J.D./LL.M. in National and Global Health Law

The joint J.D./LL.M. in National and Global Health Law is a competitive and rigorous program that allows students to develop expertise at the intersections of health and law, including in the areas of global health governance, infectious diseases and the law, noncommunicable diseases and the law, health and human rights, trade law and health, bioethics, food and drug law, and access to health care.

This joint degree program allows students who are completing their J.D. degree to take health law courses that will count toward both the J.D. and the LL.M. in National and Global Health Law. Students in the program can earn their J.D. and LL.M. degrees in 7 full-time semesters, or somewhat longer if completing the program on a part-time basis.

Program Overview

Visit the J.D. Program(This link opens in a new tab) and LL.M. in National and Global Health Law(This link opens in a new tab) pages for program overviews of each degree.

Eligibility

The joint J.D./LL.M. in National and Global Health Law is open to current Georgetown Law J.D. students.

Admissions

J.D. students must apply for admission(This link opens in a new tab) to the program at the end of their 2L/3E year.

The J.D./LL.M. in National and Global Health Law is highly competitive, and only a select number of J.D. students will gain admission.

Program Requirements

Students complete a total of 24 credits to earn the LL.M. in National and Global Health Law.

During J.D. studies, students complete 12 credits that will count towards the LL.M. in National and Global Health Law. 8 out of the 12 credits must be qualifying National and Global Health Law specialization credits.

After completing the J.D. program, students transition to LL.M. students and complete the remaining 12 credits necessary to fulfill LL.M. in National and Global Law program requirements. 8 out of the 12 credits must be qualifying National and Global Health Law specialization credits, including:

• Global Health Law(This link opens in a new tab) (3-credits), if not completed during J.D. studies; and
• An externship or practicum(This link opens in a new tab) related to the field of health law that is approved by the LL.M. Program Director.
  • Practicums should be courses listed under the Health Law LL.M.(This link opens in a new tab) course list in the Curriculum Guide(This link opens in a new tab).
  • While externships are highly encouraged, externship credits do not count toward National and Global Health Law specialization credits.

Students may complete the remaining 12 credits on a full-time or part-time basis. Students are expected to complete the LL.M. program within two years of receiving their J.D. degree.

The program requirements listed above should be used as a reference, and have been sourced from the Georgetown Law Student Handbook of Academic Policies(This link opens in a new tab). In the event of any inconsistency, the program requirements listed in the Student Handbook take precedence.

Coursework

To meet the National and Global Health Law specialization credit requirement, students may choose from a long list of core, advanced and related courses. Refer to the Georgetown Law Curriculum Guide(This link opens in a new tab) and select Health Law LL.M.(This link opens in a new tab) under Courses in a Graduate Program for a complete list.

To view course descriptions of current and previous course offerings, visit the National and Global Health Law Curriculum Essay(This link opens in a new tab).