LL.M. students with an interest in International Law or Comparative Law have the unique opportunity of attending the Queen's Global Law Program in England as part of their LL.M. studies.

Margaret Denike LL.M. '04 "As part of my LL.M. studies at Queen's, I had the great fortune of attending the Spring International Study Program in Public International Law at the Herstmonceaux Castle in the U.K. This program enabled me to get a three-course head start on my LL.M., while providing the opportunity to visit European international human rights organizations and criminal tribunals.  I loved every minute of these studies and travels: this was a remarkable learning experience, a unique opportunity to embark on the path of international human rights education." Dr. Denike is Associate Professor of Human Rights, and the Coordinator of the Human Rights Program at Carleton University.

The Queen's Global Law Program

The Global Law Program is a series of three programs (International Public Law, International Business Law, and Comparative Law) taught in an eight-week spring term, between early May and late June each year, at the Queen's International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle in England.  LL.M. students who enroll in the Program commence their LL.M. studies in early May at the Castle and then complete the requirements for the LL.M. degree at Queen's in Kingston over the course of the summer and autumn, with the possibility of ending as early as the end of December.

The "Castle"

Herstmonceux Castle is a fifteenth-century landmark in East Sussex surrounded by a moat and 500 acres of gardens and parkland.  It was the generous gift to Queen's University by Alfred and Isabel Bader in 1993.  It is about one hour by train from London, and is thus within easy reach of international organizations and courts located in Europe. An integral part of the Global Law Program is a mid-term trip to various international bodies in such places as The Hague, Paris, Geneva and Brussels.  For detailed information about the Castle and the Program, please click on Global Law Programs at the BISC.

Courses at the Castle

The Global Law Program consists of three programs, each having three courses.  About 25 upper-year J.D. or LL.B. students (most being Queen's J.D. students) are admitted into each program.  Limited space is reserved for LL.M. students wishing to attend.  The courses offered in each module are:

• International Business Law:Public International Law, International Trade and Investment, and International Commercial Arbitration

• Public International Law:Public International Law, International Human Rights Law, and International Criminal Law

• Comparative Law: Comparative Legal Traditions, European Union Law, and Common Law/Civil Law.

Completing the LL.M.

After completing one of the three Global Law Programs in late June, LL.M. students come to Queen's at Kingston to complete the LL.M. degree requirements over the course of the summer and fall.  They are expected to complete the degree requirements by the end of the following April, but it is possible for them to finish by the end of December of the same year they entered the program.

The three "Castle" courses count toward the LL.M. course requirements under either the "Mini-Thesis" or "Course-Paper" LL.M. options.  After attending the Castle, all LL.M. students must take the two mandatory graduate seminars (Legal Theory & Perspectives and Legal Research & Writing), and then they have the choice of writing a substantial graduate research project of 50-70 pages (the "Mini-Thesis" LL.M. option) or taking two additional graduate-level courses and writing a graduate paper of 35-40 pages (the "Course-Paper" LL.M. option) at Queen's to finish the LL.M. degree.

Tuition and Financial aid

Graduate students attending the Castle will be required to pay the International Study Centre fee ($10,374 in 2008) for the first two months of their LL.M. studies.  This fee includes tuition, accommodation, meals, and field trips in Europe (but not air fare to or from England).  After completing the spring term at the Castle, the monthly cost of tuition and other fees at Queen's in Kingston will be the same as for other graduate students. LL.M. students who attend the Castle are eligible for the same scholarships as other LL.M. students, and in addition will be eligible to apply for International Study Centre bursaries that are awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need to assist with the "Castle" fees.

Application Deadline

Students who wish to attend the Global Law Program as part of their LL.M. studies must submit their application for admission to the LL.M. program by February 1st, indicating clearly a desire to be considered for the Global Law Program.

Space for LL.M. students in the Global Law Program is limited and admission is on the basis of academic merit.