Master's Degree Programs

Stanford Law School offers the following graduate degree programs.

The Master of Laws (LLM) Program

With a specialization in Corporate Governance & Practice, Law, Science & Technology or International Economic Law, Business & Policy, the LLM program offers a course-based curriculum of advanced study. The LLM program enrolls approximately 15-20 students in each specialization per year. It is limited to students with a primary law degree earned outside the United States.

The Stanford Program in International Legal Studies (SPILS)

Leading to the completion of the Master of the Science of Law (JSM) degree, SPILS emphasizes empirical interdisciplinary research on issues that are often related to public policy and legal reform in the fellow's home country or internationally. SPILS is oriented toward international candidates committed to pursuing careers in teaching, research, the judiciary, public policy, or service in government or nongovernmental organizations. SPILS enrolls approximately 12 fellows per year. Students who are interested in pursuing a teaching or research career in the fields of Corporate Governance & Practice, Law, Science & Technology or International Economic Law, Business and Policy should apply to SPILS. The LLM program and SPILS make separate admissions decisions, so these students may also want to apply to the LLM program in the field of their specialization.

Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD)

The Law School also offers the Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD) degree. JSD candidates are selected from among the applicants who have successfully completed the SPILS program. Students who are interested in the JSD program should apply directly to SPILS. However, completion of SPILS does not guarantee admission to the JSD program.

The Master of Legal Studies (MLS)

The Master of Legal Studies (MLS) is a nonprofessional degree designed for advanced graduate students from the United States or abroad who have no prior legal training and whose interdisciplinary research requires knowledge of the foundations of the legal system. Only a few such students, if any, are admitted in a given year. Questions concerning the MLS should be directed to [email protected].

Letter from the Dean

We are delighted that you are thinking about becoming a graduate student at Stanford Law School. We think that Stanford is the most exciting place to pursue advanced studies in law among the top law schools in the United States and internationally.

We are proud of our unique, longstanding master's degree program, the Stanford Program in International Legal Studies, emphasizing interdisciplinary, policy-oriented legal research in close collaboration with Stanford faculty advisors and international colleagues, and of our LLM program, with specializations in three areas in which we have extraordinary faculty expertise - Corporate Governance and Practice, Law, Science and Technology as well as International Economic Law, Business and Policy.

Together, these one-year master's programs offer selected candidates the opportunity to undertake rigorous graduate studies at the cutting-edge of legal scholarship and teaching. Our innovative international law curriculum emphasizes the most recent developments shaping legal institutions and reform in developing as well as developed nations, global and regional as well as national systems. If you are engaged in legal practice or business in fields related to corporate governance, advanced technology or international economic law and business, our LLM program provides an excellent opportunity to explore these dynamics through intensive coursework in each specialized area of study. Alternatively, if you are engaged in a career in law teaching, the judiciary, government service, or nongovernmental organizations, our SPILS program provides an unparalleled opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary empirical legal research, with the support of Stanford faculty, on issues of immediate national or international concern. Either way, Stanford provides an outstanding and exciting environment for graduate studies.

You may also wish to consider applying to pursue a JSD degree following the successful completion of SPILS. Stanford faculty advisors support JSD candidates as they design and complete dissertations contributing to scholarship, knowledge and policy debates at home and abroad.

We hope that you will consider applying to one of Stanford Law School's advanced degree programs. If you have the chance, we hope that you will join other international scholars and legal practitioners in our rich intellectual and professional community here at Stanford.

Sincerely,
Larry D. Kramer
Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean

Contact Information

Prospective applicants should write to these addresses ONLY AFTER thoroughly reviewing the extensive information provided on this website.

LLM Program

Questions regarding LLM admission requirements, application procedures, and academic programs should be addressed to:

Graduate Admissions
Stanford Law School

Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610

[email protected]

Phone: 650 723.4985

Fax: 650 723.0838

Stanford Program in International Legal Studies (SPILS)

Questions regarding SPILS admissions requirements, application procedures, and academic program should be addressed to:

Graduate Admissions
Stanford Law School

Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610

[email protected]

Phone: 650 723.4985

Fax: 650 723.0838

JSD Program

Questions regarding JSD admission requirements, application procedures, and academic programs should be addressed to:

Graduate Admissions
Stanford Law School

Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610

[email protected]

Phone: 650 723.4985

Fax: 650 723.0838

MLS Program

Questions regarding MLS admission requirements, application procedures, and academic programs should be addressed to:

Graduate Admissions
Stanford Law School

Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610

[email protected]

Phone: 650 723.4985

Fax: 650 723.0838