MSL students attend the law school full-time for one eight-month session, beginning in September. Candidates are required to complete at least 28 and not more than 32 credit hours.
All students must attend the graduate seminar, Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship (3 credits), offered in the fall term. Attendance is mandatory.
Candidates are further required to take at least three of the following first-year subjects: contracts (5 credits), torts (5 credits), property (5 credits), criminal law (5 credits), constitutional law (5 credits), and civil procedure (4 credits).
Candidates in the MSL program also complete a research project of an interdisciplinary nature during their studies at the law school. This can be done in the context of one of the credit courses and will be valued at the value of the course. For example, if a student takes a three-credit course, he or she may write a research paper in lieu of the regular course evaluation, and will earn 3 credits for this paper. These 3 credits will be counted towards the 28-credit minimum.
The MSL and LLM programs are not bridges to the JD program, and applicants should not take these degrees with the expectation that course credits will be transferable to any other program.
All course selections are subject to approval by the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies. Students are encouraged to balance their courseload between the terms. We cannot guarantee that all course selections will be assigned, although graduate students will get special consideration for courses in their area of research.
Candidates should be aware that a graduate degree in law does not qualify one for admission to the Bar in Ontario.
Go back to the MSL Program page.
