Thesis

Choosing a Thesis Topic

Apart from completing course work, LL.M. students are required to prepare and defend a thesis on a subject of law, which is considered novel and requires extensive discussion and analysis of laws, legal principles, and jurisprudence.  The LL.M. thesis must demonstrate the candidate’s original research and scholarship in his or her chosen LL.M. track. 
 
Thesis Requirements

1. Formal Requirements

The LL.M. thesis must be based on a previously approved study proposal, and must contain at least 25,000 words, excluding footnotes. A candidate for the LL.M degree must submit four copies of the completed work to the thesis center on or before the given deadline.

1. Adviser Supervision

LL.M. candidates are required to have their thesis supervised by an adviser from the ALS faculty. Eligible advisers from the faculty must hold post-graduate degrees in law. Students may refer to the thesis center for a list of available faculty members for their chosen concentration.

1.  Thesis Defense

Once the thesis is completed, students are required to defend it before a panel of three (3) persons considered experts in the relevant field of law. The thesis center is responsible for scheduling the defense and arranging the panel, which may be composed of both ALS faculty or outside experts or academics.

The 2018 Revised Thesis Rules can be downloaded here.