Dual Degrees

Law Dual Degree Programs

For a handful of high-achieving students every year, earning two degrees in law – the JD and an LLM or other law master’s degree – from one of the world’s highest-ranked universities makes excellent academic and professional sense. Students who may wish to consider this unique opportunity include those who are interested in and otherwise eligible to become qualified to practice law abroad; students who plan to work for international organizations, NGOs, or international development agencies; and students who have a particular academic interest that can best be met by immersing themselves in courses and opportunities not available at Maurer or even in the United States.

Students applying to spend two semesters abroad must meet an even higher threshold for Study Abroad Committee approval. To be approved to spend one-third of one’s Maurer J.D. program elsewhere, students need to demonstrate, at minimum: a comprehensive plan for meeting all Maurer and bar requirements in their two years at Maurer; compelling academic, professional and personal arguments for spending two semesters away in the chosen location(s) and/or degree; and a GPA that exceeds the Maurer median and meets the requirements of the selected program(s). Dual-degree programs are normally undertaken in the 3L year, as many but not all international LLM degrees require at least two years of prior law study to be eligible.

Please be aware that, unlike non-degree semesters abroad, all but two of the dual degree programs offered through Maurer require that additional tuition fees be paid to the host university. Please discuss financial considerations with Paul Leopold before applying.

All dual degree applicants must first fill out the Maurer application by the February 3 deadline. If the dual degree program deadline is earlier than February 3, please discuss timing issues with Dean Goodwin.

For further information about any of the dual-degree programs, please contact: Gabrielle Goodwin, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs and Global Engagement at glgoodwi@iu.edu.

Program information for:

Paris, France

Université Paris II (Panthéon-Assas)

Maurer and longtime partner Université Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) offer two unique opportunities for students to earn two degrees, a J.D. and a master’s-level degree, in three years. Maurer students spend their 3L year at Paris II fulfilling the requirements for one of these master’s-level degrees, up to 29 credits from which may be counted toward the J.D. degree.

We have a special arrangement to offer two places per year in the English-taught The LLM In European Law for a reduced fee of €5000. The courses taught give students the opportunity to acquire a comprehensive understanding of European Law in most areas that fall within the competence of the European Union.

For students who are proficient in French, Paris II welcomes Maurer students to apply for the one of the DSU (Les Diplômes Supérieurs d'Université) in French. There is no additional fee for this degree. There are 6 specializations (“mentions”) to choose from, and Maurer students have traditionally chosen those in EU law, business law, and private or public international law.

While neither the English-taught LLM or the DSU will qualify a graduate for admission to the French bar, the DSU degree can provide students with some of the prerequisite knowledge of French law. In France, Article 100 of the National Bar Counsel (CNB) allows a person who has passed the bar and is licensed to practice in a jurisdiction outside of the EU to sit for a series of exams meant to test their knowledge of French law. If successful, the person may apply for bar candidacy in France. Typically, students interested in practicing law abroad take the New York Bar exam.

Dublin, Ireland

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin School of Law welcomes Maurer students to study for a semester or a year as non-degree exchange students; however, if a Maurer student wishes to pursue one of Trinity’s LLM degree programs during their 2L or 3L year, the student will need to apply to take a leave of absence from Maurer to do so. If approved by Maurer, the student would then receive assistance from the Office of International Programs in applying to one of Trinity College Dublin’s four postgraduate LL.M. degrees. These include the General LL.M.; the LL.M. in International and Comparative Law; the LL.M. in International and European Business Law; and the LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law. Admission to the LL.M. by Trinity is not guaranteed.

LL.M. degrees at Trinity are worth 60 ECTS (30 US) credits, of which up to 29 credits from LL.M. coursework may be counted toward the Maurer J.D. with prior approval. Students are finished with the required LL.M. coursework by early May and must submit the LL.M. thesis by the end of June. The formal LL.M. graduation ceremony takes place in September, and past Maurer dual-degree students choose to go back to Dublin to attend.

As participating students will be taking a leave of absence from Maurer to attend, no Maurer scholarships or Maurer-based federal financial aid will apply to the €21,290 TCD Postgraduate tuition fee. However, Trinity is one of a small number of European universities for which US students may apply for US federal financial aid. See details here.

Shenzhen, China

Peking University School of Transnational Law (Shenzhen)

Qualified 2L and 3L students may apply to spend one academic year at Peking University School of Transnational Law (Shenzhen) pursuing the LL.M. degree. PKU STL is located on the Peking University Graduate School campus in Shenzhen, southeastern China, a modern city known as China’s Silicon Valley. The LL.M. is taught entirely in English and STL’s curriculum emphasizes lawyering skills and knowledge for the 21st century, focusing on: transnational law and practice; cross-cultural competence; the ability to contend with the complex legal and factual issues characteristic of advanced economies based on technological innovation and global financial services; and, the professional responsibilities of lawyers in these contexts. STL’s LL.M. program consists of at least three quarters of full-time study in residence and a second year for internships, continued study, or research projects at the student’s discretion. The additional cost for the LL.M. degree is approximately $12,500. Scholarships are available.

Although the degree is conferred at the end of two years, it is possible for residence to be completed after one year. Maurer students who are eligible to participate as 2Ls may graduate with both the J.D. and the STL LL.M. degree after the 3L year at Maurer. Students spending their 3L year at STL may choose to remain in China for all or part of the second year of the LL.M. degree to pursue further coursework, internships or employment, or return home to take the bar exam and begin working in the U.S.

Beijing, China

Peking University Law School

Peking University Law School located in Beijing, China is China’s premier law school and it offers an LLM in Chinese Law in English. This is a two-year degree, and only the first year must be spent in China. This LLM is not open to PRC citizens and additional tuition fees apply. Maurer students will be given priority application and scholarship consideration, but neither admission nor scholarship amounts are guaranteed.

Coursework includes:

Chinese Judicial System
Chinese Constitutional and Administrative Law
Chinese Civil Law
Chinese Company Law
Chinese Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure
Legal Chinese*
Elementary Chinese
Lecture Series on Contemporary China S
Chinese Intellectual Property Law
Chinese Contract Law
Chinese Foreign Investment Law
Chinese Civil Procedure and Arbitration
Chinese Economic Law
International Law as Applied in China
Commercial Law and Regulatory Issues China’s Economic Development*

Sonipat, India

Jindal Global Law School

Indiana Law's close relationship with Jindal Global Law School makes it possible for us to offer this unique dual- degree program for students who see themselves engaged in emergent trends in trade and investment law, finance, or intellectual property law on the international stage. Jindal is India’s #1 law school, located in a beautiful, safe, self-contained campus approximately 45 minutes from central New Delhi.

Read more about Jindal’s LL.M. degree options in Corporate and Financial Law and Policy; International Trade and Investment Law; Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Law; and the General LL.M.

Maurer students may apply to spend their 2L or 3L year at Jindal fulfilling the requirements for one of the four LL.M. degrees, worth 28 credits. These 28 credits may be counted toward the Maurer J.D. degree.

There is no additional tuition fee for this dual-degree program.

Hamburg, Germany

Bucerius Law School

Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany is Germany’s first private law school, and it consistently ranks as its #1 law school. Bucerius offers the English-language Master of Law & Business (MLB) that is designed to equip students with the ability to understand the legal and economic dimensions of the various stages of an enterprise. The program takes a comparative approach, allowing students to understand the similarities and differences between different legal and business systems through courses like EU Capital Markets Law, International Taxation and Corporate Governance and Compliance. Within the MLB, students may choose to specialize in International Commercial Arbitration, Entrepreneurship, or Legal Technology & Operations. Up to 29 credits for coursework that is sufficiently legal in nature may be applied to the Maurer JD degree.

Only rising 3Ls with some prior relevant work experience will be considered. There is an additional cost of €11,000 for the MLB, and scholarships are available. The exams take place in early June, and all students must write a thesis and take part in a required internship that will not be complete until later July. These factors could make taking a July bar exam difficult, but not necessarily impossible.

Milan, Italy

Università Bocconi

Università Bocconi, located in Milan, Italy, is one Italy’s few private law schools, and known as its best. Bocconi offers two LLM programs in English for which rising 3Ls may be considered: the LLM in European Business & Social Law (EBSL), which aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the legal system of the European Union, and the LLM in Law of Internet Technology (LIT), which aims to provide a thorough understanding of the international legal issues emerging in the digital age, including copyright and intellectual property rights protection, data protection, and competition rules.

Both degrees offer the choice of completing an internship or writing a thesis. Exams are finished by the end of June, though internships and thesis writing can take longer. These LLM degrees have no additional tuition costs for Maurer students. Both programs are worth 60 ECTS (30 US credits) credits, up to 29 of which may be applied toward the Maurer JD degree. Optional Italian language courses are available and highly recommended.