Degree Requirements
To earn an LLM in Cyber, Intelligence & National Security Law, students must complete 24 - 26 credit hours of coursework. These hours will be made up of required courses and restricted electives to fulfill the LLM requirements.
Students who have completed their JD degree at a United States law school will receive a waiver of the required Introduction to United States Law 2-credit course. Therefore, students who have received a JD from a United States law school must complete 24 credit hours to receive the LLM degree. Students who have not completed a JD at a US law school must complete the 2-credit required Introduction to United States Law course, and therefore must complete 26-credit hours to receive the LLM degree.
Students may attend the LLM program full-time or part-time. Courses are offered in the evening to accommodate working professionals.
Students may be able to complete the program in one academic year, though most will take a year and a half to two years to do so. Full-time students typically take 12-15 credit hours per semester; part-time students typically take 8-12 credit hours. For the purposes of the F-1 and J-1 visas, 10 or more credit hours are required to meet the full-time requirement of the visa.
All students must finish the degree requirements within five years of matriculation and be enrolled in at least two courses each semester, unless granted a waiver or leave of absence. In order to remain in the LLM program, students must present a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.33 on a 4.33 scale at the end of each spring semester.
The course requirements and electives are below. The required and elective LLM courses are not offered every semester and new offerings for approved LLM electives may become available. Students should check with the Records Office for a current schedule of courses. A limited number of courses also will be available in the summer.
The 24-26 credits making up the LLM in Cyber, Intelligence & National Security Law are not designed to prepare or qualify students who are not graduates of a US law school to engage in the practice of law in the United States or to qualify them to take a bar examination in the United States. Additional coursework is possible for those trying to qualify to sit for a bar examination. For more details, see Bar Examination for Foreign-Trained Attorneys.
Once a student is admitted to the LLM program, they can develop a personalized plan of courses based on their time-frame for finishing the LLM Degree by contacting Charles Lemley, Director, Graduate Student Academic Affairs, at clemley@gmu.edu.
For more information about any of the courses listed below, view Course Descriptions.
Required Courses (12-14 credit hours)
- Introduction to United States Law (2 credits) *Only required for students entering the program with an international law degree.
- Cybersecurity Law Seminar (2 credits)
- Economics for Lawyers (3 credits)
- Homeland Security Law Seminar (2 credits)
- Intelligence Law Seminar (2 credits)
- National Security Law (3 credits)
Electives (12 credit hours)
- Computer Crimes Seminar (2 credits)
- Corporate National Security Law (2 credits)
- Counterterrorism Law Seminar (2 credits)
- Covert Action, Clandestine, and Special Operations Law (2 credits)
- Digital Information Policy Seminar (2 credits)
- Emerging Law of Internet Privacy Seminar (2 credits)
- Energy, Environment & National Security: Law & Policy (2 credits)
- Ethical Issues in National Security Lawyering (2 credits)
- European Union Law Seminar (2-3 credits)
- Foreign Relations Law (3 credits)
- Homeland Security Law (3 credits)
- Immigration Law (3 credits)
- Immigration Policy Seminar (2 credits)
- Interbranch and Federalism Conflicts in National Security (2 credits)
- International Law (3 credits)
- International Trade Law & Regulation (3 credits)
- Law of Armed Conflict and Military Operational Law (2 credits)
- Maritime and Space Law (2 credits)
- National Security Law Seminar (2 credits)
- Operational Cyber and Intelligence Law (2 credits)
- Privacy and Information Security Law (2 credits)
- Prosecuting Terrorism & Cases Involving National Security (2 credits)
- Refugee & Asylum Law (2 credits)
- Separation of Powers Seminar (1 credit)
- Surveillance Law Seminar (2 credits)
- Unmanned Aerial Systems Seminar (2 credits)
- War and Law (3 credits)
- War and Law Seminar (2 credits)
For more information and instructions on how to apply, please visit the LLM Admissions page or contact Brian Benison, Director of Graduate Admissions and International Initiatives at bbenison@gmu.edu. Most applicants’ questions can be answered by visiting our Frequently Asked Questions.