Law

The LLM program can be undertaken with a strong emphasis on a thesis (long or short, in combination with some coursework), or coursework-only (with a course-based writing requirement).

The thesis-intensive format allows students to elect to write a thesis of between 4 and 16 credits, written in combination with some coursework. The longer thesis is aimed at law students who have demonstrated a strong potential for advanced research and writing in accordance with the standards of the Faculty of Law, many of whom desire a career in legal academia. The shorter thesis option is aimed at law students who wish to undertake significant independent research but also want exposure to other areas of law through coursework.

The coursework-only format is designed for law students who wish to specialize in a specific area of law, particularly in one of the Faculty of Law's several strengths, to develop an understanding of North American legal processes and laws, or to explore the common law at an advanced level.

The Faculty offers concentrations in the area of Business Law, Criminal Law, Legal Theory, and Health Law, Ethics and Policy within the LLM degree program. They can be pursued in either the thesis-intensive or coursework-only formats. Entry into these concentrations is on a competitive basis.

All LLM candidates participate in the graduate seminar, Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship. It is designed to expose students to various approaches to legal scholarship, including law and philosophy, law and economics, feminism and the law, legal history, law and society, analytical jurisprudence and critical legal theory.

Graduate students choose their other courses from those available in the JD program, which are posted on-line in the summer. Graduate students are expected to choose the more senior level seminar courses. The selection of courses is subject to the approval of the Associate Dean (Graduate).

At the beginning of the academic year, we offer two intensive courses, Introduction to the Canadian Legal System and Advanced Legal Methods and Writing for students who are new to Canada and/or common law. During the year, we also hold mandatory, non-credit LLM Workshops on topics that include legal research, writing, and the popular Comparative Legal Systems sessions, in which selected international students to do short presentations on their home legal systems at the request of the Associate Dean.

An applicant for admission to the degree of Master of Laws (LLM) must have a Bachelor of Laws from this or another recognized university and must normally have achieved the equivalent of a University of Toronto B+ standing. A second undergraduate degree or demonstrated research and writing ability is normally required for those students proposing a long thesis within the thesis-intensive LLM program. It is essential that you have a command of the English language. If your primary language is not English and you graduated from a non-Canadian university where the language of instruction and examination was not English, you must demonstrate your facility in English by completing an English-language facility test. This language requirement should be met at the time you submit your application. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 600 TOEFL iBT® test: 100

All doctoral students with financial need are offered tuition plus a stipend of approximately $15,000 for three years. Financial support is also available to a small number of LLM candidates with excellent academic records and in some cases, financial need. However, many LLM students will be required to fund their own graduate studies. Applicants seeking financial support must complete the Financial Assistance Application Form, along with their law school application.

Canadian Students should consider applying for OSAP, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, various SSHRC programs, and the Viscount Bennett Scholarship. Deadlines are as early as October of the year preceding registration. International students should seek financial support from their home countries.

Accreditation

Established in 1827, the University of Toronto has one of the strongest research and teaching faculties in North America, presenting top students at all levels with an intellectual environment unmatched in depth and breadth on any other Canadian campus.

The University of Toronto is committed to being an internationally significant research university, with undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of excellent quality. U of T is dedicated to fostering an academic community in which the learning and scholarship of every member may flourish, with vigilant protection for individual human rights, and a resolute commitment to the principles of equal opportunity, equity and justice.

The University of Toronto is determined to build on its past achievements and so enhance its research and teaching. The University anticipates that it will remain a large university. It will continue to exploit the advantages of size by encouraging scholarship in a wide range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and the professions. It will continue to value its inheritance of colleges and federated universities that give many students an institutional home within the large University. It will strive to make its campuses attractive settings for scholarly activity.