Study Abroad Programs

BU Law offers 15 single-term study abroad programs and 6 full-year dual degree (JD/LLM) programs with international universities. Participating students study with the host school’s regular faculty. These programs are open only to second- and third-year JD students who have completed at least one year of full-time study at BU Law. Single-term programs grant a maximum of 12 units toward the JD. Full-year programs grant 26 units (24 units for two terms of full-time coursework, plus a 2-unit independent paper supervised by a BU Law professor). Third-year students who participate in a full-year program must complete their upper-class writing, professional responsibility, and practical skills requirements during their second year. All students pursuing a full-year program should meet with Student Affairs before their departure to verify graduation requirements.

Term Abroad

Beijing, China: Tsinghua Law School

Offers an intensive focus on the Chinese legal system. Students can only participate in the fall term. The first of its kind in mainland China. Return within two years for a second term and receive an LLM in Chinese Law from Tsinghua. In English.

Buenos Aires, Argentina: University of Buenos Aires

Focuses on Latin American, international, and comparative law topics. Offered at Argentina’s oldest and largest law school. Open to students in either the fall or spring term. For third-year students, they should study in the fall term. In Spanish.

Florence, Italy: University of Florence

Students fluent in Italian can immerse themselves in international and comparative law at one of Italy’s preeminent law faculties. Students develop individualized study plans from Florence’s comparative and EU law classes. In Italian.

Frankfurt, Germany: Institute for Law and Finance

Students are integrated into the Institute for Law and Finance’s LLM program. Specialized courses—taught by academics and experienced practitioners from Europe’s legal and financial world—cover the economic, transactional, and regulatory aspects of the global financial service industry. The single-term study option is available in the spring term for second-year or third-year students. Third-year students have the opportunity to spend a full year in Frankfurt to receive both the JD from BU Law and an LLM in Finance from ILF. In English.

Geneva, Switzerland: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Offers courses on a full spectrum of international law topics at a world-renowned center for international human rights. In French or English.

Hamburg, Germany: Bucerius Law School

Allows students to study international business law at Germany’s first private law school. In English.

Hong Kong, China: University of Hong Kong

Offers a focus on Chinese, Asian, and specialized law topics in one of the world’s leading financial markets. Students can elect to attend for either a fall or spring term. In English.

Leiden, The Netherlands: University of Leiden

Students looking to learn more about public international law and comparative studies can do so at one of Europe’s most vibrant centers for international law, located next to The Hague. Students can elect to attend for either a fall or spring term. In English.

Lyon, France: Université Jean Moulin (Lyon III)

Students can study French, European, and international law at one of Europe’s preeminent law schools. In French.

Madrid, Spain: Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE)

JD students can enroll in master’s-level courses offered through ICADE’s LLM in International & European Business Law Program, taught entirely in English, for a single (fall or spring) term. Alternatively, students who are fluent in Spanish can pursue a Spanish-taught study plan for a single term through ICADE’s regular law curriculum. Third-year students should only consider fall term studies because of ICADE’s academic calendar. Third-year students can spend the entire year in Madrid to receive both the BU Law JD degree and the LLM in International and European Business Law from ICADE. In Spanish or English.

Oxford, England: Harris Manchester College, Oxford University

Interested students can learn more about international and comparative law in one-on-one tutorials with Oxford professors. Students can only attend in the spring term. In English.

Paris, France: Panthéon-Assas University Paris 2

Focuses on French, international, and comparative law at the top law school in Paris. Students can also spend their third year abroad in Paris to graduate with a JD from BU Law and an LLM in European Law or a JD from BU Law and an LLM in International Commercial & Investment Arbitration. In French.

Singapore, Republic of Singapore: National University of Singapore

Focuses on Asian legal studies in one of the world’s most important commercial and financial centers—the “Gateway to Asia.” Students can elect to attend for either a fall or spring term. Students can opt to spend a full year of study in Singapore to receive both the JD degree from BU School of Law and an LLM in Asian Legal Studies from National University of Singapore. In English.

Tel Aviv, Israel: Tel Aviv University

Students can study a broad range of comparative, international, Middle East, and Israeli law topics at Israel’s leading law school. Students can attend in either the fall or spring term. In Hebrew or English.

International Dual Degree Programs

JD students can pursue both the JD and LLM at one of five partner schools, through one of five international dual degree programs:

JD/LLM in Asian Legal Studies—National University of Singapore

Students have a unique opportunity to spend the entire third year enrolled as an LLM student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), in the school’s LLM in Asian Legal Studies Program. After the completion of one year in Singapore, students will receive the BU JD and an LLM in Asian Legal Studies from NUS. In English. See more information. 

JD/LLM in Chinese Law—Tsinghua University, Beijing

Students can earn a JD degree from BU School of Law and an LLM in Chinese Law from Tsinghua University in just seven terms. Students complete one fall term in Tsinghua’s LLM in Chinese Law Program, an English-language program focusing exclusively on Chinese law and China’s legal system—and one of the first of its kind in mainland China. After graduating from BU Law and within two years of their participation in the fall program, students can return to Tsinghua to earn an LLM degree. In English. See more information.

JD/LLM in International & European Business Law—Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE)

Students can spend an entire year in Madrid, Spain, enrolled in ICADE’s Master in International & European Business Law Program. The structured curriculum focuses on the institutional framework for EU business affairs, EU and international business regulation, EU market regulation, and international and EU regulation and enforcement. At the end of the year, students will receive the BU JD and an LLM in International & European Business Law from ICADE. In English. See more information.

JD/LLM in Finance—Institute for Law and Finance, Frankfurt

Third-year students seeking to gain practical experience and advanced training in international financial services law have the unique opportunity to earn an LLM in Finance from the Institute for Law and Finance (ILF), one of Europe’s leading institutions for financial law studies, in Frankfurt, Germany. At the end of a full year of coursework, BU Law students receive the BU JD degree and, upon completing the ILF program’s thesis requirement, an LLM in Finance from Goethe University, of which the ILF is a part. Specialized courses—taught in English by academics and experienced practitioners from Europe’s legal and financial world—cover the economic, transactional, and regulatory aspects of the global financial service industry. As part of the ILF’s LLM program, all students pursue six- to eight-week internships during the spring term, arranged by the ILF, at prominent financial institutions in Frankfurt and elsewhere in Germany. In English. See more information.

JD/LLM in European Law—Université Panthéon-Assas Paris 2

Students spend their entire third year enrolled in the LLM in European Law Program at Panthéon-Assas University Paris 2. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of European law and the institutions of the European Union. At the end of the year, students will receive the BU Law JD and a Paris 2 LLM in European Law. In English. See more information.

JD/LLM in International Commercial & Investment Arbitration—Université Panthéon-Assas Paris 2

Students spend their entire third year enrolled in the LLM Assas World Arbitration and Dispute Settlement (AWArDS) program at Panthéon-Assas University Paris 2. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of international commercial and investment arbitration. At the end of the year, students will receive the BU Law JD and a Paris 2 LLM AWArDS degree. In English. See more information.