Program
Applications and all required supporting documents are due December 15 for admission in September.
| Program | Expected Length | Project and/or thesis | Course based |
|---|---|---|---|
| LL.M. | 16 months |
The LL.M. program is thesis-based, offering supervision in a wide range of areas, including:
- Aboriginal law and Indigenous peoples' rights
- Administration of justice
- Administrative and municipal law
- Bankruptcy and insolvency
- Business organizations and corporate law
- Commercial law (domestic and international)
- Contract law
- Constitutional law
- Criminal law
- Dispute resolution
- Environmental, natural resources and resource
- development, and agricultural law
- Evidence
- Family law
- Gender law and policy
- Health, disability, and elder law
- Human rights
- International trade and investment law
- Labour and employment law
- Legal education
- Legal ethics and the legal profession
- Legal history
- Legal theory
- Poverty, law, and access to justice
- Private international law
- Property law
- Public international law
- Sexual assault law and policy
- Secured financing law
- Tax law and policy
- Tort law
- Trusts and wills
It is a full-time program and extends for about 12-16 months, with a 12-month residency requirement.
Entry to the program is limited to ensure a supportive and collegial environment that affords students with quality time with faculty supervisors and opportunities for close engagement with the academic life of the college. Generous funding support is available, including scholarships for highly qualified students and travel grants to support students who travel for their thesis research or to present their work at national and international conferences. A wide range of courses as well as faculty seminars and guest lectures in the College of Law and throughout the University are open to graduate students. As well, our college provides its graduate students with office space and opportunities to get involved in teaching and research at the College of Law.
Research supervisors
It is not necessary to find a potential supervisor before you begin an application. The list below though may be helpful to learn about the research interests of our faculty.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy/Insolvency Law; Commercial Law (Domestic); Contract Law; Secured Financing Law | |
| Housing, homelessness and the law, legal ethics and the legal profession; poverty, law, and access to justice | |
| Constitutional law, Criminal law, Evidence | |
| Constitutional law; criminal law; human rights | |
| Business organizations and corporate law; international trade and investment law; private international law | |
| Business organizations and corporate law; commercial law; contract law; dispute resolution; international trade and investment law | |
| Administrative and municipal law; property law; aboriginal law and indigenous peoples rights | |
| Dispute resolution | |
| Health, disability, and elder law; tax law and policy | |
| Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, Adult ADHD, Psychopharmacology, Spirituality & religiosity in forensic patients, mental health, psychiatry | |
| Aboriginal law and indigenous peoples rights; constitutional law; legal theory; private international law | |
| Business & corporate law; contract law; environmental, natural resources & resource development & agricultural law; international trade & investment | |
| Environmental, natural resources and resource development, and agricultural law; property law | |
| Criminal law; evidence; legal ethics and the legal profession; legal theory | |
| Contract law; health, disability, and elder law; human rights; legal education | |
| Health, disability, and elder law, Information and privacy law | |
| Family law; gender law and policy; legal theory; poverty, law, and access to justice |
Tuition and funding
Funding
Many factors are involved in assessing funding assistance and the amount of available funding varies from year to year. If you are accepted to our LL.M. program, the College of Law Graduate Committee will provide information to you regarding the amount of funding you may expect. LL.M. Scholarships range between $10,000 - $20,000 per year and the committee makes every effort to provide funding assistance according to the available resources. The online application asks you to indicate if funding will be required; at the time of application no other documentation or scholarship application is required.
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Tuition
Thesis or project-based master's program
Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
| Term | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2024 | ||
| January 1 - April 30, 2025 | ||
| May 1 - August 31, 2025 | ||
| Total per academic year |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2024 | Winter 2025 | Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $504.45 CAD | $666.08 CAD | $35.00 CAD | $35.00 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Admission requirements
Master of Laws (LL.M.)
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English*
- A Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. 60 credit units)
*Language requirements set by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies represent the minimum scores required to be considered for admission to a graduate program. In order to be competitive for admission, it is recommended applicants to the Master of Laws program achieve greater than the minimums, a TOEFL (IBT) overall score of 90, or IELTS overall score of 7; or Duolingo (DET) overall score of 115 with no less than 95 in each area.
Application process
Submit an online application
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable $120 application fee. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application, and upload the documents outlined below.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college, and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
Post-secondary Transcripts
If you receive an offer of admission, you will then be required to have your official post-secondary transcripts sent (by mail in a sealed envelope directly from the institution) to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
- Transcripts usually indicate the institution’s name, grading scheme (typically on back of transcript), your name, course names, numbers, credits, and the grades you have received. Depending on the country or institution, some features may not be available.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
- If you are a current University of Saskatchewan student completing your undergraduate program then a letter of completion of degree requirements will be required from your college.
Proof of English language proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- It is your responsibility to have completed an official and approved test with the appropriate score before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
If you receive an Offer of Admission you may be required to have your official language test scores sent to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building - 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
In addition to the above official documents, please upload the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Statement/letter of intent: explain your reasons for pursuing an LL.M., how your background prepared you to succeed in a rigorous academic program, and your objectives in completing the degree
- Research statement: two to five pages describing: 1) the specific topic or area of legal research you propose to explore in your thesis; 2) the jurisprudence or literature that provides the foundation for your proposal (i.e. what work has already been done on this topic and how would your research build on it? What is the body of legal material that you will use to complete your thesis research?); 3) outline your proposed research question and the research you plan to complete to investigate this question.
- Writing sample: this should be 20-50 pages in length and must have been written by you, in English. Ideally this will be a published article or law school research paper. If an English language article is not available the Graduate committee will consider your application on the basis of your proposal alone.
- Undergraduate degree preliminary OR master's degree certificate: if the awarding of your degree is not clearly indicated on the post-secondary transcript you will also be required to upload a PDF copy of the degree certificate(s). Official copies of your degree certificates will only be required once you have been offered admission.
Contact
College of Law
15 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A6
Graduate Program Contact
Email: law.gradstudies@usask.ca
Graduate Chair, College of Law
Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Research
Email: law_graddirector@usask.ca
- College of Law
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements