Employee Benefits Certificate

The requirements for the Certificate in Employee Benefits Law are:

• Successful completion of 10 academic credits, consisting of the following four courses:
  • Employee Benefits: Qualified Retirement Plans (2 credits)
  • Employee Benefits: Health & Welfare Plans (2 credits)
  • Employee Benefits: Executive Compensation (2 credits)
  • Employee Benefits: Practicum (4 credits)
• A minimum grade point average of “B-” or higher in the courses that are counted toward the Certificate requirements.
• Successful completion of all requirements for the Certificate within two years of commencing coursework towards its completion in conjunction with the LL.M. in Taxation degree.

Students must successfully complete either:

• A basic federal income taxation course in prior study, or
• The Foundations of Federal Income Taxation course during the fall semester as part of their LL.M degree program study.

• The Certificate in Employee Benefits Law is open to U.S.-trained lawyers, and can be pursued in-person or online, in conjunction with the LL.M. in Taxation degree.
• The Certificate in Employee Benefits Law may generally not be completed by foreign-trained lawyers who do not hold a J.D. degree.
• J.D. students are not eligible to pursue the Certificate in Employee Benefits Law as part of their J.D. degree studies.
• Students cannot be admitted into the Certificate in Employee Benefits Law program on a standalone basis.
• Students who wish to apply for the Certificate should do so by notifying their LL.M. Program Director no later than the last day of add/drop activity in the last semester before their graduation.
• Some courses in the Certificate program may require live participation via Zoom videoconferencing.

Refer to the Curriculum Guide for the current list of course offerings for the Certificate in Employee Benefits. On the left-hand side Search Options menu, select Employee Benefits Certificate as the option under Courses in a Graduate Program. Alternatively, direct links for each employee benefits course offering can be found below.

• Employee Benefits: Qualified Retirement Plans
• Employee Benefits: Health & Welfare Plans
• Employee Benefits: Executive Compensation
• Employee Benefits: Practicum

For a summarized version of course descriptions for the Certificate in Employee Benefits, refer to the Certificate in Employee Benefits Curriculum Essays page.

Georgetown Law is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which allows online programs that demonstrate compliance with their home state’s authorization requirements to enjoy reciprocal authorization in all other SARA states, which include the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all U.S. states except California. Georgetown is also authorized separately to deliver online education to students residing in California. For more information on state authorization, including state complaint processes and refund policies the university is required to comply with, please visit the Georgetown Office of Compliance and Ethics Distance Education page.

For more information on SARA, please visit the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements website.

Georgetown Law’s online degree and certificate programs will not lead to professional licensure and will not qualify a student to sit for any state bar exam.