Priority Application Deadline: To be considered for Fall 2026 scholarship funding, apply by our priority application deadline of January 15, 2026.
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 program requiring 24 credit hours of coursework. The LLM in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy is available in person.
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, and the protection of cultural and natural resources.
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: one academic year
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 program requiring 24 credit hours of coursework.
Required Courses:
LAW 527 - International Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
LAW 631A - Federal Indian 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: In-Person LLM
LLM students can select from more than 30 courses and clinics in Indigenous law and policy. View IPLP courses.
Sample electives include:
- Federal Indian Law
- International Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
- Law and Culture
- Tribal Courts & Tribal Law
- Law of Gaming & Gambling
- Native American Natural Resources
- Indian Energy Law
- Child, Tribe & State
- Native Nations, Water, and Law
- Critical Race Practice
- International Environmental Law
LLM students are also encouraged to participate in one of our three clinics focused on Indigenous law and policy:
- Tribal Justice Clinic
- International Human Rights Advocacy Workshop
- Rio Yaqui Human Rights Project