LLM Degree: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

An LLM is a Master of Laws degree that is obtained after you have graduated with a JD or LLB degree. Our LLM students benefit not only from the intellectual challenge of working with outstanding faculty, but also by establishing professional and meaningful relationships with other LLM students from around the world. Our LLM program is available both at our campus in Portland, Oregon, and fully online, which can be completed at your own pace with asynchronous courses.

The Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law LLM program is intended for lawyers or recent law graduates, who want to specialize in environmental, natural resources, or energy law. The program will enhance their overall legal knowledge and expertise in environmental law while connecting them with top faculty and a vast network of environmental practitioners around the world.

The LLM program requires students to complete 26 semester hours of credit (28 for international students). Students attending full-time can generally complete the LLM program in one academic year (two semesters), but those going part-time or online may take up to three years to finish all requirements. International students usually take 18 months or three semesters to complete the program.

Yes. Online LLMs are welcome to take in-person classes at any time on our Portland campus, including during the summer; please note that a higher tuition rate will apply to our in-person courses. In-person students are also welcome to take online classes, though the in-person tuition rate would still apply.

Yes, students are allowed to take up to 8 credits of non-environmental law classes.

Students have until the 2nd Thursday of each semester to add and drop classes. If you drop classes during that period, your tuition will be refunded at 100% for the dropped credits (as long as you are not dropping all credits). If you drop classes after that date you will receive no refund for schedule adjustments.

Our LLM graduates have a track record of going on to very successful careers! We have an incredible Career Services Office that is available to on campus and online students.

Our LLM Environmental Law alums go on to work in a wide variety of jobs, including nonprofits, journalism, international law, academia and teaching, and the government. If you scroll down on this page you will see a list of LLM alums and where they work. On this page you can view six different fields of environmental work with lists of alums, and what degree they received, under each field.

 

No, an LLM degree alone does not qualify anyone to sit for the bar exam or for admission to a state bar. If you are interested in getting licensed in a particular state we encourage you to reach out to that state’s bar for specific information.

Please see our application deadlines for on campus and online programs (including deadlines for international students).

In addition to a completed application form, applicants are asked to supply:

• A statement of interest (about 200 words);
• A resume or CV;
• Transcripts from JD or LLB program; and
• 2-3 letters of recommendation.
• Demonstration of English proficiency for international applicants whose native language is not English. This requirement can be met in one of the following ways:
1. if English was the primary language of their university education and the official language of the country in which the university is located;
2. if English was the primary language of their university education and if their university is accredited by a U.S. regional accrediting agency;
3. a minimum IELTS score of 8; or
4. a minimum internet-based TOEFL score of 100.

LLM (Domestic): 26 credits; Required courses: 2 semesters Emerging Topics; Administrative Law; Environmental Law

LLM (International): 28 credits; Required courses: 2 semesters Emerging Topics; Environmental Law; Intro to Env Law (Administrative Law is not required but is strongly recommended)

The Admissions Committee reviews applications on a rolling basis. Once a complete application is received, you will typically be notified of a decision within three weeks. We always encourage applying early to give plenty of time to process financial aid and select courses before the start of term.

To be considered a full-time student, you must register for a minimum of 5 credits each semester (fall and spring). You may register for fewer credits each term if you do not need full-time status as a student for any reason. LLM students must be enrolled in at least 3 credits in the fall and spring semesters and 2 credits in the summer to receive Federal Financial Aid.

The number of credits you take each semester is entirely up to you. You can take as little as one or two credits or up to 10-12. Since LLM students pay per credit, they can choose how many credits to take each semester, depending on their budgets and how long they plan to take to complete the program.

International LLMs take 26 credits of coursework and a 2-credit intro course, for a total of 28 credits, for the degree.

The LLM program requires students from the U.S. to complete 26 semester hours of credit. U.S. students attending full-time can generally complete the LLM program in one academic year (two semesters), but those going part-time may take up to three years to finish all requirements. International students should plan to take 18 months or three semesters to complete the program.

The classes you would be taking in our LLM program range from 1-3 credits. It is the school’s recommendation that students estimate they will spend about 3 hours of work per credit each week. On average, LLM students take an equivalent of 6 credits in classes per term, which equates to about 18 hours of work each week

The on-campus LLM tuition rate for the 2025-2026 academic year is $2,268 per credit, and the online LLM tuition rate is $1,696 per credit. Please also note that tuition increases annually in the summer.

Please visit our Law School Tuition and Fees web-page for the most current information about tuition, fees and living expenses. All tuition and fees are subject to change on an annual basis. Federal financial aid (in the form of loans) is available to qualified U.S. students.

Yes, we offer tuition awards in the form of an Environmental Ambassador Award (MSL/LLM International Students) and an Environmental Leadership Award (MSL/LLM Domestic Students). After completing your application, you can email us and ask for the Request for Tuition Award Form. Once we receive your completed form we will send it to our Scholarship Committee for review

Yes, demonstration of English proficiency for international applicants whose native language is not English is required. This requirement can be met in one of the following ways:

1. if English was the primary language of their university education and the official language of the country in which the university is located;
2. if English was the primary language of their university education and if their university is accredited by a U.S. regional accrediting agency;
3. a minimum IELTS score of 8; or
4. a minimum internet-based TOEFL score of 100.

For the purpose of admissions, anyone who is not a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or requires a student visa is considered an international student and should apply by the international deadline. 

Due to visa processing and additional time required in processing applications international students must submit their applications for the on campus programs by the followings dates:

August start date (Fall Semester): April 1st

January start date (Spring Semester): September 1st

May start date (Summer Semester): February 1st

If it is past these deadlines, you are welcome to start in the online program and then switch to in person for the next semester.

We offer an LLM degree in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law at Lewis & Clark and it is limited to students who want to concentrate their studies in those areas. We also offer the world’s first Animal Law LLM. Information about that program can be found here. LLM students can study many areas of the law that intersect with environmental, natural resources, and energy law, such as courses in trade and environment, international environmental law, renewable energy and climate change, and environmental business law. However, if you are not particularly interested in environmental, natural resources, or energy law, Lewis & Clark is not the best LLM program for you. Try searching for an LLM program that fits your needs at LLM Guide.

The answer to this question depends on your circumstances and your reasons for obtaining a doctorate. See our explanation of the hierarchy of law degrees in the U.S. If you are planning a career in legal education and your home country requires a doctorate-level degree, depending on the country you may be able to achieve that with a JD degree, which does not require an LLM degree, or you may have to obtain an LLM and then an SJD degree.

Unfortunately, no. You need to graduate with a law degree in your home country (that is, a degree that would qualify you to take the professional examinations to become a lawyer or judge) before you enroll in the LLM program. If you obtained a dual degree (law and another subject) that met the professional qualification requirement, then you would be eligible. If not, we would welcome your application to our JD program, or our Master of Studies program.

An LLM degree is not a direct route to U.S. law practice. For that, you normally need a JD degree. In some states, an LLB from a “law school equivalent to a law school approved by the ABA,” i.e., a common-law law school very similar to U.S. law schools, may entitle you to sit for the bar. The requirements for proving the equivalence may vary; please contact the bar examiners of the state in which you would like to practice for more details.

For anyone from a non-common-law country, or from a common-law country in which the course of study is not similar to that of U.S. law schools, please take time to read the American Bar Association’s advice for prospective international LLM students when considering an LLM degree if you want to practice law in the United States. Obtaining an LLM degree alone, from any institution, does not equip you to practice law in the United States. Successful passage of a bar exam is a prerequisite to practicing law. Almost all state bar associations, with only a few exceptions, require a JD from an American Bar Association-accredited U.S. law school before registering for the bar examination. Even the jurisdictions that do not require an American JD have specific requirements for training and other qualifications of foreign lawyers. Please investigate these requirements before choosing an LLM program. If becoming a practicing attorney in the U.S. is your goal, please contact our Admissions Office for more information about our JD program.

A very small number of our international LLM graduates have successfully gone on to obtain a JD degree and practice law in the U.S. Please note that LLM scholarships do not transfer to the JD program and that competition for JD scholarships is intense.

No. The joint degree application is designed for Lewis & Clark JD students who also want to obtain the LLM in less time than both degrees would normally take. Under the joint degree program students first complete the JD degree and then move into the “LLM only” phase. Thus, the LLM program is not an appropriate access point for the joint degree because you would start with higher-level courses in the LLM program and then take lower-level courses in the JD program. If you are interested in obtaining the JD degree, then you should apply for the JD degree where you can learn the foundations of American law before taking upper-division courses. 

Fluency in English is essential to success in any U.S. law school; our top-ranked program is very demanding. The level and pace of instruction requires a sophisticated grasp of written and spoken English, which is why we require a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score or proof of equivalency.

If you are a lawyer from a British Commonwealth country or India, and your education has been in English, you do not need to submit a TOEFL score. If you are not from an English-speaking country but have been educated in an English-speaking school and are fluent at a graduate-school level, you may submit alternative proofs and have a telephone conversation with the program director in order to establish your fluency.

For everyone else, here are the minimum scores you need in order to meet our standards:

Internet-based TOEFL: 100
IELTS: 8

For those students who have not attained college-level fluency in English, Lewis & Clark College offers an Academic English Studies program. Admission to AES is separate from admission to the LLM program. If you do not meet the English proficiency standards but otherwise are well-qualified for the program, you may apply for conditional admission to the LLM program, meaning that you would enter the LLM program after successful completion of the Academic English Studies program.

Any of the following composed by you would be sufficient:

• An undergraduate or graduate legal research paper or thesis
• A memorandum to a client or law partner (blanking out any confidential names or information) explaining the law applicable to the client’s case
• A legal brief written for a court of law
• An article on some aspect of the law written for a law journal or bar newsletter
• Your own well-organized legal research paper, answering a legal question or explaining an area of the law in your home country

The writing does not necessarily have to be on an environmental or natural resources law topic. It should, however, be well-organized, show a strong grasp of legal principles and applications, and give appropriate citations for all sources of information.

Most U.S. law schools do not provide financial aid for international LLM students. Lewis & Clark is an exception to this rule. Highly qualified LLM applicants may receive tuition scholarships (up to a maximum of 50% of tuition costs depending on financial need). You will need to provide a letter explaining your needs. Obtaining a scholarship award from Lewis & Clark may help you obtain additional grants from other sources. Please note that we do not offer scholarships for anything beyond tuition such as housing, travel, or books. For more ideas about funding sources, visit LLM Guide or the International Education Financial Aid website.

U.S. visa regulations severely restrict the type of paid work available to international students and their families. It may be possible to qualify for some limited kinds of on-campus employment during your studies. However, these positions are rare and you should not rely on working on-campus to support your studies. For more information about these restrictions, and about legal employment opportunities, consult our International Students and Scholars Office.

Information on visas and forms for international students can be found here:

Lewis & Clark also maintains an International Students and Scholars Office to provide assistance and advice to our international students. This office provides a wide variety of services, including assisting students in obtaining visas to study in the U.S. It is important for you to stay in touch with this office throughout the application and arrival process so that we can make your transition into the United States as easy as possible.

This depends on your financial circumstances. U.S. Homeland Security requires a Certificate of Financial Responsibility for all students entering the United States. In addition, you must complete the Supplement for International Students and provide information about your family. The financial requirements are considerably higher for families than for individual students. American daycare for children can be costly and it can be expensive to purchase a car and the mandatory vehicle liability insurance. It is also difficult to even buy a car from a dealership without holding at least an International Driving Permit issued by your home country, in addition to your driver license. Many of our international students have successfully obtained Oregon driver licenses after studying the Oregon driver manual and taking both a computer-based test and a driving test at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Holding an Oregon driver license can save you a significant amount of money in car insurance premiums.

If you are planning to bring your family, please give full details early in the process to the International Students and Scholars Office so that they can help you plan ahead.

It is important to recognize that legal education in the United States differs in very significant ways from legal education in most other countries. First, U.S. law schools teach at the graduate level rather than the undergraduate level. Second, the common-law system of education relies on the Socratic method of instruction, where professors expect students to be actively engaged in their education, to be able to respond to questions in class, and to understand how the courts shape the law as an equal partner with the U.S. legislature and administration. Third, at Lewis & Clark, the level of instruction is even more demanding; our international students are often surprised by how many small discussion seminars we offer and by the close interactions between students and professors. The kind of active, creative legal thinking that typifies American law schools and the common law system can be daunting for lawyers trained in civil code systems, and the final exams in American law courses often demand not only knowledge of the law but an ability to construct legal arguments on behalf of various parties and to think critically about the law.

With these differences in mind, our two-credit Introduction to U.S. Environmental Law and Legal Study provides international students with a concentrated introduction to United States legal structure and law study. This seminar is a prerequisite for all Lewis & Clark international LLMs who were not trained in the common law tradition. You must successfully pass this seminar (or an equivalent offered at another U.S. law school) before taking the rest of your LLM classes. The seminar begins in August, before the fall semester begins.

Additionally, if you would like to prepare independently for study in the United States while you are still in your home country, our director would be happy to give you suggestions for readings you can do at home.

Given that our law school is a graduate school and the LLM is an advanced professional degree for lawyers, we do not maintain dormitories for law students. All of our law students live off-campus in apartments or shared housing. Some students enjoy sharing multi-bedroom apartments or houses with other students; others prefer to have a small apartment to themselves. There are many good options for rented living space in the neighborhoods around campus that are accessible by walking, biking, or public transit.

Our Admissions Office maintains a listing of available rental spaces. The Orientation Office, which opens in June, can be a helpful resource for helping you find housing that works for you. We can also help you with the rental search and leasing process. You may also temporarily rent a space in the campus dormitories during the summer while you are making housing arrangements. Be sure to reserve your dormitory room as soon as you have made your flight arrangements, because dormitories are on a space-available basis.

OPT is an option for LLMs on F-1 visas who complete their degrees and want to gain some practical experience in a legal setting in the U.S. Finding a paid OPT internship may be difficult (in the current economic climate it is practically impossible), and it is best to start your search process early upon arriving in the United States. We can help you search for an OPT positions, but ultimately you are responsible for finding a placement. For more information about OPT requirements, consult our International Students and Scholars Office.

Some of our international LLM students choose to experience American law practice during their studies through our Legal Practicum class, which matches students to placements under the supervision of practicing attorneys in law firms, nonprofit organizations, or government agencies. Students are not paid, but they do receive academic credit towards their LLM degree. Placement is dependent on the qualifications of the individual student. If you think you would like to take participate in a placement, please contact the International Environmental LLM program director for more information and to see if a placement can be found for you. Due to immigration visa restrictions, international students cannot intern off campus until completing two semesters of studies at Lewis & Clark.