International Law at Fletcher

My colleague, Peter VanDerwater has taken the lead on a new project for the Admissions Office. In this entry, he’ll introduce you to a new Fletcher degree program.

With the arrival of the summer’s warm temperatures, the academic degrees at Fletcher are also on the rise. As you may have noticed when browsing our website, we have been working hard to develop and strengthen our academic offerings. In addition to the new MIB program that Kristen mentioned in her recent blog entry, and several new exchange programs, we are also excited to introduce a new Master of Laws (LLM) in International Law degree starting in Fall 2008.

With a quick glance at the headlines on the front page of any major newspaper — covering topics ranging from climate change agreements and trade negotiations, to the detention of terror suspects, and nuclear non-proliferation regulations — it is easy to see why the study of international law is increasingly important in the 21st Century.

Drawing upon our unique strength in international law, Fletcher’s LLM will address the historical, political, cultural, and economic framework within which contemporary international lawyers operate. While law schools worldwide offer many different LLM programs, Fletcher is the only school of international affairs to offer such a degree. A distinguishing feature of our program, and the hallmark of The Fletcher School, is its interdisciplinary nature. Students will examine international law through the prism of international affairs — encompassing interrelated areas such as development economics, international business, human security, international environment and resource policy, security studies, international trade and commercial policies, and diplomacy.

Fletcher’s LLM will be a one-year residential program consisting of eight courses: at least five in law and two from the other divisions at Fletcher (Economics and International Business, and Diplomacy, History, and Politics). While LLM students will have the flexibility to individualize their own programs within this framework, they may also choose to follow three optional curricular tracks within the law curriculum. In addition, students will participate in an international law High Table — an on-going colloquium run by the international law faculty that includes presentations by faculty, visiting scholars, speakers, and students — and will attend a three-day, year-end capstone symposium held at Tufts’ European Center in beautiful Talloires, France.

The LLM is designed for students who have already earned a JD degree from an ABA-approved law school in the U.S., or who have received an equivalent legal education from a foreign university, and who have several years of professional legal experience. The program will prepare students to begin or continue a career in international or non-governmental organizations, executive and congressional offices, diplomatic missions, foreign and defense ministries, law firms, media, and other international institutions.

Our new website has more details regarding the LLM admissions requirements. In the coming months we will be updating all of our materials to reflect our new degree offerings. In the meantime, you are welcome to contact us if you have any additional questions.

More information on all of our degree programs can be found on the Fletcher web site.

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