As tribes play increasing roles in business and politics, Indian law becomes less of a specialty and more of a necessity for today's lawyers - and certainly tomorrow's. Already recognized as one of the best schools in the field, TU goes one step further by offering a master's degree in Indian law. This advanced degree is designed to train lawyers in the issues critical to understanding and representing American Indian and other indigenous peoples, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Many law schools cannot (or do not) offer such training, and many lawyers do not realize they need that training until they begin working. Indeed, at a recent conference of solo practitioners in Oklahoma, the participants unanimously agreed that the class they should have taken in law school, but didn't, was Indian law. Our LL.M. is designed to fill that gap.

Because of our unique location and the depth of our faculty, TU offers what no other law school can: an LL.M. program with a balanced approach - emphasizing the three foundation sets of legal principles: law of the tribal governments, domestic laws of the U.S. (federal Indian law) and the international law applicable to indigenous peoples.

Flexibility is the key to the TU program. In consultation with the faculty, students can tailor a field of study not just to Indian law in general, but to specific sub-specialties they wish to develop. The LL.M. program is available in either an academic track, emphasizing course work, or a research track. Both tracks require successfully completing a minimum of 24 credit hours to earn the degree.

Students are encouraged to make a preliminary choice of which track they intend to pursue when they enter the LL.M. program. That preliminary choice, however, is not binding on the LL.M. student. The NALC faculty remain committed to working individually with LL.M. students to meet particular academic needs.

The Tracks

The LL.M. program is designed to provide the LL.M. student with substantial flexibility in choosing or designing an appropriate course of study. Both the academic and the research tracks require completing a minimum of 24 units with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on our 4 point scale.

Academic Track Courses

An LL.M. student who chooses the academic track may complete the LL.M. in American Indian and Indigenous Law through 24 hours of course work alone, without a thesis. Academic track students may enroll full or part time, and must complete the requirements in three years. Students on the academic track are required to take the following courses, for a total of 17 credit hours:

• Federal Indian Law (3 units)
• Native American and Indigenous Rights (3 units)
• Tribal Government (3 units)
• Native American Natural Resources (3 units)
• Protection of Minority and Indigenous Cultures (2 units)
• American Indian Law Seminar (3 units)

If a student has already had one or more of those courses, the requirement can be waived with the written consent of two of the Native American Law Center faculty, one of whom is the student's advisor. A requirement may also be waived with the written consent of two of the NALC faculty (one of whom is the student's advisor) for other extraordinary circumstances.

The remaining credit hours may be taken from the following list of approved electives:

Approved Elective Courses:

• Administrative Law
• American Legal History
• Arbitration
• Basic Corporate Law
• Basic Oil and Gas
• Comparative law
• Conflict of Laws: International and Domestic
• Employment Law
• Energy Policy: The REEL World
• Environmental Law
• Federal Courts
• Geneva Institute on Indigenous Peoples Law: any course offered
• Hazardous Substances Controls
• Health Care Organization, Finance, & the Law
• Independent Study
• Intellectual Property
• International Business Transactions
• International Energy and Natural Resources Law
• International Environmental Law
• International Law
• International Petroleum Transactions
• Interviewing, Counseling & Negotiation
• Introduction to Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Jurisprudence
• Land Use Controls
• Legislation
• Mediation
• Natural Resources: Public Lands
• Non-Profit Law: Nonprofit Law Practice
• Real Estate Transactions (Prof. Hicks)
• Regulated Industries: Energy and Natural Resources Law
• Water Law

Courses not on the approved list may be substituted only with the written consent of the student's advisor and one other member of the NALC faculty.

Research Track Courses

The research track is a 24 credit hour program with a minimum of 3 credit hours of thesis. Students on the research track may choose to do anywhere from 3-12 credit hours of thesis, with the remaining hours from course work. Research track students may enroll full or part time, and must complete the program within 5 years.

Research track students are required to take the following courses:

• International Law or Native American and Indigenous Rights (3 units)
• Federal Indian Law (3 units)
• American Indian Law Seminar (3 units)
• LL.M. Indian/Indigenous Law Thesis (3-12 units)

Waivers are available if the student has had a required course previously or, in other extraordinary circumstances, on the written consent of the thesis advisor and one other member of the NALC faculty. Students are encouraged to take their additional courses from the Indian law curriculum or the approved list of academic track courses, but substitutions may be made with the written consent of the thesis advisor.

Admissions Requirements and Tuition

You may obtain the admissions materials in one of two ways.

1. For a complete application packet, please contact

           Admissions
           University of Tulsa College of Law
           3120 E. 4th Place
           Tulsa, OK 74104 
           lawadmissions@utulsa.edu  
    

2. OR, you may click here for a PDF version of the application. Please return the completed application to Kim Fryer at the address immediately above. All required application materials must be received before your application can be processed. In addition to the application, you must also send:
   1. official transcript(s) of all academic work (in Certified English) in your previous law school(s);
   2. two letters of recommendation;
   3. a complete resume; and
   4. writing sample (brief, law review article, memorandum, or other persuasive or scholarly work).

Admissions applications are processed throughout the year, but class size and scholarships are limited, so we encourage you to apply early.

To be admitted to the LL.M. degree program, an applicant must:

1. have completed (before their enrollment in the TU LL.M. Program) a J.D. or equivalent degree from an approved law school within the United States, or the LL.B. or other approved standard course in the study of law in their country,
2. have shown an interest in the study of the laws applicable to American Indian or other Indigenous Peoples, and
3. have demonstrated potential to engage in scholarly work.

If the applicant is from a non-English speaking country, the applicant must score at least 570 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Under unusual circumstances, the LL.M. admission committee might accept an applicant with a score lower than 570. Internationl Student Services at TU provides foreign students with immigration visa assistance and other services. This office also coordinates the English institute which instructs foreign students in English until they can satisfy the TOEFL requirement.

Beginning in Fall 2006, tuition for full time students is $10,000 a semester. Full time students are those enrolled in 12-15 credit hours per semester. Tuition for part time students (1-11 credit hours) is set at $835 per credit hour.

Scholarship money is available to qualified students. If you are interested in being considered for a scholarship, please note that in your cover letter and we will circulate your file to the scholarship committee. Maximum scholarships for full time students are $5000 per semester; $2500 for part-time students enrolled in 6-11 credit hours.