The thesis-intensive LLM offers law graduates the opportunity to demonstrate advanced legal scholarship, through the writing of a long or short masters-level dissertation. Students can write a thesis of between four (45 pages or 13,000 words) and 16 credits (175 pages or 52,000 words), see the thesis-intensive LLM Degree Requirement webpage for more information.
The LLM program is designed as a twelve-month program commencing in September, involving a course of studies and a thesis which, combined, are valued at 24 credit hours. Students in the thesis-intensive LLM program can design a program in almost any area of law and legal theory that will meet that student's interests and needs.
All LLM candidates participate in the LLM seminar, which will have substantive and skills based classes. As well, all LLM candidates in the thesis stream will participate in the Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship, which 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 upper-level and seminar courses.
This program is only offered on a full-time basis. We can only open an exception to this rule in rare cases in which special circumstances prevent the student from being able to attend the program full-time. Working full-time is NOT a circumstance that would allow a student to study part-time. If you would like to request an accommodation to study part-time, please make sure to indicate that in your application and provide supporting documentation. If your request is approved, a part-time thesis-intensive LLM program will be taken over a period of two years. Part-time candidates must successfully complete the course requirements (as above) by May 31 of the first academic year of attendance, and complete and present a satisfactory thesis by July 31 of the second academic year of attendance. Please note that requesting part-time status in your application and providing documentation to support the special circumstances upon which you are making the request to study part-time does not guarantee that your request will be granted.
Note: an LLM does not qualify foreign-trained candidates to practise law in Ontario, and LLM students are not permitted to take courses from the first year JD program. Contact the National Commitee on Accreditation for information on practising law in Ontario. See also information on NCA-related offerings at the Faculty of Law.
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