MSJ/LLM/Certification
Prospective Students

LLM Health Law

Seton Hall Law School offers a Masters of Laws (LLM) degree in Health Law. The LLM program provides attorneys with the opportunity to explore health law and policy or to focus more narrowly on courses designed for the lawyer planning to represent the health provider, payor, regulator, patient, and pharmaceutical companies. The LLM program enhances the knowledge and skills possessed by practicing health care attorneys, as well as those seeking to expand their practice to health care clients.

ADMISSION

A candidate seeking admission to the LLM program must have a J.D. degree or the equivalent from a school of law.  As Seton Hall Law School admits highly qualified candidates, the program is very competitive. The Admissions Committee considers practice experience, graduate degrees in the health field, quality of law school academic record, demonstrated interest in health, drug or biotechnology law, and evidenced ability to excel in academic pursuits.  LLM applicants may apply for admission for the Fall or Spring semesters.  For the Fall semesters, the application deadline is July 1.  For the Spring semesters, the application deadline is October 1.

The application deadline for the Fall 2012 semester has passed. Late applications are accepted on a case-by-case basis. 

An application fee of $60 is required and can be mailed to:

The Office of Graduate Programs
Seton Hall School of Law
One Newark Center, Room 208
Newark, NJ 07102. 

Please make checks payable to Seton Hall Law School.  If you have any questions, please contact Helen A. Cummings, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at helen.cummings@shu.edu or 973-642-8380.

Late applications will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. If you are submitting a late application, please submit the online application form and then notify Helen A. Cummings by email at helen.cummings@shu.edu that you have submitted the application.

COURSE OF STUDY

LLM candidates must complete 24 credit hours of course work at the Law School. Five credits will be earned upon completion of the required Master’s Thesis. The LLM candidate may take up to six credits of non-law courses earned as part of an interdisciplinary program with other institutions. LLM students are expected to complete all course work, including the thesis, within six years.

The LLM candidate may pursue one of two sub-specialties: traditional health law or drug/biotechnology law. Some students also integrate intellectual property courses as part of their health law studies. The health faculty and administration work closely with each student in selecting electives appropriate to the student’s sub-specialty.

LLM REQUIREMENTS:

1. Health Law
2. Any three of the following:
   
3. 1. Health Care Fraud and Abuse
   2. Transactional Health Law
   3. Food and Drug Law
   4. Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Marketing and Compliance
      
4. Completion of a Master’s Thesis
5. Electives (8-10 Credits)

Full-time students can complete the program in one year, while part-time students normally complete the degree in five to six semesters (including summers). A student seeking to extend this period must obtain permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

LLM THESIS POLICY

The LLM student shall write his or her thesis independent of any course or seminar, with a full-time faculty member acting as a supervisor, over two consecutive semesters. Students must register for the appropriate thesis credits during the assigned registration period for each of the two semesters in which they are completing their thesis. The tuition charged for thesis credits will be the regular tuition rate for two credits in semester one, and three credits in semester two.

In semester one, students will select a topic and be assigned a thesis supervisor. Before the conclusion of semester one, students shall submit a paper abstract, detailed outline, and bibliography. Students must meet with their supervisor for approval of the abstract, outline and bibliography, and to develop a schedule for completion of the thesis. Students shall receive an In Progress (IP) designation for the successful completion of this work. Students who do not complete any of the listed requirements to the satisfaction of their supervisor by the end of semester one will receive an incomplete.

The student shall complete the thesis in semester two. Upon satisfactory completion, students shall be awarded three credits and a letter grade (which will be retroactively applied to the two credits received in semester one). The thesis must be completed at the end of semester two or the student will receive an incomplete. The final thesis should be of Law Review publishable quality, and at least 50 pages in length.

All students must present their thesis to the health law faculty during either semester one (work in progress presentation) or semester two (a final paper presentation). LLM students are expected to attend the oral presentations of their colleagues.

Note to all LLM students and supervisors: Students who are writing on a topic related to that of a seminar in which they are enrolled must meet any paper requirements for the seminar independently, in addition to completing the thesis (i.e. the thesis requirements will not allow for "double-dipping"). Students are encouraged to write on a topic that will be covered in the curriculum of a course, but they should be aware that doing so will not relieve them from course’s independent final exam, take-home exam, or paper requirement.

ACADEMIC STANDING

In order to graduate, LLM students must achieve an overall GPA of 3.0. Students will be dismissed if their grades render it impossible to attain this GPA at the completion of the required program of study.

LLM students must remain in good academic standing throughout the program. If a student's GPA falls below 2.50 at any time, the student must meet with and receive permission in order to continue the program. The Law School has complete discretion as to whether such a student may continue and may impose conditions, restrictions, or limitations.

EXAM PROCEDURES

Students should indicate on their exams that they are LLM candidates. This will allow professors to exclude graduate students from the mandatory grading curve. No other reference to identity should be indicated on the bluebook. Every effort to maintain a student's anonymity will be made; however, anonymity may sometimes be compromised due to the small number of graduate students enrolled in a given class.

Online LLM Application

For additional information, please contact Helen A. Cummings, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at 973-642-8380, helen.cummings@shu.edu or request information online.