LL.M. Research and Writing Options
Directed Research
Directed Research credit may be added through September 28, 2009 for Fall 2009 and February 8, 2010 for Spring 2010.
To undertake Directed Research, students contact individual instructors and agree on a research project. To register, a written proposal must be approved and signed by the instructor, and then submitted to the Office of Graduate Affairs. Please see the names of faculty members and the areas of law in which they will supervise Directed Research for 2009-2010. This is only meant as a guide and you can approach any full-time faculty member to request supervision. While any full-time faculty member or visiting faculty member may supervise the research, adjunct professors may supervise only with the permission of the Vice-Dean.
Normally, two credits are allocated for Directed Research. A two-credit Directed Research project should conform to the same guidelines as the substantial writing requirement for J.D. Students. For non-tax students no more than four of a student’s 24 credits may consist of directed research. Tax students may take a maximum of two credits of directed research. Regardless of the type of project involved, students are, of course, expected to submit original, non-duplicative work. When in doubt about proper use of a citation or quotation, discuss the issue with the instructor. Plagiarism is a serious offense that may merit severe discipline. Failure to make academic progress on a Directed Research may result in a student’s withdrawal with a grade of "WD."
Requests to add Directed Research after the deadline stated above require approval of the Vice-Dean. Such requests should be initiated by contacting the Office of Graduate Affairs and will only be considered if your credit load (not including the Directed Research credits) does not drop below the minimum 12 credits at any point in the semester after the add/drop period. Students who are granted permission to late-add Directed Research will not be permitted to drop courses if the result is inconsistent with the above; please plan your schedule accordingly.
After March 13th, the Vice Dean may allow a student to add Directed Research only in exceptional circumstances. No more than two (2) credits can be earned in this manner. In considering the request, the Vice Dean will take into account the totality of the circumstances including: (a) the date of the request; (b) the nature of the proposal; and (c) whether the missing credits or the timing of the student’s request are the result of circumstances that were within the student’s ability to control. If the Vice Dean approves the student’s application, it will be the student’s responsibility to find a faculty member willing to supervise the proposed work and award credit in a timely manner.
Directed Research during the summer semester: Students may register for Directed Research during the summer semester. The summer registration deadline is July 1, unless there is approval by the Vice Dean to add at a later date. Please note that full-time students will be charged per credit for Directed Research during the summer. All work must be submitted by September 1 or by an earlier deadline established by the supervising faculty member.
LL.M. Thesis Option
LL.M. students have the option to write a substantial research paper, in conjunction with a seminar or Directed Research, that may be recorded as "thesis" on their transcript. At the onset of the seminar or Directed Research, the student must obtain approval from the professor that the paper will be completed for a "thesis" designation. It should be substantial in length (at least 10,000 words exclusive of footnotes) and, like the substantial writing requirement for J.D. students, must be analytical rather than descriptive in nature, showing original thought and analysis. Please note the thesis designation is for a single research paper agreed upon in advance.
The student is required to submit an outline and at least one FULL PRE-FINAL draft to the faculty member in order to receive thesis notation. When submitting a final draft of the thesis to the faculty member, the student must give the faculty member an LL.M. Thesis Certification form. The faculty member is required to return the signed form to the Office of Graduate Affairs when submitting a grade for the course.
Please note that the student will not receive additional credit for writing the thesis, but will only receive credit for the seminar or directed research for which he or she is registered.
International Legal Studies students should review their program requirements for further information about writing an LL.M. thesis within their program.
Writing Credit
In seminars, colloquia, and courses which offer the option to add an additional writing credit, students may earn one credit for writing a substantial paper (at least 10,000 words in length exclusive of footnotes).
To earn the additional credit, students must register for the writing credit section of the course within the same semester the course is offered. The deadline for registering is September 28, 2009 for Fall 2009 and February 8, 2010 for Spring 2010.