Joint LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance (Geneva Graduate Institute)

Georgetown Law and the Geneva Graduate Institute(This link opens in a new tab) have established the joint LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance, a unique program to specialize in a rapidly evolving law and policy-making field. Students in this joint degree program benefit from the expertise and resources of two renowned institutions at the forefront of global health governance.

The Health Law Programs at Georgetown Law trains lawyers to apply their specialized legal skills to improve public health in the United States and globally. The Health Law Programs comprises the LL.M. in National and Global Health Law(This link opens in a new tab), joint LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance with the Geneva Graduate Institute, Certificate in Food and Drug Law(This text opens in new tab.), and Certificate in U.S. Health Law(This text opens in new tab.).

Program Overview

The joint LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance is a one-year intensive joint degree program ideal for students interested in gaining practical skills and a global perspective essential for tackling complex health law challenges. Below is the order of joint degree program study:

• Fall: Students study in Washington, D.C., completing a semester of health law coursework at Georgetown Law.
• Spring: Students study in Geneva, Switzerland, completing a a semester of coursework related to global health governance at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
• Summer: Students complete a full-time internship at an international institution in Geneva, Switzerland, or undertake a dissertation.

Completion of the one-year intensive program results in students earning an LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance from both Georgetown and the Geneva Graduate Institute.

For additional program overview of the fall semester experience in Washington, D.C., visit the Georgetown Law LL.M. in National and Global Health Law(This link opens in a new tab) page.

For additional program overview of the spring semester experience in Geneva, Switzerland, visit the Geneva Graduate Institute LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance(This text opens in new tab.) page.

Eligibility

The joint LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance program is open to students who have completed their first professional law degree that satisfies academic requirements for practicing as a lawyer in the country where they studied, such as a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.).

This joint LL.M. program is ideal for lawyers with careers or looking to have careers in global health law and policy-making.

The language of instruction at both Georgetown Law and the Geneva Graduate Institute is English. Although the Geneva Graduate Institute is a bilingual institution in French and English, French proficiency is not required to attend. For students who have proficiency in French, they are able to express themselves and complete assignments in French. For students who have no background in French, there are opportunities to take courses and learn French.

Admissions

Applicants interested in the joint LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance program should visit the Georgetown Law Office of Graduate Admissions LL.M. & Certificate Applicants(This text opens in new tab.) page for application instructions.

Program Requirements

Students complete a total of 12 credits at Georgetown Law and 39 ECTS credits at the Geneva Graduate Institute to earn the joint LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance.

During the fall semester in Washington, D.C., students complete 12 credits of coursework at Georgetown Law.

• 10 out of the 12 credits must be qualifying National and Global Health Law specialization credits. As part of the 10 specialization credits, students must successfully complete:
  • Global Health Law (2 credits)

During the spring semester in Geneva, Switzerland, students complete 39 ECTS credits at the Geneva Graduate Institute. 3 ECTS credits are equivalent to 1 Georgetown Law credit.

• 24 out of the 39 ECTS credits must be coursework related to global health governance. As part of the 24 ECTS credits, students must successfully complete:
  •  Global Health Law(This link opens in a new tab) (6 ECTS credits)
• 15 of the remaining 39 ECTS credits will be earned after successfully completing an approved internship or dissertation.
  • Internship: Students complete their full-time internships during the summer, after completing the spring semester at the Geneva Graduate Institute. It is expected that most students will complete this requirement at an international institution in Geneva (such as the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, or World Trade Organization). Internships must be authorized in advance by the Joint LL.M. Committee and must have a dimension linked to global health legal and/or policy questions. Students pursuing an internship must submit an application to the Joint LL.M. Program Directors at Georgetown Law and the Geneva Graduate Institute at least one month prior to the beginning of the internship. At the completion of the internship, students must submit a written report to the Joint LL.M. Program Directors at Georgetown Law and the Geneva Graduate Institute of no more than 5,000 words providing a factual account of the student’s experience that develops themes and questions linked to global health law and/or policy addressed during the internship. The report is graded and, in conjunction with completion of the internship, counts for 15 ECTS credits. Students are also required to submit a brief report from their internship supervisor evaluating their work.
  • Dissertation: With the prior approval of both the Joint LL.M. Program Directors at Georgetown Law and the Geneva Graduate Institute, students may alternatively choose to undertake a dissertation instead of an internship, which will count for 15 ECTS credits.

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

At Georgetown Law, 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).

At the Geneva Graduate Institute, a variety of coursework is offered to students related to global health governance. Often times, coursework intersects with other legal and academic fields such as in international law, humanitarian law, international trade law, international environmental law, refugee law and policy, international affairs, and international development studies. Example course offerings include:

• Global Health Diplomacy
• Human Rights Through the Concepts
• Treatymaking in Contemporary International Society
• Judicial Interpretation of Human Rights
• Terrorism and International Law
• Advanced Seminar on WTO Jurisprudence
• The Security Council and Issues of Responsibility
• The Fight Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• International Criminal Courts and Tribunals (Academy)
• The UN and the Emerging Culture of Impunity (Academy)
• Multilateral Governance and International Organizations
• Global Environmental Governance
• Environment, Population and Development
• Managing the Global Commons
• International Migration
• Water Conflicts, Security and Cooperation

Refer to the Geneva Graduate Institute LL.M. in Global Health Law and Governance(This text opens in new tab.) page for additional information on coursework offered at the Geneva Graduate Institute.