A representative of the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group, Professor Seanna Howard, and Professor Robert Williams Jr. testifying before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (left to right) *Photo courtesy of IACHR
Program Details
The Master of Laws (LLM) degree at the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) Program allows students who have completed a Juris Doctor or LL.B. the opportunity to specialize in federal Indian law, tribal law and policy, and Indigenous peoples’ human rights through a full-time or part-time program requiring 24 credit hours of coursework. The LLM in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy is available in person or online.
IPLP’s LLM trains students to be specialists through rigorous research and advocacy work. LLM graduate students receive professional training to address the complex issues facing Indigenous peoples today, allowing them to develop a proficiency in fields like federal Indian law, Indigenous peoples’ human rights advocacy, environmental law, Indigenous community and economic development, the protection of cultural and natural resources, and critical race theory and practice.
IPLP faculty engage students in human rights advocacy projects and litigation on behalf of Indigenous peoples. Our faculty and students have represented the Rio Yaqui of Mexico, Maya of Belize, the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group of Canada, and other Indigenous and tribal communities in human rights cases and petitions with far-ranging, international reach and impact. For students interested in academic careers, IPLP allows you to conduct pioneering research under the guidance of leading scholars.
Required credit hours: 24
Length to complete the degree (for full-time students): one academic year
Flexible Formats
Earn your University of Arizona Law LLM online, or study with us in person at our Tucson, Arizona campus.
The LLM is offered both full-time and part-time to online or in-residence students.
View application deadlines and required application materials.
What Our Students Say
"I'm extremely thankful for the opportunities, life-long friends, and education I've received here. Learning from some of the most prolific minds in Indian Country is a great privilege that I will never take for granted. The hard transition to law school was also made easier by the great community. It truly feels like a family and a second home. I know I've made the right choice in choosing University of Arizona Law and IPLP as the foundation of my career.”
Summer Blaze Aubrey (Cherokee/Blackfeet), IPLP LLM Alumna (Class of 2021)
Curriculum
The LLM program is designed to provide those who have completed a law degree with a specialization in federal Indian and Indigenous peoples’ law through a full-time or part-time program requiring 24 credit hours of coursework.
Required Courses: In-Person LLM
LAW 527 - International Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
LAW 631A - Federal Indian Law
Required Courses: Online LLM
LAW 527 - International Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
LAW 550A - Native American Law and Policy
LAW 540A - Introduction to Human Rights Law
LAW 567 Tribal Courts Practice and Procedure
LAW 568 Tribal Criminal Law and Procedure
LAW 569 Native American Family and Domestic Relations Law
Additionally, international students* must complete:
Law 507 - Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research
Law 685 - Introduction to the U.S. Legal System
*All students who have not earned a previous law degree in the U.S. are required to complete the Introduction to the U.S. Legal System course. Please note that this course does not count towards the 24 credit hours. Students are also required to complete Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research, which does count towards the 24 credit hours. Students who have completed a previous U.S. law degree may request a waiver for this course, depending upon their previous course work.
Sample Electives
Sample Electives: In-Person LLM
In person LLM students can select from more than 30 courses and clinics in Indigenous law and policy. View IPLP courses.
Sample Electives: Online LLM
LAW-643D - Native American Natural Resources
LAW-696I - International Environmental Law
LAW 631D - Rebuilding Native Nations
LAW-504 - The American Public Law System
LAW-507 - Legal Analysis, Writing & Research
LAW-516 - Introduction to Business Organizations Law
LAW-521 - Administrative Law
LAW-542 - Entertainment Law
LAW-544B - Introduction to International Commercial Transactions
LAW-553 - Introduction to Immigration Law & Policy
LAW-553A - International Trade Law & Policy
LAW-554 - Environmental Law & Policy
LAW-555 - Intellectual Property
LAW-558 - Introduction to Criminal Law
LAW-559 - Public International Environmental Law
LAW-578A - Legal & Regulatory Aspects for Health Care Delivery
LAW-579B - Legal & Regulatory Fundamentals for Health Care
LAW-580 - Introduction to Information Privacy
LAW-585 - Introduction to Legal Systems
LAW-614B - Governance, Risk Management & Compliance
LAW-617 - Corporate Finance
LAW-640 - Comparative Mining Law
LAW-640A - Public Lands & Mining Law
LAW-640E - International Mining Health Law & Practice
LAW-640G - Introduction to the International Mining Industry
LAW-640H - Global Mining Tax Law, Policy & Disclosure/Sustainability
LAW-655F - International Intellectual Property
LAW-689 - Advanced Legal Research
LAW-689B - Administrative Law Research
LAW-697E - International Intellectual Property
MNE-697B - Corporate Organization & Governance in Mining
MNE-697F - Valuation of Mineral Assets & Projects
MNE-697G - Acquisition & Financing of Mineral Projects
MNE-697P - The Emerging Framework for Development of Mineral Resources