Courses of Study 2024-2025 
    
    Jun 27, 2024  
HELP
Courses of Study 2024-2025

Degree Programs

In the Law School .

Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree

Cornell Law offers a highly rated national law curriculum leading to the three-year J.D. degree. The curriculum reflects a broad range of ideas current in American legal education.

Students can combine their J.D. degree with other International Law Programs:

  • J.D. with Honors in International Legal Affairs
  • J.D./LL.M. Program with honors in International and Comparative Law

Degree Requirements for the J.D. Degree

Students must satisfactorily complete 84 semester credit hours.

Students must complete:

  • 28 credits of required first year courses.
  • One Professional Responsibility course.
  • One Writing course.
    • The courses which meet this requirement vary each semester. Consult the course catalog for more information.
    • This course must be taken for a letter grade.
  • Six Credits of Experiential Learning.

Students may take up to 12 credit hours of graduate level courses related to legal training outside the Law School, subject to the approval of the Dean of Academic Affairs during their second and third years.

During the final four semesters of study, students must adhere to the following restrictions when choosing elective coursework:

  • three credits of supervised writing per semester, for a total of 12 credits
  • three credits of supervised experiential learning, with a one semester enrollment limit
  • two credits of directed reading per semester, for a total of eight credits
  • two credits of supervised teaching per semester, for a total of eight credits
  • twenty total credits of externship over the four upper-class semesters
  • no undergraduate coursework may be counted towards the JD.

Additionally, students may take a maximum of 20 credits outside of regularly scheduled courses. Courses outside of regularly scheduled courses include:

  • Externships, the Pro Bono Scholars program, directed reading, supervised writing, supervised teaching (including Lawyering Honors Fellows), supervised experiential learning, courses taught in other divisions, and practicums.

Students are limited in their courseload – they must be registered for a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester (to enroll in fewer credits, consult the Dean of Students). Students pursuing a JD may not exceed 17 credits in any one semester.

Concentrations

The third year of study permits an opportunity for concentration in in-depth study of a single field. Students may concentrate in any of the following fields:

  • Advocacy
  • Business Law and Regulation
  • Conflict Resolution
  • General Practice
  • Law, Inequity and Structural Exclusion
  • Public Law
  • Technology and Law

Each concentration requires the completion of 14 credit hours (including a writing course) in the designated area. Up to 4 hours of an externship may be counted towards the concentration – based on the recommendation of the faculty member supervising the externship, with approval from the associate dean for academic affairs.

Students may only receive recognition for only one concentration. The Law School will grant a certificate after graduation.

Degree Requirements for the J.D. with Honors in International Legal Affairs

The degree of “J.D. with Honors in International Legal Affairs,” henceforth referred to as the JD-ILA program.

Students must be admitted to the program after the 1L year and prior to 3L year, by completing a short application for admission to the JD-ILA program. Once admitted to the program, students are expected to meet the following requirements.

Students must satisfactorily complete 89 semester credit hours.

Students must complete:

  • 28 credits of required first year courses.
  • One Professional Responsibility course.
  • One Writing course.
    • The courses which meet this requirement vary each semester. Consult the course catalog for more information.
    • This course must be taken for a letter grade.
  • Six Credits of Experiential Learning.

Students may take up to 12 credit hours of graduate level courses related to legal training outside the Law School, subject to the approval of the Dean of Academic Affairs during their second and third years.

During the final four semesters of study, students must adhere to the following restrictions when choosing elective coursework:

  • three credits of supervised writing per semester, for a total of 12 credits
  • three credits of supervised experiential learning, with a one semester enrollment limit
  • two credits of directed reading per semester, for a total of eight credits
  • two credits of supervised teaching per semester, for a total of eight credits
  • twenty total credits of externship over the four upper-class semesters
  • no undergraduate coursework may be counted towards the JD.

Additionally, students may take a maximum of 20 credits outside of regularly scheduled courses. Courses outside of regularly scheduled courses include:

  • Externships, the Pro Bono Scholars program, directed reading, supervised writing, supervised teaching (including Lawyering Honors Fellows), supervised experiential learning, courses taught in other divisions, and practicums.

Additionally, students in the JD-ILA program must take coursework from the following three groups of courses:

Students are limited in their courseload – they must be registered for a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester (to enroll in fewer credits, consult the Dean of Students). Students pursuing the JD-ILA program may not exceed 18 credits in any one semester.

Students are encouraged to consult with the Director for International Programs to discuss course selection before doing their pre-registration as course offerings are not guaranteed each semester.

J.D. Degree/LL.M. Program with Honors in International and Comparative Law 

Cornell Law offers a pathway to earn both a J.D. degree and an LL.M. degree with Honors in International and Comparative law in three years. The pathway is designed primarily for students with a strong interest in International and Comparative Law. The program is referred henceforth as the “J.D./LL.M program,” but individuals in the program receive two degrees: a Cornell J.D. Degree and an LL.M. degree with Honors in International and Comparative Law.

Students may apply for admission to the J.D./LL.M. program upon initial application to the Law School. Alternatively, they may apply for admission to the program after matriculation, provided the application is made before completion of their first year.

The J.D./LL.M program requires 20 upper-class credits in courses focused on international and comparative law, in addition to the credits required for the J.D. degree.

In total, students must satisfactorily complete 104 total credits.

The 20 required credits must come from the following three groups:

  • Two courses from Group 1:
  • One course from Group 2:
  • Remaining electives may come from the following list of courses:
    • LAW 6193 , 6632 , 6344 , 6451 , 6465 , 6514 , 6584, 6625 , 6661 , 6681 , 6745 , 7018 , 7267 , 7282, 7295 , 7311 , 7321 , 7358 , 7360 , 7589 , 7785 , 7801 , 7805 , 7814 , 7842, 7843, 7855 , 7857 , 7858 , 7859 , 7860 , 7864 , 7871 , 7878 , 7914 , 7915 , 7916 , 7917, 7959 *
      • *Courses may not be offered each semester. Additional courses may be offered to satisfy group 3, consult with the Director for International Programs for more information.
    • Participation in the Paris Summer Institute, which is strongly encouraged. Students that choose to participate in the Paris Summer Institute must register for at least 4 credits within the program.
    • A thesis option, which requires satisfactory completion of a five-credit thesis.
    • Courses that are taken—in accordance with the law school’s rules and regulations and if related to international, comparative, or foreign law—in other divisions of Cornell University, including its area studies programs (East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Institute for African Development, Latin American Studies and the Institute for European Studies) (with approval of the Assistant Dean for External Education)
  • With approval from the Assistant Dean for External Education, a course in the Law School’s Semester Abroad Program mya be taken as a substitute for one of the required Group 1 or Group 2 courses.

Additional Program Requirements

  • Students must maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 to be awarded the LL.M. degree with Honors in International and Comparative Law at graduation.
  • In no event may a J.D./LL.M. program student receive a total of more than 12 credits toward the required 20 credits from summer/winter intersession courses, including credits earned from the Paris Summer Program.
  • Students in the J.D./LL.M. program must comply with the credit hour and degree requirements for the Cornell J.D. degree in addition to completing an additional 20 credit hours for the LL.M. as set out above.
  • J.D./LL.M. students will be allowed to take a maximum of 21 credits per semester during the second and third years.

J.D./LL.B. Program with Jindal Global Law School

The Law School offers a three-year J.D./LL.B. or J.D./B.A.-LL.B. advanced standing program with Jindal Global Law School. Participants, who are nominated by Jinal Global Law School and admitted by Cornell, complete two years of advanced study at Jindal Global Law School before arriving at Cornell.

Students satisfactorily complete 62 credits at Cornell over two years.

Following completion of studies at Cornell, the participants receive a J.D. from Cornell University, in addition to a B.A./LL.B. or LL.B. degree from Jindal Global Law School. 

Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree

Cornell Law School offers a highly selective Master of Laws Degree and admission is based on a holistic review of the entire application including prior academic performance, recommendations, and work experience.

Application Requirements

To be considered for admission to the General LL.M. program, applicants must have:

  • Earned a first degree of law outside the United States prior to the start of the program.
  • Proficiency in English as demonstrated by all aspects of the application and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS), if required.

Cornell accepts both the internet-based (iBT) TOEFL and IELTS test scores. If submitting a TOEFL score, applicants must request that the Educational Testing Service sends official score report(s) to the LSAC using institution code number 8395. If submitting IELTS scores, applicants must request official IELTS score report(s) be sent to the LSAC Credential Assembly Service for electronic download using the IELTS system. A high level of English proficiency is needed to complete the General LL.M. program. While all applications will be reviewed regardless of ESL scores, successful applicants typically have a minimum TOEFL overall score of 100 or a minimum IELTS overall band score of 7.0.

Applicants should plan to take either test prior to December. TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the program’s application deadline.

The English language proficiency requirement may be waived if an applicant meets at least one of the following criteria:

  • is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or a citizen of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or Canada (except Quebec).
  • at the time of enrollment at Cornell, the applicant will have studied in full-time status for at least two academic years within the last five years in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, or with English language instruction in Canada or South Africa. Even if English was the language of instruction at another school, if study did not occur in one of these countries, applicants are not exempt from the requirement. Applicants must submit a transcript that shows attendance at college in one of the approved locations, and that the academic program was at least two years in length.

If the criteria above is met, a waiver may be requested by uploading an addendum to the online application with the appropriate documentation. Waiver requests are reviewed with complete applications only.

Degree Requirements for the General LL.M. Degree Program

The General LL.M. program requires the completion of 20 credits during two semesters of full-time study. Of the 20 credits, students must complete:

For students planning to sit for the New York Bar exam, students must complete:

  • 24 credits in classroom law school coursework, including:
    • a professional responsibility course.
    • a legal research, writing, and analysis course
    • core subjects covered by the New York State bar exam and the New York Law Exam

Cornell Tech LL.M. Program

Awarded by the Law School, this one-year program is tailored to practicing attorneys or recent law graduates who desire to be at the center of New York City’s ever-evolving technology ecosystem and the intersection of law, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Degree Requirements for the Cornell Tech LL.M.

Satisfactorily complete 32 credits of coursework over two semesters.

Required Courses:

Electives

  • 6 credits of LAW Electives (Minimum of 2 credits must be Corporate Law Electives)
    • Please refer to the spreadsheet on the Student Affairs website for the most up-to-date list of approved Corporate Law Electives.
    • 1 credit of Free Electives

Additional Requirements

  • Students may not enroll in more than 22 credits per semester.
  • Students must receive a passing grade to earn credit. Audited electives do not count toward any graduation requirement.
  • All students must receive a B or higher in either TECH 5900 , 5910 , 5920 , 5930  
  • All studio courses must be taken for a letter grade.
  • All required courses must be taken for a letter grade. Students may count only 3 credits of S/U coursework towards their required Law Electives.

Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) Degree

Degree Requirements

  • A minimum of two semesters in residency (though the program usually requires four to 6 semesters to complete.
  • A minimum of four registration units, three committee members, prospectus, dissertation defense (B exam), and dissertation.
    • Special Committee: Each member of the committee represents an interest within the dissertation. The Special Committee Chair represents the greatest interest.
    • Prospectus: Oral exam administered by Special Committee to examine preparedness for dissertation research.
    • Final Exam (B Exam – A public talk on the dissertation or dissertation defense): research followed immediately by an oral exam by the Special Committee.

This information is supplemental and applies specifically to the field of law and should be used in conjunction with degree information published by the Graduate School.

Master of Science - Legal Studies (M.S.L.S.) Program

This master’s degree in legal studies from Cornell Law School is designed specifically for business professionals. Covering key areas ranging from contracts and negotiations to corporate governance and compliance, to employment and immigration law, to privacy and intellectual property issues, the courses in this degree program will help you develop a sense of how the law works, along with the deeper regulatory knowledge and frontline skills in legal research, effective communication, and critical reasoning needed to work at the intersection of business and law.

Degree Requirements

Satisfactorily complete 30 credits of work. This coursework includes:

  • 15 foundational online courses totaling 22 credits.
  • One on-campus intensive program totaling 1.5 credits.
  • Three elective courses totaling 4 credits.
  • Competing a capstone project totaling 2.5 credits (which includes another on-campus visit).

M.S.L.S. students are not permitted to enroll in any residential or online courses at Cornell Law School or any other unit of Cornell University beyond what is offered for the M.S.L.S. program.

General M.S.L.S. Academic Deficiency

Depending on the grade scale for the course, an M.S.L.S. student who receives a U or grade of D+ or below after completion of any course within the program will be placed on informal probation, and must meet with the Assistant Dean of External Education prior to continued enrollment. An M.S.L.S. student will be dropped for scholastic deficiency if in the judgment of the faculty the student’s work at any time is markedly unsatisfactory. Work may be considered markedly unsatisfactory if, for example, the merit point ratio for work after completion of at least 6 credits is lower than D+ or two or more U grades are received.

Joint Degrees

The Law School offers the following joint degree programs with other Cornell University graduate divisions:

  • Juris Doctor/ Master of Business Administration (J.D./M.B.A.)
  • Juris Doctor/ Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (J.D./M.I.L.R)
  • Juris Doctor/ Master of Public Administration (J.D./M.P.A.)
  • Juris Doctor/ Doctor of Philosophy in Developmental Psychology (J.D./Ph.D.)
  • Juris Doctor/ Doctor of Philosophy in other fields of the Cornell Graduate School (J.D./Ph.D. or M.A)

Admission to these joint degree programs is obtained by applying directly to these other schools. In general, after a student completes their first year of Law School, the second year is completed entirely in the other unit, but some variations on this pattern have been permitted in individual cases. Admissions criteria may be different from Law School admissions criteria. Once a student has been admitted to both programs, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Law School Registrar’s Office (160 Myron Taylor Hall, 1-604-255-7190, law.registrar@cornell.edu).

J.D. and M.B.A. Degrees

The Law School offers two options for completing a J.D. and M.B.A. – a 3-year option or 4-year option .

3-Year Option

Candidates for the J.D./M.B.A. (3-year) will spend their entire first year at the Law School, totaling 31 or 32 credits.

In total, students must take 20 credits of foundational courses and 25 credits of elective courses at Johnson and a minimum of 9 credits per semester and a total of 72 credits of the 84 credits for the law degree earned in the Law School.

  • All courses for credit must be taken at either Johnson or the Law School.
  • Students who apply to enter the three-year J.D./M.B.A. program must have a minimum 3.40 grade point average during the fall semester of their first year in the Law School.
  • Cross-listed courses will be factored in the student’s law school merit point ratio (MPR).
  • Students must take LAW 6131 - Business Organizations  in their second or third year.
  • Students must take a minimum of 9 credits of LAW coursework each semester.

4-Year Option

Cornell Law School and the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell offer a program for combining law school education with graduate management training. Students received both the J.D. and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees in four years, rather than the normal five years.

Students will spend their first year entirely in one school and their second year entire in the other school. During the third and fourth year they will take a mix of courses from the Law School and Johnson to meet the degree requirements of both programs.

  • Students must satisfactorily complete 84 credit hours of Law School coursework.
  • 72 of the 84 credits for the law degree must be earned in the Law School.
  • Cross-listed courses will count towards the 72 credits and will be factored in the student’s law school merit point ratio (MPR).
  • Students may take up to 12 credits of courses related to legal training taught by members of the university faculty outside of the Law School, subject in each case to the approval of the Law School’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

During six of the eight terms, students must register for a minimum of 9 credits in the Law School.

Students will need a total of 117 credits for the receipt of both degrees.

J.D. and M.I.L.R. Degrees (Sequential Degree)

The School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University offers a two-semester program for outstanding Law School graduates that leads to the Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (M.I.L.R.) degree. Both recent graduates and those working in the field of law may apply.

The program provides general coverage of industrial and labor relations and is suitable for those having little prior course work in the field. The M.I.L.R. program is normally completed in four semesters; however, law graduates who enter the special program can complete the program in one year.

An applicant must be a graduate of a school of law and meet the normal requirements for admission to the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. A candidate deficient in preparation in the social sciences is advised to do additional work before entry.

Please consult the Cornell Law School Registrar for more information.

J.D. and M.P.A. Degrees

Cornell Law School and the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA) offer a four-year program that leads to a J.D. degree and a Master of Public Administration degree. Applicants must apply to, and be accepted by, both schools.

Student Schedule

  • First year is spent entirely in one school.
  • Second year, entirely in the other school.
  • Third year and fourth years are spent mostly in the Law School, but students must generally take at least one course each semester to fulfill CIPA requirements.
  • Applicants to the MPA program from the Cornell Law School may apply up to twelve (12) credits from the Law School toward their MPA degree, subject to approval of the Director of Graduate Studies of the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA).

Please consult the Cornell Law School Registrar for more information.

J.D. and PH.D. in Developmental Psychology Degree

Cornell University’s dual J.D./Ph.D. program in Developmental Psychology and Law will prepare the next generation of scholars who work on the interface between the law, psychology, and human development. Education at the Law School combines inspired teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a close-knit and collegial intellectual community. Located in the College of Human Ecology, the Department of Human Development provides graduate students with world-class training in the general discipline of psychology, as well as focused training in one or more of its sub-areas of research: cognitive, social-personality, biological, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The dual degree will provide Ph.D. students with the legal education that is necessary to conduct research and teach in this field at the highest level and will provide J.D. students with the research training that is necessary to practice and teach scientifically based law.

Please consult the Cornell Law School Registrar for more information.

J.D. and PH.D. Degrees in Other Fields

The Law School also maintains joint J.D./Ph.D. programs with the Department of Economics Sage School of Philosophy. As with other joint programs, students are required to be independently accepted by both the Law School and the relevant Ph.D. field.

Please consult the Cornell Law School Registrar for more information.

Dual Degrees

Juris Doctor - Master En Droit Degree Program

This program is offered jointly by Cornell Law School and the Université de Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne as a four-year joint degree program. At the completion of the program students will receive both the Master en Droit and the Juris Doctor degree. Participants will spend their first two years at Cornell Law School and their final two years at the Université de Paris I.

Applicants

  • Applicants must be completely fluent in both English and French.
  • American applicants must have the customary undergraduate training for admission to law school.
  • French applicants must have the Baccalaureate degree and at least two years of advanced study at a French institution.
  • Students may apply to the program in their initial application to the Law School or following matriculation.
  • Admitted students must have a baccalaureate or first-level Master degree before arriving at Cornell.

Degree Requirements

  • Students must satisfactorily complete 62 credits at Cornell over two years.
  • Students complete the final year of the J.D. in the coursework in Paris.
  • Students must complete the requirements for the Paris I Master degree, before earning the J.D. degree from Cornell and a Master Degree (at the M1 and/or M2 level) from the Université Paris I.

In some cases, the timing of the dual degree program may require students to receive their J.D. degree in August and sit for a U.S. bar exam in February rather than July.

3+3 Pathway

The 3+3 Pathway gives Cornell University, Hobart William Smith Colleges, and St. Lawrence University undergraduates the opportunity to spend their senior year of study at Cornell Law School. Essentially, the first year of law school will satisfy the student’s senior year course requirements. This accelerated program allows participants to receive their bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees in six years.

  Courses of Study Home
  Course Descriptions

  Colleges, Schools, and Units
  Agriculture and Life Sciences
  Architecture, Art and Planning
  Arts and Sciences
  Athletics and Physical Education
  Biological Sciences
  Bowers College of Computing and Information Science
  Brooks School of Public Policy
  Continuing Education and Summer Sessions
  Cornell Tech
  Division of Nutritional Sciences
  eCornell
  Engineering
  Graduate School
  Human Ecology
  Industrial and Labor Relations
  Law School
  Officer Education
  SC Johnson College of Business
  - Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  - Nolan School of Hotel Administration
  - Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
  Veterinary Medicine
  My Favorites