Global Health Law LL.M.
Georgetown University Law Center offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Global Health Law. This innovative, full- or part-time intensive course of study under the faculty direction of Professor Lawrence O. Gostin is open to highly qualified candidates in public and private sectors with their J.D. (or a first degree in law from outside the United States) and strong interests or backgrounds in global and domestic health laws and policies.
Globalization of Health Laws and Policies
Health laws and policies are increasingly transnational in the modern era. Trade, commerce, travel, environment, war, and terrorism transcend boundaries and profoundly impact individual and communal health. Protecting the public's health and improving individual health outcomes increasingly involves national and international innovation and collaboration through legal systems. A comprehensive approach to global health law involves multiple, interrelated fields including health, environmental law, trade, economics, intellectual property, human rights, ethics, and national security.
Global Health Law at Georgetown
Georgetown University Law Center offers graduate students a unique opportunity to study health law, including both global and domestic health law issues. As the nation's largest school of law, Georgetown combines outstanding, preeminent faculty with a diverse and talented student body located in Washington, D.C. The Linda and Timothy O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law was established at Georgetown University in 2007. The Institute focuses on the study of global and national health law and features centers on global health, disease prevention and health outcomes, health regulation and governance, and health care financing and organization.
The Global Health Law Program offers lawyers working nationally and internationally the opportunity to advance their knowledge and skills through focused studies in core legal and policy courses on global health, individual and public health, human rights, trade law, bioethics, international economics, environmental law, biotechnology, and science. Additional coursework may focus on other areas of legal interest, including disabilities, insurance, intellectual property, and refugees. Significant opportunities for independent student research also exist.
Beyond Coursework
The Global Health Law Program seeks to develop future leaders in international and national health law and policy. Beyond formal studies, motivated candidates from governmental or private sector backgrounds may enhance their leadership skills by working closely with faculty and others on international and regional projects at the intersection of law, policy, and health through the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, housed in the Edward Bennett Williams Law Library, which offers a modern facility and outstanding international law library. Global Health Law LL.M. students are integrated into the O'Neill Institute in many ways and have the opportunity to work on the O'Neill Institute's projects as research assistants, enroll in its practicum courses, and attend the many symposia and events hosted by the O'Neill Institute. Additional opportunities for faculty/student collaboration or non-Georgetown Law legal and policy positions with international, national, or regional entities are also possible.
Given Georgetown's location in the nation's capital featuring direct access to national and international organizations and government agencies, there are numerous externship and supervised research placement opportunities for LL.M. students. Students completing externships or supervised research opportunities receive no compensation but earn two academic credits on a pass/fail basis.
