Admission

• United States law graduates who apply for this graduate degree must have obtained a JD degree from a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or approved by the American Bar Association.

• Foreign law graduates must have completed the basic course of university studies that qualifies the candidate to sit for the bar examination (e.g., the French maîtrise, the German "first state bar examination"). If the home country bar exam does not require a specific degree, applicants should either be experienced members of the bar or have completed the first university degree in law or a multi-year masters program in law.

• All applicants must present evidence (university transcripts and letters of recommendation) that they are serious students with a solid record of academic and professional achievement. In evaluating foreign transcripts, we rely heavily on recommendation letters, especially from academics, that explain in detail the basis for their recommendation.

• Evidence of English Language Requirements

Please click here for further information about the application process.

Application

• United States law graduates who apply for this graduate degree must have obtained a JD degree from a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or approved by the American Bar Association.

• Foreign law graduates must have completed the basic course of university studies that qualifies the candidate to sit for the bar examination (e.g., the French maîtrise, the German "first state bar examination"). If the home country bar exam does not require a specific degree, applicants should either be experienced members of the bar or have completed the first university degree in law or a multi-year masters program in law.

• All applicants must present evidence (university transcripts and letters of recommendation) that they are serious students with a solid record of academic and professional achievement. In evaluating foreign transcripts, we rely heavily on recommendation letters, especially from academics, that explain in detail the basis for their recommendation.

• Evidence of English Language Requirements

Please click here for further information about the application process.

Program

The Iowa LLM degree is one degree program, but it is designed for two different types of students:

1.    Practical Training and Path to Bar Admission: foreign-trained jurists who seek a comparative introduction to and specific training in aspects of United States law and legal institutions; special courses are available for students interested in qualifying to sit for state bar examinations. These include a legal research and writing course tailored for LLM students, an extended orientation including an introduction to American Legal Systems, and access to core courses such as Contracts, Property, Torts and Professional Responsibility; and

2.    In-depth Research Path: foreign-trained jurists or graduates of JD programs in the United States who wish to deepen their understanding of law; applicants may propose any legal field of concentration but the faculty will accept students only in fields in which it has sufficient depth and it is especially prepared to accept students in the fields of international and comparative law, including the law pertaining to international business transactions and/or human rights; and business and innovation.

Please click here for further information about the program.

Curriculum

The Iowa LLM degree is one degree program, but it is designed for two different types of students:

1.    Practical Training and Path to Bar Admission: foreign-trained jurists who seek a comparative introduction to and specific training in aspects of United States law and legal institutions; special courses are available for students interested in qualifying to sit for state bar examinations. These include a legal research and writing course tailored for LLM students, an extended orientation including an introduction to American Legal Systems, and access to core courses such as Contracts, Property, Torts and Professional Responsibility; and

2.    In-depth Research Path: foreign-trained jurists or graduates of JD programs in the United States who wish to deepen their understanding of law; applicants may propose any legal field of concentration but the faculty will accept students only in fields in which it has sufficient depth and it is especially prepared to accept students in the fields of international and comparative law, including the law pertaining to international business transactions and/or human rights; and business and innovation.

Please click here for further information about the program.