National Security Law Seminar

What: A total of 16 hours of in-person instruction, taught over the course of 4 days on the topic of national security law. At the end of the program, you will receive an official Statement of Participation.

Where: Columbia University’s iconic campus in the City of New York.

When: June 9-13, 2025

Who: This broad survey course is designed for professionals trained outside the United States, including lawyers, policy makers, military personnel, police officers, cybersecurity experts, and others.

Cost, Deposit, and Payment: The program fee is $2,500 for one week with on-campus housing, or $2,000 for one week without housing. The fee includes a networking breakfast, closing reception, and official Statement of Participation.

All participants are asked to pay a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 (if requesting accommodation) or $500 (if not requesting accommodation) within two weeks of being invited to join the program, which will be credited towards the overall program fee. The balance of the program fee is due on May 1.

Housing: Participants may consider staying in a nearby hotel or AirBnB. A limited number of private rooms are available in Columbia University student residence halls, and are available to program participants for as long as space remains open.

Cancellation: Refunds may be available in limited circumstances, such as program cancellation, health emergencies, visa denials, etc.. Please see FAQs for more information.

See more information in FAQs. For further information, please email [email protected].

Monday
Organization and Processes of U.S. National Security
Key U.S. government agencies, their legal sources of authority, and the legal tools they employ

Tuesday
Surveillance and Cybersecurity Law
Issues arising under both U.S. law and international law

Wednesday
Use of Military Force—Session I
Current and possible future issues, including counterterrorism, arising under domestic U.S. law

Thursday
Use of Military Force—Session II
Issues arising under international law, including international humanitarian law

Friday
Keynote presentation by Matthew Waxman, Chair of columbia Law School's National Security Law Program, followed by a reception hosted by Columbia Law School's National Security Law Program.

Robert (Bobby) Chesney

Bobby Chesney is Dean of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where he holds the James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs.

Chesney’s scholarship focuses on U.S. national security and cybersecurity. He is a frequent contributor to many policy-oriented publications and forums, and a co-founder of www.lawfareblog.com.

In 2021, Chesney served on the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee for the U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Earlier, he worked at the Justice Department with the Detention Policy Task Force.

He also previously served as an associate member of the Intelligence Science Board and as a member of the Advanced Technology Board, both of which were advisory to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He has been a member of the American Law Institute since 2007.

Chesney is a magna cum laude graduate of both Texas Christian University and Harvard Law School. After law school he clerked for the Honorable Lewis A. Kaplan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Robert D. Sack of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Matthew C. Waxman

Matthew C. Waxman is a nationally known authority on national security law, cybersecurity, terrorism, intelligence, and armed conflict. He brings the perspective of a former senior government official to his scholarship on war powers, the regulation of military technology, counterterrorism, surveillance, and cybersecurity.

His writing appears regularly in the Lawfare national security blog, and his expertise is frequently sought in media interviews and congressional testimony. Waxman is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he also serves as adjunct senior fellow for Law and Foreign Policy.

At the Law School, Waxman chairs the National Security Law Program and has co-chaired the Cybersecurity Center at Columbia’s Data Science Institute, an interdisciplinary endeavor that brings together experts from across the university to develop ways to keep data secure and private. His teaching focuses on constitutional war powers, international law, and data privacy and surveillance. In 2008, he helped create Columbia Law’s Judge Advocate (JAG) Scholars program, which brings military lawyers to the LL.M. program. He has cultivated opportunities for students to meet with alumni faculty at West Point, where he serves as a senior fellow at the Lieber Institute for Law and Land Warfare.

Before joining the Law School in 2008, Waxman served in senior positions at the State Department, Department of Defense, and National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration. As a National Security Council aide, he was involved in the White House response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. In 2005, as a deputy assistant secretary of defense, he pressed for full compliance with the Geneva Conventions at military detention sites. In 2006, as the State Department’s principal deputy director of policy planning, he led the United States delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva.

After law school, Waxman served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter and to Judge Joel M. Flaum of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Earlier in his career, he worked as a defense analyst at RAND.

Admission, Qualifications, and Who Should Attend

Applications: Individual applications are accepted on a rolling basis, as they are submitted, starting in September, and continuing on a first-come/first-served basis. Classroom space is limited, and applications received after all seats in the program have been filled will be placed on a waitlist.

Required Background: The program is intended to provide practitioners with a broad educational and cultural experience rather than a rigorous course of academic or professional training. Participants should have obtained at least a first university degree in a field related to national security law. Others with different backgrounds will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please email [email protected].

Who Should Attend: Columbia Law School’s National Security Law Seminar is designed for professionals trained outside the United States in fields related to national security law, including attorneys, policy makers, military officers, police officials, cybersecurity experts, and others. Candidates should have at least a first university degree, but applications from undergraduate students will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Academic Focus: The National Security Law Seminar offers an engaging educational and cultural experience with 16 hours of interactive, non-credit instruction. It provides participants with a broad introduction to U.S. national security law’s key elements and actors, as well as their interplay with international law including international humanitarian law. The program is intended as a broad and challenging introduction for motivated professionals rather than a rigorous course of advanced academic or professional training.

Academic Structure: The program features 16 hours of instruction provided over four days; each day is divided into two class sessions. The morning session runs from 10 a.m. to noon and the afternoon session runs from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., allowing time in the afternoon to enjoy New York City’s museums, parks, and other cultural attractions. All sessions are presented in-person, and there are no exams, grades, or academic credit. An initial networking breakfast and orientation, as well as a final closing reception, are also included.

Accommodation: We recommend that participants consider staying in a local hotel, AirBnB, or similar accommodation. (A list of hotels used by past Columbia visitors can be found here.)

Limited housing is also available in on-campus student residence halls such as Watt Hall and East Campus. These rooms, when available, are much more reasonably priced than commercially-available accommodation. Student residence halls are very simply furnished with an air conditioner, desk, bed, and linens.  They lack, however, some of the amenities (e.g., televisions, coffee makers, etc.) found elsewhere.  All on-campus accommodations have private bedrooms.  Some, however, may share bathrooms with 1-4 other bedrooms in the same suite.

Credit and Credentials: The program does not offer academic credit. All participants who satisfy class attendance and participation expectations will receive a formal Certificate of Participation from Columbia Law School, bearing the signature of the Dean of the Law School and the Dean for International and Comparative Law programs.

English Language Proficiency: All instruction takes place in English, and students should anticipate being called upon to speak in class.

Exams and Attendance: The program does not include examinations. Participants are expected to attend at least 7 of the 8 class sessions to qualify for the Certificate of Participation.

Location: The National Security Law Seminar is presented at Columbia Law School, on the iconic campus of Columbia University in the City of New York.

Program Fee and Payment: See more under the “payment and fees” tab. 

Program Dates: June 9-13, 2025 on the iconic Columbia University campus in the City of New York. A networking breakfast and orientation will be held on Monday, followed by four hours of classes daily on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. No class sessions are held on Friday, but an optional keynote will be hosted in the late morning, followed by a networking reception by Columbia Law School’s National Security Law Program.

Socratic Method and Class Participation: National Security Law Seminar sessions may employ an accessible version of the Socratic Method, one of the foundations of U.S. legal education, through which instruction is imparted by a “question and answer” dialogue between the teacher and students. 

Class preparation includes not only completing reading assignments, but also being ready to think and speak critically about them in class. Course materials and reading assignments will be provided on the website or by email in the weeks prior to the start of the program.

Refunds, Changes, and Cancellation

Refunds: Refunds may be available in certain circumstances as detailed below (and different terms may apply to groups with which the Law School has made separate arrangements). Payments made by credit card during the prior 60 days will be promptly credited back to the same account; refunds of wire transfers and other forms of payment may take up to 90 days or more to process.

Changes: Columbia reserves the right to revise the content, instructors, manner of instruction, format, and location of the program at its sole discretion.

Cancellation by the participant on or before March 1: In response to a request received on or before January 31 from any individual who wishes to withdraw from the program, the Law School will refund all program fees received less the non-refundable deposit.

Cancellation by the participant after March1: Absent prior approval from Columbia Law School, no refunds are possible in response to requests received after January 31 from an individual who wishes to withdraw from the program.

Cancellation in the event of a health emergency, or if a necessary visa cannot be obtained: In the event of a documented health emergency or, if a timely effort to obtain a U.S. visa is unsuccessful, Columbia will refund 100% of all program fees received.

Cancellation by Columbia: Columbia reserves the right to cancel the program due to insufficient enrollment or other reasons. In the event that Columbia cancels the program, the Law School will refund 100% of all program fees received from participants. Columbia is not able to refund any associated travel expenses, and participants are strongly encouraged to purchase trip insurance to cover their transportation and housing arrangements.

Visas: A standard B1/B2 visa is sufficient to enter the United States to participate in this program.

Important: Different pricing, deadlines, and other terms ma apply to affiliates of the University of Ghana and other partner institutions with which Columbia Law School has made special arrangements. Please direct queries to [email protected].

Program Fee. The program fee is $2,500 with housing, or $2,000 without housing. This covers:

• An orientation and networking breakfast.
• Four days, totaling 16 hours, of classroom instruction and study materials.
• A keynote and closing reception.
• An official Certificate of Participation.

Discounts. Special discounts may apply to affiliates of Columbia Law School affiliate institutions. Please inquire for more information.

Payment: Payment of a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 (for those requesting on-campus housing) or $500 (for those not requesting on-campus housing) is due no later than two weeks after notification of admission. The balance of the program fee is then due on May 1. Online payment by credit card is preferred, and a payment link with specific payment instructions will be provided along with notification of admission.