 credits in environmental law courses. These must include the introductory course in environmental law, and, if available, at least one of the following Core courses:

Climate Change Law, International Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law


The remaining credits can be earned in additional Core courses, the following elective courses, or in other courses approved by the director:

Animal Law, Energy and Public Utilities Law, International Law, International Trade, International Trade and the Environment, Land Use Planning, Ocean and Coastal Law, Regulation of Toxic and Hazardous Substances, Science and the Law, Toxic Torts, Seminar: Climate Change, Current Topics in Environmental Law and Policy, Energy and the Environment, Environmental Justice, Environmental Law and the Constitution, Food and Drug Law, Life Science Law, National Resources Law, Public Health Law, Sustainable Development Law, Environmental Law Clinic (if eligible and approved by director)

3. Criminal Law
All students must take the introductory course in criminal law, Criminal Procedure I, Criminal Procedure II, Evidence, and at least one course from the list below:

Advanced Problems in Criminal Law, Capital Punishment, Cybercrime, Domestic Violence, Federal Criminal Practice, International Criminal Law, Juvenile Justice, Public Corruption, Scientific Evidence and Expert Testimony, Seminar: Forensic Evidence, Seminar: Law and Psychology, Seminar: Post Conviction Remedies, Seminar: Violence Against Women, Sentencing, White Collar Crime, or Criminal Law Clinics (if eligible and approved by director).

Note: Evidence, Criminal Law, and Criminal Procedure I are tested on the New York bar.

4. Health Law

All students must take Health Law I and Health Law II (regulation), and at least two of the following courses or other health law related courses approved by the director:

Bioethics and the Law, Health Care Finance, Health Care Transactions, Health Law: Regulating Fraud, Public Health Law, Food and Drug Law, Science and the Law, Insurance Law, Toxic Torts, Seminar: Law and Psychology, Clinical Program or Externship (if eligible and approved by the director)

Note: This concentration will be available only to international law graduates. Domestic J.D. graduates interested in this specialty area will pursue the standalone health law LL.M. degree.

5. American Legal Studies
This concentration is only available to international students who do not have a J.D. from an ABA approved law school, and is designed to prepare these students for a bar exam and legal practice in the United States. In addition to the required Introduction to U.S. Law and LL.M. Legal Writing courses, students must take Professional Responsibility, Evidence, and Constitutional Law I. Students must take at least two more foundational or bar-tested courses, such as:

Contracts (basic or advanced), Torts (basic or advanced), Federal Civil Procedure (basic or advanced), Administrative Law, Federal Income Tax, Business Organizations, Constitutional Law II, Wills and Trusts, Sales and Leases, Property I and II, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure I and II.

Remaining credits may be earned in any course(s) for which the student is eligible.

Harrisburg Campus LLM Concentrations:

1. United States Law (Government Law Focus)

3 credit course on Introduction to United States Law and Judicial Process, 3 credit course on Legal Methods, 3 credit course on Administrative Law, 4 credit course on Constitutional Law

At least 3 credits from the following menu:
 
Environmental Law, Government Contracting, Immigration Law, Labor Law, Legislation, State and Local Government Law, State Administrative Law, State Constitutional Law, Workers Compensation

Satisfactorily complete total of 24 credits approved by the LL.M. supervisor.

2. United States Law (Litigation Focus)

3 credit course on Introduction to United States Law and Judicial Process, 3 credit course on Legal Methods, 3 credit course in Civil Procedure focusing on practice and procedure , 3 credit course in Evidence.

At least 4 credits from the following menu:

Civil Procedure II [Jurisdiction], Criminal Procedure, Advanced Criminal Procedure, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Pre-trial Methods, Interviewing and Counseling, Negotiation

Satisfactorily complete total of 24 credits approved by the LL.M. supervisor.

3. Environmental Law

3 credit course on Introduction to United States Law and Judicial Process, 3 credit course on Legal Methods, 3 credit course in Environmental Law.

9 credits from the following list:

Agricultural Law, Climate Change, Natural Resources Law, Animal Law, Environmental Law Clinic, Land Use Planning, Oil and Gas Law, International Environmental Law, Sustainable Development (Seminar), Environmental Litigation, State Administrative Law and Practice, Environmentally Sustainable Development (1 credit)

Satisfactorily complete total of 24 credits approved by the LL.M. supervisor.