Accreditation: This ONLINE LLM, JSM and JSD degree program is offered from the TJSL law School in the USA which is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the American Association of Law Schools.
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Requirements
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LLM AND JSM GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

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LLM PROGRAM FACT SHEET

Degree Requirements


LL.M./J.S.M.
In order to graduate with the LL.M. or J.S.M., a student must successfully complete 24 credits while officially enrolled as a degree seeking candidate, which includes two required courses of six credits. The two required courses to graduate are: in the first trimester Thesis I, and secondly, the final LL.M. thesis (Thesis II). The Thesis may be an employment related memorandum of equivalent status. Thesis 1 may be waived with permission of the Associate Dean should the applicant be a practicing lawyer with sufficient research experience.

The candidate must have obtained a minimum grade point average of 2.0 over the 24 credits in order to be eligible to graduate. If a candidate does not have a 2.0 grade point average, the candidate may continue to take courses up to 36 credits to achieve the minimum grade point average.

The remaining 18 credits (6 courses normally) may flexibly be organized over time and curriculum to best meet the candidate’s employments needs.


J.S.D./Fellowship


In order to graduate with the J.S.D., students successfully complete 60 credits and a 75,000 word (between 180 – 300 pages) thesis which must be publicly defended (online or residentially) and thereafter published before the degree will be awarded. The program is flexible and built around the student.

The first 24 of the 60 credits are taken as either the LL.M. or J.S.M. degree. Students who hold an LL.M. from another ABA or similarly accredited institution may qualify for the J.S.D. program, transferring up to 20 credits. Of the remaining 60 credits, students may enroll in regular LL.M. courses or independent study courses. Independent study courses may be structured to be worth as few as three credits and as many as twelve credits a semester.

Upon completion of the remaining 60 credits, the candidate may elect to be issued a Fellowship rather than publish the dissertation (commonly referred to as “ABD” all but dissertation).

  • The Dean will mutually agree during the first semester a dissertation supervisory board of three members. The board will consist of the primary supervisor, the first evaluator, and the second evaluator.
  • Each semester the J.S.D. candidate must submit a progress report to the primary supervisor, who will then evaluate whether the candidate has maintained a reasonable schedule toward completing the dissertation within the time line provided by the candidate. The progress report will detail research undertaken (e.g. bibliography, pathfinder) to date, detailed outline, as well as an official draft of the dissertation progress (e.g. any completed chapters) to the primary supervisor.
  • By the end of the second year, the J.S.D. candidate must to his supervisor submit at least a 30,000-word draft that should include at least two chapters (e.g. a chapter scoping the issue and another chapter) of the dissertation. The board members will not serve as an editor/proofreader of the J.S.D. candidate's dissertation and footnotes. The J.S.D. candidate is expected to either undertake the editing him/herself or to employ a proofreader. A poorly edited dissertation will impact the evaluation of the dissertation. The board will vote as to whether the candidate has achieved sufficient progress toward completing the dissertation within the time line provided by the candidate.
  • Toward completion of the requirements, the J.S.D. candidate must submit four bound paper copies and an e-copy in PDF and in Word of the publishable dissertation in final form of no less than 75,000 words to his or her primary supervisor in either the third year or a later year as agreed, but not more than the fifth year. The primary supervisor will submit a substantive report on the dissertation, including its academic contribution to the field, within two months of having received the final paper copy version. The primary supervisor will submit the dissertation and the substantive report to the two evaluators. The two evaluators will independently issue a grade with comments to the primary supervisor within two months.
  • If the J.S.D. candidate has the possibility of a passing grade from the average of the two evaluators grades, then the J.S.D. candidate shall have a rigorosum (public defense) scheduled either in May at the law school or another date/place to be mutually agreed. The rigorosum panel may include the evaluators as well as other experts in the field but will at least include the primary supervisor who will serve as its chair. The rigorosum will last at least one hour and no more than ninety minutes and will conclude with a grade being issued by the primary supervisor after a brief private discussion by the panel. The final dissertation grade will be the average of the three grades.
  • If the dissertation has received a final passing grade, then the J.S.D. candidate may edit the dissertation based upon the report, comments, and rigorosum, and publish it. For these purposes, publication must include distribution to an agreed list of academic libraries and research institutes. Upon publication, the J.S.D. degree will be awarded.


 

Click here for the official Student Guide with Course Descriptions and Law Program Information in PDF.