At Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, Master of Laws (LLM) is offered as a master's degree in Law programme. The programme runs for 16 months, delivered on campus.
At a glance
Degree:Master's Degree
Field:Law
Duration: 16 months
Delivery: On Campus
We have no tuition fees on record for this programme yet — see the official programme page.
— it helps other students.
The Master of Laws (LLM) is a graduate law degree from Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law, which was established in 1951. The program lets students pursue advanced, customizable coursework, with particular research strength in marine and environmental law, law and technology, health law and policy, Aboriginal and Indigenous law, business law, and criminal justice. Two structures are available: a course-based, non-thesis option combining five advanced graduate courses with a research methods course and major research papers, or a thesis option pairing two advanced courses and the research methods course with an original, supervised thesis. The degree takes a minimum of 16 months and can be completed full-time or part-time, delivered in person in Halifax. It is intended for holders of a first law degree, such as an LLB or JD or equivalent, who want deeper research training or broader exposure across legal fields, with graduates going on to academic, government, NGO, international, or corporate legal roles. The university notes that the LLM alone does not confer eligibility to practice law in Canada for internationally trained lawyers.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.50 / 4.33
Admission Requirements: Dalhousie's LLM requires high standing in a prior law degree (LLB, JD or equivalent), with a converted average of at least 3.5 on the university's 4.3-point scale; exceptional candidates from cognate non-law fields may occasionally be considered for the coursework option. Applicants whose first language is not English must submit a minimum overall IELTS score of 7.5 or a TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based) or 100 (iBT). The application also requires two letters of reference, preferably from academic specialists in law familiar with the applicant's scholarly work, submitted with the graduate application by the funded (December 1) or unfunded (February 15) deadline.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Dalhousie's live Dates and Deadlines page still shows the September 2026 entry cycle as of mid-September 2026, not the 2027 cycle. For that cycle, Bachelor of Science (Nursing), Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Science (Medical Sciences) and Bachelor of Social Work close February 15, 2026; the Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies (Architecture) closes March 1, 2026; and the Health Sciences post-diploma option closes June 15, 2026. All other undergraduate programmes are considered on a rolling, space-available basis for both domestic and international applicants, with no separate international closing date published; May 15, 2026 is only the deposit and English-proficiency deadline, not an application deadline. Dalhousie has not yet published September 2027 entry dates. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
