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Welcome!
Cooley's L.M. degree programs offer innovative curricula and scheduling, and a full-time and adjunct faculty with exemplary qualifications.
Benchmark Features LL.M. Program
The Graduate Tax and Intellectual Property Programs are featured in the recent Benchmark magazine. Click on the link to read about the LL.M. program and interesting articles authored by Professor Gina M. Torielli, Director of the Graduate Tax Program, and Professor David C. Berry, Director of the Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law.
Information about Cooley's LL.M. Program
Admission to the LL.M. Program
International Students and Admission
Guest (Non-Degree) Student Status at Cooley
The J.D./LL.M. Joint Degree Program
Busy professionals have an opportunity to earn an LL.M. degree in a manner, pace and location conducive to family and work schedules. An LL.M. degree can be earned in intellectual property or taxation. The LL.M. degree can be earned at any of Cooley's three Michigan campuses in Lansing, Auburn Hills, and Grand Rapids. Students have maximum flexibility in selecting the location at which they attend courses. Traditional classroom videoconference courses between the Lansing, Auburn Hills, and Grand Rapids campuses are offered. The Graduate in Intellectual Property Law Program also offers web-based classes. Classes meet primarily on the weekend. Weeknight and accelerated format courses are sometimes scheduled. Students can attend part- or full-time. The 24-credit programs can be completed in one year of full-time study or the student can take as long as five years.
The graduate law program was designed by the faculty to provide our graduate students with the substantive knowledge and practical skills needed to excel in their chosen field. Several required courses provide students with a common foundation for further study in their discipline. The remaining elective courses allow students to focus their study. Graduation from Thomas M. Cooley Law School with a Master of Laws degree in Intellectual Property or Taxation requires the completion of 24 credit hours of study with an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 or "B" on the total hours taken and completed.
Completion of the LL.M. degree does not qualify a graduate student to apply for permission to take the bar examination in every state. Each state applies its own criteria for allowing applicants to take the bar examination and for admitting attorneys to practice law. Lawyers from other countries seeking to practice law in the United States should obtain information regarding the requirements for admission to the bar in the state in which they wish to practice. Information regarding certification for bar examinations is in the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Student Policy Manual.
The Graduate Program offers an LL.M. degree in Intellectual Property and Taxation.
The LL.M. degree program is designed for both the part-time and full-time study of law with classes primarily offered on the weekend. Sometimes courses are scheduled on weeknights or in an accelerated format. It is possible for a student to complete the program in one year of full-time study, but the full-time student could be faced with time conflicts between courses offered. Not all courses in the curriculum will be offered every term. Students enrolled in the graduate program cannot register for more than 14 credits during a term. All students must complete the academic requirements for the LL.M. degree within five calendar years after entering the program.
Distance Education
Through the introduction of distance education, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School offers busy professionals an opportunity to earn an LL.M. degree in a manner, pace, and location conducive to family and work schedules. Graduate Program students have the opportunity to combine traditional classroom studies with distance education initiatives such as videoconferencing (real-time/on campus) and web-based courses (on-demand/off campus).
Cooley uses state-of-the-art videoconferencing to offer graduate level law courses at its Michigan locations in Lansing, Auburn Hills, and Grand Rapids by linking its classrooms.
A videoconference course is taught on a specific day and time in specially equipped classrooms. Faculty teach from one campus location to students at other campus locations. Students and faculty see and hear each other with two-way audio and video interaction. Students have maximum flexibility in selecting the campus location at which they wish to attend a videoconference course.
The Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law also offers a web-based academic track. The web-based courses are faculty-led and utilize an online course management system. Students will generally be required to participate in weekly assignment postings, text readings, online research, bulletin board discussions, chat sessions, virtual office hours, and virtual study groups.
Potential students considering distance education should carefully assess whether they possess the traits and habits for success in a distance education learning environment. Self-assessment readiness checklists are available on the Graduate Program's web site.
More information about distance education can be found on the Graduate Tax and Graduate Intellectual Property Programs, and the FAQs web pages, and the links below.
Cooley Announces Distance Education Initiative in its Graduate Tax Program (2/28/05)
Admission to the LL.M. Program
Information about admission to the LL.M. program can be found on the LL.M. Admission page. The deadlines for application to and enrollment in the LL.M. program are:
| Term | Application |
Enrollment Deadline |
Michaelmas |
June 15 | August 15 |
| Hilary (January - April) |
October 15 | December 15 |
Trinity |
January 15 | April 15 |
Please note ALL deadlines established by the Admissions Office and the Graduate Programs Office. Contact either office with any questions about deadlines.
International Students and Admission
International students may apply to the LL.M. program at Cooley. Click on the link for information about what is required and how to apply. International students should plan ahead because of the time required for the application, admission, and enrollment process.
Guest (Non-Degree) Student Status at Cooley
A guest (non-degree) student may be admitted to Cooley's Graduate Program and earn up to eight credits. Click on the link for more information about non-degree guest student status. Please note that admission as a guest (non-degree) student does not guarantee admission into the program as an LL.M. degree seeking student.
Guest (Non-Degree) Student Application (pdf)
The J.D./LL.M. Joint Degree Program
Cooley Law School students have the opportunity to earn a J.D. and LL.M. in less time through the J.D./LL.M. joint degree program. The joint degree program in intellectual property and taxation allows select Cooley students to be "provisionally admitted" into the LL.M. Program while still working to obtain their Cooley J.D. Joint degree students can take up to nine credits of LL.M. coursework in their chosen area before they complete their juris doctor degree. The credits will count toward both degrees, permitting these students to save significant time and money while obtaining the knowledge, skills, and credentials for a successful law practice.
For more information about the J.D./LL.M. joint degree program, click on the link.J.D./LL.M. Joint Degree Program Application (pdf)
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This Page was last updated on:
08/27/2008