The Master of Laws (LLM) Degree in Intellectual Property is designed for attorneys who intend to practice in the fields of patent, copyright and trademark law, or technology. The curriculum of the LLM in Intellectual Property program includes courses covering every aspect of intellectual property law, from basic courses in patent, copyright, trademark and technology, to enforcement, litigation and dispute resolution, to practical experience drafting patents. Additionally, students may choose to pursue their LLM in Intellectual Property with a patent or technology focus.
Admissions
Information regarding admission to the LLM program can be found at https://www.law.gmu.edu/admissions/llm/llm_ip/.
Policies
Students who have completed the JD degree at a United States Law school will receive a waiver fo the required Introduction to United States Law 2 credit course. Therefore, students who have received a JD from a United States Law school must complete 24 credit hours to receive the LLM degree. Students who have not completed a JD at a United States Law school must complete the 2 credit required Introduction to United States Law Course, and therefore must complete 26 credit hours to receive the LLM degree.
Students may attend the LLM program full time or part time. Courses are offered in the day and evening to accommodate working professionals.
Students may be able to complete the standard LLM in Intellectual Property or the LLM in Intelleectual Property with a Technology FOcus in one academic year, though most will take a year and a half to two years to do so. The LLM in Intellectual Property with a Patent Focus takes a minimum of one and a half years. Full time students typically take 12-15 credit hours per semester; part time student typcially take 8-12 credit hours. For the purposes of the F-1 and J-1 visas, 10 or more credit hours are required to meet the full time requirement of the visa.
All students must finish the degree requirements within five years of matriculation and be enrolled in at least two courses each semester, unless granted a waiver or leave of absence. In order to remain in the LLM program, students must present a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.33 on a 4.33 scale at the end of each spring semester.
The 24-26 credits making up the LLM in Intellectual Property are not designed to prepare or qualify students who are not graduates of a United States law school to engage in the practice of law in the United States or to qualify them to take a bar examination in the United States. Additional coursework is possible for those trying to qualify to sit for a bar examination. For more details, see Bar Examination for Foreign-Trained Attorneys.
To develop a personalized plan of courses based on your time-frame for finishing the LLM Degree, please contact Charles Lemley, Director, Graduate Student Academic Affairs, at clemley@gmu.edu.
Students enrolled in the Intellectual Property LLM program at Scalia Law School may choose the Practical Skills Track to enhance their professional development and acquire hands-on practical legal experience. This skills-based program develops students' workplace skills through the practical application of the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom.
Degree Requirements
Total credits: 24-26
Standard LLM in Intellectual Property
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Students must take 15-17 credit hours of required courses: | 15-17 | |
| Economics for Lawyers | ||
| Patent Law I | ||
| Patent Law II | ||
| Trademark Law | ||
| Copyrights | ||
| Lgl Econ Theory-IP | ||
| Intro to US Law 1 | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| ArtsEntertain Adv Clin(E)(W) | ||
| Communications Law | ||
| Consumer Protection Law | ||
| Cybersecurity Law Seminar | ||
| Emerging Lw of Internet Sem | ||
| FDA Regulation | ||
| Federal Cir Prac Sem (E) | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| International IP Policy Sem | ||
| National Security Law | ||
| Patent Lic Know-How Lic (W) | ||
| Pat Lit Disp Res Sem (E) | ||
| Patent Litigation at ITC (W) | ||
| Patent Office Litigation | ||
| Patent Prosecution (W) | ||
| Pat Writ Theory Prac | ||
| Perspctves on Regulation | ||
| Priv Info Security | ||
| Regulated Industries (W) | ||
| Surveillance Law Seminar | ||
| Trade Secrets Law | ||
| Trademark Law | ||
| WIPO-C-IP2 Summer School on Intellectual Property | ||
| Total Credits | 24-26 | |
- 1
Waived for students who have completed the JD degree at a United States law school.
LLM in Intellectual Property with Technology Focus
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Students must take 15-17 credit hours of required courses: | 15-17 | |
| Economics for Lawyers | ||
| Patent Law I | ||
| Patent Law II | ||
| Trademark Law | ||
| Copyrights | ||
| Lgl Econ Theory-IP | ||
| Intro to US Law | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| ArtsEntertain Adv Clin(E)(W) | ||
| Communications Law | ||
| Consumer Protection Law | ||
| Cybersecurity Law Seminar | ||
| Emerging Lw of Internet Sem | ||
| FDA Regulation | ||
| Federal Cir Prac Sem (E) | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| International IP Policy Sem | ||
| National Security Law | ||
| Patent Lic Know-How Lic (W) | ||
| Pat Lit Disp Res Sem (E) | ||
| Patent Litigation at ITC (W) | ||
| Patent Office Litigation | ||
| Patent Prosecution (W) | ||
| Pat Writ Theory Prac | ||
| Perspctves on Regulation | ||
| Priv Info Security | ||
| Regulated Industries (W) | ||
| Surveillance Law Seminar | ||
| Trade Secrets Law | ||
| Trademark Law | ||
| WIPO-C-IP2 Summer School on Intellectual Property | ||
| Total Credits | 24-26 | |
LLM in Intellectual Property with Patent Focus
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Students must take 15-17 credit hours of required courses: | 15-17 | |
| Economics for Lawyers | ||
| Patent Law I | ||
| Patent Law II | ||
| Trademark Law | ||
| Copyrights | ||
| Lgl Econ Theory-IP | ||
| Intro to US Law | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| Federal Cir Prac Sem (E) | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Patent Lic Know-How Lic (W) | ||
| Pat Lit Disp Res Sem (E) | ||
| Patent Litigation at ITC (W) | ||
| Patent Office Litigation | ||
| Patent Prosecution (W) | ||
| Pat Writ Theory Prac | ||
| Trade Secrets Law | ||
| Total Credits | 24-26 | |
Practical Skills Track Option
Requirements
In order to graduate with a Intellectual Property LLM degree in the Practical Skills Track, students must be ready to complete a total of 26-28 credit hours (24-26 credits composed of the required and elective courses as listed in the Intellectual Property LLM degree curriculum, plus 2 credits for the supervised externship seminar required of this track).
All LLM students in the Practical Skills Track shall complete a legal externship supervised by a licensed attorney in the United States in the second semester of LLM studies. Students are required to enroll in Law 320, Supervised Externship.
Student Rights & Responsibilities
- Students wishing to pursue the Practical Skills Track in their second semester of study must obtain a minimum 3.1 GPA in their first semester of study.
- No compensation may be received for work performed during the course of the supervised externship required by the Practice Skills Track.
- Externship work must be done under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney or judge (the “site supervisor”) and assignments must be substantive and legal or law-related in nature. Placements that do not meet these requirements shall not be approved.
- The student must work a minimum of 120 hours, which hours shall be structured in consultation with the site supervisor.
- Externship opportunities must be approved by both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Supervised Externship Professor in advance of the externship start date.
- The student must attend two of the four tutorials offered by the Supervised Externship Professor over the course of the semester.
- Prior to the start of the externship, a “Supervised Externship Volunteer Agreement” must be signed by the student and site supervisor and submitted to the Supervised Externship Professor. The agreement is available on the web or from the Office of the Director of Graduate Studies. If the person who initially signs the agreement does not act as the student’s primary supervisor, the student must get a new volunteer agreement signed by the primary supervisor and submitted to the professor as soon as feasible. Students who do not comply with these requirements may be dropped from the course.
- Each student must have a mid-semester consultation with the Supervised Externship Professor to discuss the externship and work being accomplished.
- At the end of the externship, the student must submit the following:
- time sheet showing the hours worked;
- sample of their written work product of any length (with the supervising attorney’s permission; redactions are acceptable to preserve confidentiality);
- written summary of the legal skills enhancement resulting from their field experience. The summary should be 2-3 pages in length and must include a description of: i. how the student found the externship opportunity; ii. the work accomplished in the program; iii. the skills developed through the program; iv. the extent and nature of the student’s interaction with and feedback from supervisors and other attorneys; v. any recommendations to future students interested in the same or a similar opportunity;
- The student must ensure that their site supervisor submits a timely evaluation by the end of the semester. An “incomplete” will remain on a student’s transcript until all of the above requirements have been met and the documents reviewed by the professor.
Procedure
Students are responsible for finding their own internship placement. The Director of Graduate Studies offers career counseling and support for students seeking these types of opportunities.
Students should schedule an appointment to meet with the Director for counseling during their first semester of LLM studies so that the externship search can be timely and potentially yield an offer by the end of the first semester.
Students interested in pursuing this track need to submit (1) their internship offer letter and (2) transcripts reflecting their first semester grades to Brian Benison, Director of Graduate Admissions and International Initiatives by email to bbenison@gmu.edu by the first day of classes of their second LLM semester at Scalia Law.
Students who meet the necessary requirements will be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies to register for the LLM Externship Seminar. Once approval has been granted by the Director of Graduate Studies, students shall obtain the approval of the Supervised Externship Professor. Students may not register for the LLM Externship Seminar without both permissions.
International students (F1 visa holders) who don’t have permission to permission to work in the United States will need to seek the necessary permission from OIPS (Office of International Programs and Services) in order to pursue this track.