Courtroom scene with a panel of three judges seated behind a wooden bench while an attorney stands and speaks at a podium. Additional attorneys sit at tables facing the judges, with water bottles and papers arranged on the desks.

Criminal Law LLM Program

The Criminal Law LL.M. Program builds on the School of Law’s strength in the interdisciplinary study of criminal law. 

One of the only post-professional programs in New York devoted exclusively to the study of criminal law, this program has attracted lawyers from all over the world who intend to teach, do policy work, or work as prosecutors or judges in their home jurisdictions.

In either program, you can choose to write a more extended piece of scholarly work under the guidance of a professor.

Requirements

Admission to the Criminal Law LLM Program requires a first degree in Law (JD or LLB).  Students must take a minimum of 24 credits to complete the Criminal Law LL.M. degree.  Students must participate in the Criminal Law Colloquium (the writing requirement) and complete a minimum of three credits of experiential learning. Courses qualifying as experiential include externships, clerkships, clinical programs and practicums, as well as a variety of in-class courses. International students will additionally take a two-credit legal research and writing class and a two-credit course that introduces the United States legal system.

Criminal Law LL.M. students must complete:

  • Criminal Law;
  • Criminal Procedure – Investigation; and
  • Evidence and/or Criminal Procedure – Adjudication.

The remainder of the students’ coursework will comprise electives from the entirety of the law school’s course offerings. 

Students interested in taking the New York Bar Exam will be advised on the courses needed to satisfy the Bar’s requirements.

Requirements may only be waived with the advance approval of the Director of the Criminal Law LL.M. program and the Vice Dean for Student Affairs.