Overview of LL.M. Program

Western Law's Master of Laws program consists of four courses and a substantial thesis of publishable quality.

For full-time students, the degree is designed to take one year (three terms) to complete. For part-time students the degree is designed to take two years (six terms) to complete. We limit our enrolment to approx. 12 students each year.

Structure of program

The LL.M. requires:

  • completion of three required courses:
    • Approaches to Legal Scholarship
    • Guided Study and Research Methodology
    • Graduate Colloquium
  • completion of one elective course at Western Law or another unit of the University, approved by the student's faculty advisor or thesis supervisor, that relates to the student's research focus.
  • approval of a thesis proposal and the writing and defence of a thesis of approximately 150 pages carried out under faculty supervision.

The three required courses are fundamental courses for thesis work, introducing students to various schools of legal theory and advanced research methodologies, and developing writing and self-critical editing skills. Two of the three required courses (Approaches to Legal Scholarship and Guided Study and Research Methodology) are offered in the Fall Term and are taken by both full-time and part-time students in their first term of study.

These two required courses also provide, in the first term of the student's program, a forum for all students in a given cohort. The third required course (Graduate Colloquium) is taken by full time students in the Winter Term and by part-time students in the Winter Term of the second year of study. This required course builds on the skills developed in the other two courses, and culminates in the presentation by each student of his or her thesis proposal together with a draft chapter from the thesis as a work-in-progress.


Recommended Course of Study: Full-Time

Fall Term

  • Approaches to Legal Scholarship (required)
  • Guided Study and Research Methodology (required)
  • Elective (either in this term or in the Winter term)
  • Selection of thesis supervisor and thesis supervisory committee
  • Meetings with thesis supervisor / thesis supervisory committee to discuss development of thesis proposal and review drafts of proposal

Winter Term

  • Graduate Colloquium, including oral presentation of the thesis proposal and draft chapter from thesis (required)
  • Elective (if not taken in the Fall term)
  • Approval of thesis proposal
  • Thesis research and writing

Summer Term

  • Thesis research, writing and final editing
  • Completion of any editing or revisions required by the thesis supervisory committee
  • Submission of thesis and defence at an oral examination

Recommended Course of Study: Part-Time

Year One

Fall Term

  • Approaches to Legal Scholarship (required)
  • Guided Study and Research Methodology (required)
  • Meetings with thesis supervisor / thesis supervisory committee to discuss development of thesis proposal and review drafts of proposal

Winter Term

  • Elective (optional)
  • Thesis research and writing
    * End of Summer Term: submission of thesis proposal and draft chapter of thesis

Year Two

Fall Term

  • Elective (if still to be taken)
  • Thesis research and writing

Winter Term

  • Graduate Colloquium (required)
  • Elective (if still to be taken)
  • Thesis research and writing
    * February – early April:  oral presentation of thesis proposal and draft chapter of thesis

Summer Term

  • Thesis research, writing and final editing
  • Completion of any editing or revisions required
  • Submission of thesis and defence at an oral examination