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Executive LL.M. Program and Curriculum

Join a program as agile and ambitious as you are. 

At Columbia Law School, what we teach is informed by what’s happening in the world. The forces changing global business require expert legal professionals as innovative as the products and services offered by their clients.

Earn your LL.M. degree in six months through our intensive program designed to minimize time away from home and work.

Be part of an intimate cohort of accomplished lawyers with sophisticated international practice experience.

Develop the skills to be a leader in the evolving field of global business law through our transformative Leadership and Management series.

Learn from the world’s top corporate law faculty in small classes, gain an expert foundation in U.S. business law, and acquire the professional skills you need to stay nimble and innovative.

Join an exclusive network of the world’s brightest lawyers, and benefit from the resources and support of your fellow alumni throughout your career.

Learn more about the program below.

The Executive LL.M. has both online and in-residence components, requiring a total of 24 credits (five required courses and three electives).

Online Spring Semester (March 27-May 11): One required online course - Introduction to American Law or Law Course (for students that have a U.S. law degree)

The online classes are dynamic, specially designed hybrid taught courses, meaning the instruction and coursework include both live class meetings as well as independent work. During each course, you will engage with your professor during live classes, watch pre-recorded lectures, live online lectures, participate in discussion boards with your classmates, and complete readings and assignments independently.

On-Campus Summer Residency (May 19 – August 11): Five courses

A key component of the Executive LL.M. is the intensive, 12-week Summer Residency. Typically, courses are taught in blocks with each block lasting six weeks. The Global Business Law Colloquium, a course offered only in connection with the Executive LL.M., runs over the course of the Residency and focuses on current issues in business which are essential for lawyers practicing today.

Online Fall Semester (August 18 – October 2): Final two required online courses 

The Executive LL.M. degree is awarded in October.

Students are invited to return for the Columbia University graduation ceremony the following May.

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