LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA –The University of Southern California Gould School of Law is proud to announce the launch of the first degree of its kind: a specialized online Master of Laws (LL.M.) program designed for international students that includes the option to earn an online graduate certificate in Business Law. The graduate certificate is also available to U.S. and international lawyers apart from the LL.M degree. Applications are currently being accepted for the Fall 2014 term.
“The online program allows international students to pursue a graduate degree focused in American law while meeting their professional and personal obligations in their home countries,” said USC Gould Dean Robert K. Rasmussen. “Classes offered online mirror those taught in the residential program. The program will also offer workshops on writing resumes, interviewing skills, and networking practice – all online.”
USC’s LL.M. is designed to help experienced foreign law professionals
extend their knowledge by learning the complexities of the U.S. legal
system. Students develop practical skills in research, writing and
analysis. Like USC Gould’s residential LL.M. program – in which about
170 international attorneys, judges, government officials and other
international law graduates spend an entire year on the USC campus – the
online program has received the American Bar Association’s
acquiescence.
Prominent USC law faculty, who include industry experts that are committed to helping students succeed, will teach the online LL.M. classes. The Graduate & International Programs Office will provide students with curricular advising, academic support, career development, bar exam preparation and more. After completing the LL.M. bar track, students will have taken the courses necessary to meet the qualifications to sit for the California Bar exam.
Adding to the distinction of a USC LL.M. credential, international
students can now differentiate their expertise even further by earning a
graduate certificate in Business Law as part of their LL.M. studies.
The online certificate is an exclusive offering in the United States and
is available also as a standalone program for international and U.S.
law professionals. It provides an advantage for those who want to pursue
global leadership opportunities in law, as related to the business
market. Students are not required to take the LL.M. in order to enroll
in the certificate program.
For international students, earning a U.S. master of laws degree has become increasingly important in the legal profession. The majority of USC law students find the certificate offerings to be of great interest and many pursue a certificate concurrently with the graduate degree, said Deborah Call, Associate Dean of USC Gould’s Graduate and International Programs.
“Graduates often tell us that in order to obtain jobs, or to enhance their professional careers, in top law firms or companies, they must have a master of laws degree. Those earned in the United States carry higher prestige because they can prove candidates are able to work with American and international clients in a multilingual setting,” Call said. “Further, those who take and pass a U.S. bar exam have even more prestige in the field. Bar passage in the U.S. provides the opportunity for a significant salary increase and promotion.”
The LL.M. program online can be completed in as few as 12 months without any on-campus requirements. Online students may attend an optional on-campus Summer Law and English program that allows them to engage with the campus community for a brief four-weeks. The Summer Law Program is advised for those who would like to prepare for an LL.M. program, law students seeking to bolster their careers by improving their legal English skills and knowledge of operational U.S. law, or those planning to sit for a U.S. bar exam.
For more information about the curriculum or the admission requirements of the University of Southern California’s courses online, go to http://onlinellm.usc.edu or contact a school representative at 1-866-803-3572
Gilien Silsby
Director of Media Relations
(213) 740-9690 work
(213) 500-8673 mobile
[email protected]
