Master of Law (Political and Legal Thought)

The Queen’s graduate program in Law is a unique program focused on the student. We have chosen to keep our program 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 Faculty consists of leading legal scholars whose work has been influential nationally and internationally and who take seriously the responsibility of mentoring graduate students. The LLM Graduate Program in Political and Legal Thought (PLT) is a 12-month collaborative degree that allows students to specialize in social, political, and legal theory. The only course of study of its kind in Canada, the PLT Program builds on the close connections that exist at Queen’s between the Departments of Philosophy and Political Studies and the Faculty of Law. It provides an exciting opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement with leading scholars in a lively intellectual community.

Two Recommendations (completed online) from professors who taught you at law school.
PhD applicants: one of your referees should be your LLM supervisor.
Include the email addresses of your referees on the application form When you submit your application (with payment fee) your referees will automatically receive an email message with the link to your application to complete the reference form. If your referee prefers to submit a hard copy reference, you may print the form from the application portal, send it to your referee and have him/her mail the recommendation form to the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. It must be in a sealed, signed envelope.
Transcripts (official transcripts from each university attended may be uploaded to application by applicant).
Graduates and/or current students of Queen's University do not need to upload or submit official transcripts. Queen's transcripts will be printed from the internal system.
For degrees earned outside of Queen's University, official transcript(s) are to be uploaded to the application site for review purposes. If you receive an offer of admission you will be required to submit two hardcopy official transcripts. The hardcopies should be mailed to the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs from the issuing university. Photocopied, scanned, or transcripts printed from a university website are not permitted. Degree and graduation certificates must be included if the transcript does not indicate the type of degree and date granted.
Transcripts in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by an English or French translation provided by the institution issuing the transcript.
Transcripts submitted become the property of Queen's University and will not be returned. They are subject to verification and are not available for copying.
Curriculum Vitae/Resume (electronic) Email your current CV or resume as a Word or pdf document to Graduate Assistant at lawgrad@queensu.ca.
Statement of Objectives (electronic)
There is typically not enough room on the application to include a complete Statement of Objectives, which is typically half to one page in length. Therefore we request applicants to email this document as a Word of pdf document to Graduate Assistant at lawgrad@queensu.ca. Please be sure your name and 'Statement of Objectives appear on the document.
A statement of your career objectives and reasons for wanting to pursue graduate studies at Queen's University.
Research Proposal (electronic)
There is typically not enough room on the application to include a complete Research Proposal. Please be sure your name and Research Proposal appear on the document.
We need to ascertain your understanding of the topic and research plans, and our resources in terms of supervisor, classes and library holdings. Maximum length should be 500 words for LLM applicants, and 1000 words for PhD applicants.
Writing samples (electronic)
One or two legal writing samples that demonstrate your research and writing abilities. Writing samples should be 510 pages in length, be written originally in English and written while you were a student in law school or in a graduate program. PhD candidates: one writing sample should be a chapter of your LLM thesis.
English-Language Proficiency (paper)
If English is not your first language, one of the following will be required:
Proof of studies lasting at least one full year at an English-language institution and terminating not more than 12 months ago, reviewed and approved by the Director of Admissions, School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs
TOEFL iBT with minimum scores of: Writing 25, Speaking 25, Reading 25 and Listening 25
TOEFL Paper-Based and Computer-Based, with a score of at least 600
IELTS, with an overall band score of at least 7.0 on the academic module