Yes.
Any student who earned a law degree outside of the United States is required to take Introduction to American Law and Lawyering Skills and Strategies* during their first semester, August-December. Students in a concentration, such as International Law, are also required to complete a certain number of concentration-specific credits.
Program/Concentration |
Total Credits |
Required Coursework |
Energy, Environment and Natural Resources LL.M. |
24 |
15 credits of EENR coursework and two required courses* |
Health Law LL.M. |
24 |
18 credits of health coursework and two required courses* |
Intellectual Property & Information Law LL.M. |
24 |
15 credits of intellectual property and information law coursework and two required courses* |
International Law LL.M. |
24 |
15 credits of international law coursework and two required courses* |
Tax LL.M. |
24 |
18 credits of tax law courses and two required courses* |
Foreign Scholars LL.M. |
24 |
Two required courses* |
Lawyers who earned their law degree outside of the United States must begin their studies in early August.
The LL.M. degree is a 24-credit program. Most students attend full time and complete the program in one academic year, August-May.
Students have the option of taking up to three years to meet all program requirements. The student must be continuously enrolled every fall and spring semester for a minimum of three credits and meet applicable visa restrictions that may require completion of the program in a shorter period of time.
Classes begin after orientation which is the first week of August.
Classes are typically scheduled Monday-Thursday throughout the day and early evening hours. The current schedule is available at http://www.law.uh.edu/schedule.
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor who works with the student to select courses that meet their professional and program requirements.
Lawyers who earned their law degree outside of the United States must have earned the degree from an accredited university in the country in which the university is located. Applicants must present evidence of a high grade point average or superior class standing at the school where they obtained their law degree and be eligible to practice before the highest jurisdiction in their country.
No.
The application and all supporting documents should be submitted through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) at lsac.org.
Applicants from a country where English is not the official language are required to provide adequate proof of English proficiency. The Law Center requires a TOEFL score of 100 iBT or 7.0 on the IELTS. Applicants who have completed an advanced degree in the United States or have resided in an English-speaking country for a significant period of time can request a waiver of the exams. Waiver requests should be submitted with the application. A phone or Skype interview may be required before a waiver is approved. http://www.uh.edu/admissions/international/admissions-criteria/english-proficiency-toefl/index.php
TOEFL or IELTS reports should be sent to LSAC.
No.
No. Transcripts are evaluated through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service.
Academic performance, work and professional experience, the personal statement, reference letters and the TOEFL or IELTS report (if applicable) are considered in admission decisions.
No. Applicants can use the Personal Statement to write about circumstances, goals, etc. that would be discussed in an interview.
Yes.
The size of an entering class varies from year to year and is not predetermined. Classes typically include recent graduates and practicing lawyers.
Applications are reviewed upon receipt of all required application materials, but not before January 1 (for fall admission). Applicants are encouraged to submit applications, especially academic documents, as early as possible.
No. Applications and offers of admission are program-specific.
For purposes of admission to the LL.M. program, a foreign lawyer is anyone, regardless of immigration status, whose law degree was earned outside of the United States.
U.S. residency and Texas residency are not the same. It is possible to be a permanent U.S. resident but not a Texas resident for tuition purposes. Details on determining Texas residency are available at www.thecb.state.tx.us or www.collegefortexans.com
Houston is a very large metropolitan city with limited public transportation. Students who will not have their own transportation are encouraged to consider campus housing such as the Calhoun Lofts, which is adjacent to the Law Center. Campus housing fills up very quickly and arrangements should be made upon admission to the program. There are also apartment locator services that assist students in finding accessible and affordable off-campus apartments and rentals.
Based on the 2012-2013 academic year, tuition and fees for a Texas resident are approximately $27,500 and $34,500 for a non-resident. (Amounts are estimates based on the current year and are subject to change.)
Expenses, such as housing, personal, and transportation vary depending upon individual preferences. For example, books can be purchased new or used, online or in Houston and there is a wide variety of on and off-campus housing options.
Students typically budget approximately $2900 for books, $10,200 for housing and $5500 for personal expenses (such as transportation), and parking ($195/annually). Health insurance is required of all visa-holding students and is $950 for the academic year, August-May. It can be waived for students who already have health insurance approved by the University of Houston.
Foreign students who are U.S. permanent residents may qualify for student loans. Contact our financial aid advisor at: lawfinaid@uh.edu There are a limited number of merit-based scholarships awarded to non-US lawyers admitted to the LL.M. program.
Visit the following websites for information on scholarships, funding and financial assistance available for studying in the United States. Many of these have a lengthy application and review process. Interested students should begin their research as early as possible.
Fulbright International: http://fulbright.state.gov/
Rotary International: www.rotary.org
Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program: www.fordifp.net
LASPAU (Latin America, Caribbean): www.laspau.harvard.edu
Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, https://www.rmmlf.org/geninfo/schgrant.htm
Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship, www.irex.org/programs/muskie
Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, http://www.aipn.org/ScholarshipProg.aspx
American-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST), http://www.amideast.org/
General information on financial assistance and funding resources for study in the
United States is available at: http://www.edupass.org/finaid/, http://www.nafsa.org/students.sec/ and http://www.amideast.org/usstudy/us-study-advantage
Each state determines eligibility requirements for their bar examination. A limited number of states allow non-US educated lawyers to take the exam. Law schools cannot confirm bar eligibility, and students planning to take a bar examination upon the completion of the LL.M. program (or for whom this may be a possibility), should research a state bar’s eligibility requirements before beginning any program. Eligibility in some states, such as New York, requires completion of specific courses during a student's LL.M. studies.
Visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website, www.ncbex.org for a survey of state bar eligibility requirements for foreign-trained lawyers.