LLM Program (No Concentration): Thesis Option

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Faculty of Law's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants must have obtained a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree, or the international equivalent of a law degree, from a recognized university. Applicants must have a minimum B+ average in the final year of their legal studies. Preference will be given to applicants who maintain this average throughout their legal studies, i.e., throughout their entire law degree.

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who obtained their admitting degree (Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor, or equivalent) from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by submitting English-language test scores. Several English-language testing services are acceptable. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are the most common tests:

  • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the following minimum scores:

    • Paper-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600, and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

    • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100/120, and 24/30 on each section.

  • IELTS, Academic module: overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each component.

  • The University of Toronto Academic English preparation course: overall grade of A in Level 60.

  • Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Online: overall score of 70 with at least 70 in each component.

  • Cambridge English Qualifications: overall score of 191 with at least 185 on each section.

• No conditional offers of admission will be given based on successful completion of an English language test.

Completion Requirements

• Students must complete a course of studies and a thesis which, combined, are valued at 24 credit hours (equivalent to 6.0 full-course equivalents [FCEs]).

• Students writing a short thesis must:

  • Complete 20 credit hours of coursework (equivalent to 5.0 FCEs); and

  • Write a thesis worth 4 credit hours (equivalent to 1.0 FCE), and approximately 45 pages or 13,000 words, under the supervision of a graduate faculty member.

• Students writing a long thesis must:

  • Complete 8 credit hours (equivalent to 2.0 FCEs) of coursework; and

  • Write a thesis worth 16 credit hours (equivalent to 4.0 FCEs), and approximately 175 pages or 52,000 words, under the supervision of a graduate faculty member.

• All thesis students must complete:

  • The mandatory graduate seminar for all LLM students who are writing a thesis: LAW1000H Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship; and

  • The mandatory graduate seminar for all LLM students: LAW7572H LLM Seminar.

• All coursework and the student's thesis are graded using the graduate grading scale as outlined in the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy.

• The Faculty offers thesis students some flexibility regarding the number of credits allocated to their thesis. Students writing a short thesis can choose to write a slightly longer thesis for additional credit, and students writing a long thesis can choose to write a slightly shorter thesis for fewer credits. Students who wish to reduce or increase their thesis credits should contact the graduate program coordinator before the Fall add/drop deadline.

• The coursework requirements must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadline of the academic year of attendance; the thesis must be completed by July 31 of the academic year of attendance.

• With approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law, the program may be taken on a part-time basis over two years, in which case the coursework requirements must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadlines of the second academic year of attendance; the thesis must be completed by July 31 of the second academic year of attendance.

• Residence. Full-time students must be in attendance for at least two academic sessions (eight months, September to April). Part-time students must be in attendance for at least four academic sessions (September to April of both years of study).

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS); 6 sessions part-time
Time Limit: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time

 

LLM Program (No Concentration): Coursework-Only Option

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Faculty of Law's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants must have obtained a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree, or the international equivalent of a law degree, from a recognized university. Applicants must have a minimum B+ average in the final year of their legal studies. Preference will be given to applicants who maintain this average throughout their legal studies, i.e., throughout their entire law degree.

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who obtained their admitting degree (Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor, or equivalent) from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by submitting English-language test scores. Several English-language testing services are acceptable. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are the most common tests:

  • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the following minimum scores:

    • Paper-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600, and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

    • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100/120, and 24/30 on each section.

  • IELTS, Academic module: overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each component.

  • The University of Toronto Academic English preparation course: overall grade of A in Level 60.

  • Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Online: overall score of 70 with at least 70 in each component.

  • Cambridge English Qualifications: overall score of 191 with at least 185 on each section.

• No conditional offers of admission will be given based on successful completion of an English language test.

Completion Requirements

• Students must complete a course of studies valued at 28 credit hours (equivalent to 7.0 full-course equivalents [FCEs]).

  • Writing requirement. Students pursuing the coursework-only option must satisfy the writing requirement by July 31 by either:

    • Designating one course (3 or 4 credits) as a writing requirement course. Only courses requiring a written assignment of at least 5,000 words (approximately 20 pages) will qualify as a designated writing requirement course. LAW1000H Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship and LAW7572H LLM Seminar do not qualify as a designated writing requirement course.
      
      or

    • Completing the directed research project course (2 or 3 credits; LAW8002H or LAW8003H) requiring a written assignment of 7,000 or 10,500 words, respectively.

• All students in the LLM program must complete the mandatory graduate seminar: LAW7572H LLM Seminar (1 credit, or 0.25 FCE);

• All coursework is graded using the graduate grading scale as outlined in the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy.

• The coursework requirements for all courses apart from the designated writing requirement course must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadlines of the academic year of attendance; the writing requirement must be fulfilled by July 31 of the academic year of attendance.

• With approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law, the program may be taken on a part-time basis over two years, in which case the coursework requirements must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadlines of the second academic year of attendance; the writing requirement must be completed by July 31 of the second academic year of attendance.

• Continuation in Year 2 of the part-time LLM program is subject to the Faculty of Law's determination that the student has made satisfactory progress in Year 1 of the part-time LLM.

• Residence. Full-time students must be in attendance for at least two academic sessions (eight months, September to April). Part-time students must be in attendance for at least four academic sessions (September to April of both years of study).

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS); 6 sessions part-time
Time Limit: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time

 

LLM Program (With a Concentration): Thesis Option

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Faculty of Law's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants must have obtained a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree, or the international equivalent of a law degree, from a recognized university. Applicants must have a minimum B+ average in the final year of their legal studies. Preference will be given to applicants who maintain this average throughout their legal studies, i.e., throughout their entire law degree.

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who obtained their admitting degree (Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor, or equivalent) from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by submitting English-language test scores. Several English-language testing services are acceptable. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are the most common tests:

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the following minimum scores:

  • Paper-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600, and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

  • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100/120, and 24/30 on each section.

• IELTS, Academic module: overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each component.

• The University of Toronto Academic English preparation course: overall grade of A in Level 60.

• Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Online: overall score of 70 with at least 70 in each component.

• Cambridge English Qualifications: overall score of 191 with at least 185 on each section.

• No conditional offers of admission will be given based on successful completion of an English language test.

• Applicants applying to one of the four areas of concentration must substantiate their interest in and suitability for the concentration in their statement of interest and research proposal. Applicants may only apply to one of the areas of concentration. Applicants may be admitted into the LLM program without a concentration.

Completion Requirements

• Students must complete a total of 24 credits (6.0 full-course equivalents [FCEs]) through a combination of coursework and the thesis. The thesis must be in the area of concentration into which the student was accepted.

• Students writing a short thesis and pursuing a concentration must:

  • Complete 20 credit hours of coursework (equivalent to 5.0 FCEs), at least 8 credits (equivalent to 2.0 FCEs) of which must be taken from a list of courses in the area of concentration, which will be provided annually on the program website. The remaining required credits can be satisfied with courses either within or outside the area of concentration.

  • Write a 4-credit hours thesis (equivalent to 1.0 FCE); that is, approximately 45 pages or 13,000 words in length, in the area of concentration under the supervision of a graduate faculty member.

• Students writing a long thesis and pursuing a concentration must:

  • Complete 8 credit hours of coursework (equivalent to 2.0 FCEs).

  • Write a thesis worth 16 credit hours (equivalent to 4.0 FCEs) and approximately 175 pages or 52,000 words in length, in the area of concentration under the supervision of a graduate faculty member.

• Students pursuing the concentration in Legal Theory must complete the mandatory 3-credit course LAW7081H Foundations of Legal Theory (3 credits, or 0.75 FCE). This course will count towards the credits required for the area of concentration.

• All thesis students must complete:

  • The mandatory graduate seminar for all LLM students writing a thesis: LAW1000H Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship (3 credits, or 0.75 FCE).

  • The mandatory graduate seminar for all LLM students: LAW7572H LLM Seminar (1 credit, or 0.25 FCE).

• All coursework and the student's thesis are graded using the graduate grading scale as outlined in the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy.

• The Faculty offers thesis students some flexibility regarding the number of credits allocated to their thesis. Students writing a short thesis can choose to write a slightly longer thesis for additional credit, and students writing a long thesis can choose to write a slightly shorter thesis for fewer credits. Students who wish to reduce or increase their thesis credits should contact the graduate program coordinator before the Fall add/drop deadline.

• The coursework requirements must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadline of the academic year of attendance; the thesis must be completed by July 31 of the academic year of attendance.

• With approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law, the program may be taken on a part-time basis over two years, in which case the coursework requirements must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadlines of the second academic year of attendance; the thesis must be completed by July 31 of the second academic year of attendance.

• Residence. Full-time students must be in attendance for at least two academic sessions (eight months, September to April). Part-time students must be in attendance for at least four academic sessions (September to April of both years of study).

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS); 6 sessions part-time
Time Limit: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time

 

LLM Program (With a Concentration): Coursework-Only Option

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Faculty of Law's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants must have obtained a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree, or the international equivalent of a law degree, from a recognized university. Applicants must have a minimum B+ average in the final year of their legal studies. Preference will be given to applicants who maintain this average throughout their legal studies, i.e., throughout their entire law degree.

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who obtained their admitting degree (Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor, or equivalent) from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by submitting English-language test scores. Several English-language testing services are acceptable. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are the most common tests:

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the following minimum scores:

  • Paper-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600, and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

  • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100/120, and 24/30 on each section.

• IELTS, Academic module: overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each component.

• The University of Toronto Academic English preparation course: overall grade of A in Level 60.

• Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Online: overall score of 70 with at least 70 in each component.

• Cambridge English Qualifications: overall score of 191 with at least 185 on each section.

• No conditional offers of admission will be given based on successful completion of an English language test.

• Applicants applying to one of the four areas of concentration must substantiate their interest in and suitability for the concentration in their statement of interest. Applicants may only apply to one of the areas of concentration. Applicants may be admitted into the LLM program without a concentration.

Completion Requirements

• Students must complete a course of studies valued at 28 credit hours (equivalent to 7.0 full-course equivalents [FCEs]).

  • Writing requirement. Students pursuing the coursework-only option must satisfy the writing requirement by July 31 by either:

    • Designating one course (3 or 4 credits) as a writing requirement course, which must be in the area of concentration. Only courses requiring a written assignment of at least 5,000 words (approximately 20 pages) will qualify as a designated writing requirement course. LAW1000H Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship, LAW7572H LLM Seminar, and LAW7077H Introduction to the Canadian Legal System do not qualify as a designated writing requirement course.
      
      or

    • Completing the directed research project course (2 or 3 credits; LAW8002H or LAW8003H) requiring a written assignment of 7,000 or 10,500 words, respectively.

• At least 12 of the credits (equivalent to 4.0 FCEs) must be completed from a list of courses in the area of concentration into which the student was accepted. A list of eligible courses will be provided annually on the program website.

• Students pursuing the concentration in Legal Theory must complete the mandatory 3-credit course, LAW7081H Foundations of Legal Theory (3 credits, or 0.75 FCE). This course will count towards the credits required for the area of concentration.

• All students in the LLM program must complete the mandatory graduate seminar: LAW7572H LLM Seminar (1 credit, or 0.25 FCE).

• All coursework is graded using the graduate grading scale as outlined in the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy.

• The coursework requirements for all courses apart from the designated writing requirement course must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadlines of the academic year of attendance; the writing requirement must be fulfilled by July 31 of the academic year of attendance.

• With approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law, the program may be taken on a part-time basis over two years, in which case the coursework requirements must be completed by the Faculty's Winter sessional deadlines of the second academic year of attendance; the writing requirement must be completed by July 31 of the second academic year of attendance.

• Continuation in Year 2 of the part-time LLM program is subject to the Faculty of Law's determination that the student has made satisfactory progress in Year 1 of the part-time LLM studies.

• Residence. Full-time students must be in attendance for at least two academic sessions (eight months, September to April). Part-time students must be in attendance for at least four academic sessions (September to April of both years of study). Students must be in attendance for at least two academic sessions (eight months, September to April).

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS); 6 sessions part-time
Time Limit: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time