Global Health Law and International Institutions

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Local:$ 57.6 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 57.6 k / Year(s) Deadline: Feb 10, 2025
120 place StudyQA ranking:3522 Duration:

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Georgetown University Law Center in partnership with the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, offers a new Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Global Health Law and International Institutions.  This innovative, intensive course of study is open to highly qualified candidates in public and private sectors with their J.D. (or a first degree in law from outside the United States) and strong interest or background in global health law and policy.  Students may begin their coursework at Georgetown on a full- or part-time basis.  After completion of one full-time semester or up to three part-time semesters at Georgetown, students will complete the program with a full-time spring semester at the Graduate Institute.

This degree is offered in conjunction with Georgetown's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.

Globalization of Health Laws and Policies

Health laws and policies are increasingly transnational in the modern era. Trade, commerce, travel, environment, war, and terrorism transcend boundaries and profoundly impact individual and communal health.  Protecting the public's health and improving individual health outcomes increasingly involves national and international innovation and collaboration through legal systems.  International institutions such as the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the World Trade Organization, and the International Labor Organization play an important role in global health governance and in the development of global health law and policy.  A comprehensive approach to global health law involves multiple, interrelated fields including health, trade, economics, intellectual property, human rights, ethics, and national security.

Global Health Law at Georgetown

Georgetown University Law Center offers graduate students a unique opportunity to advance their knowledge and skills through focused studies in core legal and policy courses on global health, public health, environmental health, health and human rights, bioethics, food and drug law, biotechnology, and intellectual property.  As the nation's largest school of law, Georgetown combines outstanding, preeminent faculty with a diverse and talented student body located in Washington, D.C.  The Linda and Timothy O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law was established at Georgetown University. The Institute focuses on the study of global and national health law and features centers on global health, disease prevention and health outcomes, health regulation and governance, and health care financing and organization.

International Institutions at the Graduate Institute, Geneva

The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies is widely regarded as one of the best international law and relations institutes in Europe. 

The semester in Geneva provides participants with a unique opportunity to explore the world of international institutions and the relationship that it shares with global health governance. No other city out of the United States has such a strong international organization presence. With scores of official agencies and organizations and dozens of international nongovernmental organizations based in and around, Geneva is truly an international city, bringing together policymakers, diplomats, advocates, and many other professionals whose work focuses on the most challenging issues of global health law, policy, and governance.

The Graduate Institute, Geneva is a leading institution of research and higher education dedicated to the study of world affairs, with a particular emphasis on the cross-cutting fields of international relations and development issues.

Through its core activities, the Institute aims to promote international cooperation and make a contribution to the progress of developing societies. More broadly, the Institute endeavors to develop creative thinking on the major challenges of our time, foster global responsibility and advance respect for diversity.

Through its Global Health Programme, the Graduate Institute plays an important role in shaping the emerging field of interface between foreign policy, economics, development and health.  The Global Health Programme is focused on examining the characteristics and mechanisms that define successful global health governance at the beginning of the 21st century. It is particularly focused on deepening understanding of the shifting power balances in global health, such as the increasing influence of emerging economies and the powerful role played by new foundations, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations.

Students pursuing the Global Health Law & International Institutions LL.M. degree must complete the general degree requirements that apply to all LL.M. students, whether U.S.-trained or foreign-trained. 

In addition to these general requirements, the following specific requirements apply:

At Georgetown Law

Students must complete a total of 12 credits at Georgetown Law, of which 10 credits must be Global Health Law "specialization credits". 

As part of their required Global Health Law specialization credits, students must take the 4-credit course Global Health Law.

The remaining credits must be completed from an array of other health-related courses found in the Curriculum Guide.

Students must earn a minimum grade point average of "B-" (2.67/4.00) in the courses that are counted toward the LL.M. in Global Health Law and International Institutions specialization requirements.

Foreign-trained students (with their first degree in law from outside the United States):While not required, students are strongly recommended to enroll in U.S. Legal Research, Analysis and Writing. This course counts toward the 12 credit degree requirement but not the 10 specialization credits.

At the Graduate Institute (Geneva)

Students must complete a total of 39 credits at the Graduate Institute (one Georgetown Law credit is approximately equal to three Graduate Institute credits), of which 24 credits must be from courses in international law, humanitarian law, international trade law, international environmental law, refugee law and policy, international affairs, and international development studies, including:

  • Global Health Diplomacy
  • Human Rights Through the Concepts
  • Treatymaking in Contemporary International Society
  • Judicial Interpretation of Human Rights
  • Terrorism and International Law
  • Advanced Seminar on WTO Jurisprudence
  • The Security Council and Issues of Responsibility
  • The Fight Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
  • International Criminal Courts and Tribunals (Academy)
  • The UN and the Emerging Culture of Impunity (Academy)
  • Multilateral Governance and International Organizations
  • Global Environmental Governance
  • Environment, Population and Development
  • Managing the Global Commons
  • International Migration
  • Water Conflicts, Security and Cooperation

As part of their required 24 credits, students must take the two compulsory courses: International Health Law and Global Public Health: Current and Emerging Issues.

Students must complete either an approved internship or dissertation worth 15 credits.

  • The full-time internship must last for a minimum of 4 weeks, must have a dimension linked to global health legal and/or policy questions, and must be authorized in advance by the Joint LL.M. Committee. Students pursuing an internship must submit an application to the to the Global Health Law Program Director at Georgetown Law and LL.M. Programme Manager at the Graduate Institute at least one month prior to the beginning of the internship.

    It is expected that most students will complete this requirement at an international institution in Geneva (such as the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, or the World Trade Organization) either during the 6-week period between the end of the Fall semester at Georgetown Law and the beginning of the Spring semester at the Graduate Institute, or during the summer upon completing the Spring semester at the Graduate Institute.

    At the completion of the internship, students must submit a written report to the Global Health Law Program Director at Georgetown Law of no more than 5,000 words developing some of the themes and questions addressed during the internship. The report is graded and, in conjunction with completion of the internship, counts for 15 credits.
     
  • Students may undertake a dissertation instead of the required internship with the prior approval of both the Director of the Joint LL.M. at the Graduate Institute and the Director of the Global Health Law Program at Georgetown Law. A dissertation entitles the student to 15 credits. 
  • Application Form;
  • Application Fee;
  • Resume;
  • Personal Statement;
  • Transcripts;
  • Registrar's Certification Form;
  • TOEFL Score (or waiver request);
  • Letters of Recommendation; and
  • Conduct explanation (if applicable).
  • Applicants to the National Security LL.M.,  Global Health LL.M., and Global Health & International Institutions LL.M. are expected to have some background, either professional or academic/research experience, in the relevant area.

Scholarships

Georgetown University Law Center Global Health Law Scholars

The Global Health Law Program offers up to five prestigious Global Health Law scholarships per academic year. Global Health Law Scholars, in addition to the title, will receive full or partial tuition awards. These awards may be sponsored by Georgetown Law and/or major outside organizations in law and health, and may be coupled with internship opportunities. Applicants will be selected by a committee on the basis of their (1) academic qualifications in the fields of law/ethics and public health, health policy, health economics, bioethics, or other relevant disciplines; (2) public or private sector work experience on global or domestic health law issues; and (3) demonstrated potential for excellence within the field of global health law. Students' financial needs may also be considered.

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