Executive LL.M Program IE University

Programme Structure

Students who choose the Traditional Executive Program will earn their LLM degree upon completion of a program which combines traditional classroom instruction with cutting-edge technology for on-line education. This combination allows participants to complete the program without extensive time away from their professional careers.

A pre-program gives students the basics of Anglo-American common law, as well as familiarity with the on-line courseware platform to be used throughout the program..

In the on-campus portion of the Traditional Executive Program, participants will meet for three sessions of approximately two weeks each. The Opening Ceremony and first session will take place in Madrid, on the campus of IE Law School, in late September. Participants will return to Madrid in late November for the second on-campus session.

Finally, in the first part of May, the third session and Graduation Ceremony will be held in Chicago, on the campus of Northwestern University School of Law.

In between these on-campus sessions, students will continue their education via on-line coursework, which promotes the creation of a virtual learning community among faculty and students located at great distances from each other. During these periods, participants can expect to spend some 15-20 hours per week in computer-based coursework, including both on-line and off-line tasks.

For participants able to spend more time away from their jobs, the Executive LLM with Residential Option in Chicago combines the advantages of the Traditional Program with the opportunity for in-depth study at Northwestern Law during the spring semester.

In the first semester, the program follows the same schedule as the Traditional Program, starting with the pre-program, the two on-campus sessions at IE in Madrid and the intervening period of on-line instruction.

In early January, participants travel to Chicago, where they will remain until mid-May. During this time they may choose from among a broad range of law courses offered as part of Northwestern Law's residential LLM and JD courses, with opportunities to experience first-hand the realities of law study at a top US law school.

On completion of the spring semester at Northwestern, Residential Option students will rejoin their colleagues from the Traditional Executive Program for the Northwestern University all-campus graduation ceremony in May.

Executive LLM students participate in Northwesterns all-campus graduation ceremony held in Chicago along with graduating students from all other Northwestern Law programs, as well as family members and friends from around the world.

In keeping with US academic tradition, Executive LLM students wear caps and gowns in Northwestern Universitys purple color, and receive the academic hood signifying completion of their graduate degrees in the field of law. Faculty members from both institutions hood the new graduates during the ceremony. In addition to their LLM degree, students receive IEs Certificate in Business Administration.