Welcome from the Associate Dean
(Graduate Studies and Research)

Queen's offers a unique graduate program in law. Its focus is squarely on the student. We have decided to emphasize quality over quantity, and so the program-which includes masters and doctoral degrees in law-is purposefully small. The result is an intimate law school community in which students are able to develop intellectually under the personal mentorship of some of the leading legal scholars in Canada and the world.

Our graduate students are varied in terms of national and cultural background, and they have diverse research interests and career objectives. But they all share an intense passion for legal scholarship, and a firm desire to engage with legal ideas in a challenging but supportive and friendly community of students and professors.

Queen's is set in the heart of historic Kingston, on the banks of Lake Ontario. It is not a commuter school in a big city. Most students live within walking distance of the University and the city centre. Kingston is hardly isolated-Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa are just a few hours away by train and New York and Boston are easily accessible -but its size and location encourages a deeper sense of community among law students than is possible in larger urban centres.

Established by royal charter in 1841, Queen's is one of Canada's oldest and most respected universities. The Law Faculty has links with other University departments with national and international reputations for excellence, including Economics, Political Studies, Philosophy, Policy Studies and Business. Graduate students in law are encouraged to take full advantage of the opportunities that exist within the larger University community for intellectual discourse and engagement. Opportunities for study in international and comparative law also exist at the Queen's International Study Centre located at Herstmonceux Castle in the United Kingdom, where graduate students may enrol in an eight-week spring term in partial fulfilment of their degree requirements.

We are very proud of the contributions that Queen's LL.M. graduates have made to legal scholarship, legal practice and public service over the past four decades. Our graduates may be found on the law faculties of most Canadian universities, and in law schools outside of Canada as well. They work as counsel to international organizations and NGOs, as legal and policy advisors to governments, and as judges in such diverse places as New Zealand and Zambia.

Our first Ph.D. student was admitted in September 2009, and more doctoral students have joined us since then. They are making significant contributions to legal scholarship at Queen's. Through their own research, and through teaching and involvement in faculty research projects, doctoral students are an integral part of our pursuit of research excellence.

This web site should answer many of your questions about our graduate program in law. But please do not hesitate to contact me for more information. I am looking forward to talking to you about your interest in graduate studies, and about the graduate law program at Queen's.

Sincerely,

Sharry Aiken
Associate Dean (Graduate Studies and Research)