JD-LLM in International Human Rights

Northwestern Law and its Center for International Human Rights offer a four-year joint degree program leading to both a JD and an LLM in International Human Rights, with a focus on both international human rights law and international criminal law. Northwestern Law remains the only law school in the country to offer a joint JD-LLM in International Human Rights (JD-LLM IHR) program.

Students enrolled in the JD-LLM IHR program will receive a thorough grounding in the norms and mechanisms of international human rights law and international criminal law. A distinctive feature of the new program will be the requirement that students complete a semester-long externship with one of a number of designated international and hybrid criminal tribunals, foreign supreme courts, and international human rights organizations.

Degree Requirements
Completion of the joint degree program requires completion of the existing requirements for the JD, plus an additional 20 credits. Within this overall requirement, JD-LLM IHR students must complete a minimum of 20 credits from courses related to international human rights law. These courses must include the following core courses:

International Human Rights I (3 credits)
International Criminal Law (3 credits)
Human Rights Colloquium (2 credits)

The remaining 11 credits can be fulfilled from an array of elective courses relating to international human rights law or international criminal law. While courses may vary from year to year, elective courses offered during Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 terms include the following:

Clinic Practice: Human Rights Advocacy at Home and Abroad
Clinic Practice: Center for International Human Rights
Nation Building: International Human Rights in Transitional Societies
Comparative Human Rights: Differing Perspectives in Europe, the Americas, the U.S.
A New World Order: the Role of the United Nations in Advancing a Rule of Law and Individual Human Rights
The Law of War/International Humanitarian Law
Corporate Human Rights Responsibility
Refugees and Asylum
International Environmental Law
Pirates to Pinochet (And Back): Universal Jurisdiction
Selected Issues in Israeli and Palestinian Law
Women, Children and Human Rights
International Human Rights Clinic Practice
Graduate Thesis

In addition to completing 20 credits of courses as outlined above, students must also complete a 12-credit, semester-long externship with one of a number of designated international and hybrid criminal tribunals, foreign supreme courts, and international human rights organizations. The externship can be undertaken during the joint degree student’s 2L, 3L, or 4L years. The Law School encourages students to take the core courses first and to not take the externship during the spring term of the 4L year. For further information regarding externships, please see the International Externship page.

Upon completion of all requirements, JD-LLM IHR students will be awarded both degrees simultaneously, namely a JD and an LLM in International Human Rights.

Tuition and Financial Aid
A Northwestern Law legal education is a valuable investment that will provide lifelong returns throughout your legal career. Given that, the Law School recognizes that many students do not have the immediate financial resources to cover the substantial cost of a legal education. Therefore, we are committed to providing a comprehensive financial aid program designed to enable any accepted student to attend the Law School and complete their degree program regardless of financial need.

The Office of Financial Aid administers a number of programs to assist both prospective and continuing law students in financing their Northwestern Law education. Aid packages are composed of a combination of loans, grants, and/or scholarships. Assistance is based on demonstrated financial need. Current students and students admitted for Fall 2009 should contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid with questions concerning tuition rates and expenses.

Application Procedure
Current students are eligible to apply for the JD-LLM Program in International Human Rights. Students who are interested in the program should submit an application, statement of purpose, and current resume. Current students should also submit their most recent law school transcripts. The application is now available. All application materials should be sent to:

Northwestern University School of Law
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Attention: JD-LLM Program in International Human Rights
357 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

New applicants please visit this website and complete the application found under JD-LLM in International Human Rights. Within this application checking the appropriate box indicates that you would like your application to be considered for the JD-LLM in International Human Rights.

Further Information
For further information, please contact Professor David Scheffer, director of the Center for International Human Rights, at d-scheffer@law.northwestern.edu, or Professor Bridget Arimond, director of the LLM Program in International Human Rights, at b-arimond@law.northwestern.edu.