Certificate in Law
The Certificate in Law (CiL) program is your entry point into the fascinating world of Canadian law. Whether you are discovering if a JD or LLM is right for you, or building your skills and competencies to supplement your degree or professional field, the CiL will provide you with a foundational understanding of Canada’s legal system and critical knowledge that can be applied to any discipline.
The program offers seven high-impact courses, each covering a unique aspect of Canadian Law, where students will learn the historical, social and economic forces shaping the law; methods of legal reasoning; how to develop, articulate and justify a position; and how recent domestic and international trends and agreements affect the law.
Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law (GDipICL)
The Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law (GDipICL), the only English-language program of its kind in Canada, prepares students for high-demand roles in Canada's thriving immigration sector. Students learn from experts in the field in an inclusive and engaging online learning environment.
The program is comprised of nine bespoke courses that cover critical areas of the immigration and citizenship landscape, from ethics and practice management to economic immigration and equip students with the professional skills required to be successful. In this program, students will build critical skills and real-world competencies to support their entry into regulated immigration consulting as well as a wide-array of professional roles in Canada's immigration ecosystem.
Juris Doctor
The Faculty of Law's renowned JD program provides students the educational foundation to practice law in all common-law jurisdictions in Canada and around the world, as well as exciting cross-disciplinary combined degree opportunities, and diverse curricular offerings in high-interest practice areas, including business, constitutional, public, criminal, and international law.
Experiential learning is a hallmark of the Queen’s Law experience through Bader College at Herstmonceux Castle in England, a variety of international exchange programs, sought-after internships, Indigenous on the land learning, and front-line community justice through five pro bono legal clinics. The JD program supports practice readiness, with over 95 per cent of graduates finding placements in the months following graduation.
Queen’s Law is dedicated to the principles of EDII and the importance of reconciliation and restorative justice, which informs curriculum development and supports pathways to legal education to ensure individuals from culturally, racially, and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds can thrive.
International Law Programs at Bader College
Reflecting Queen's Law's commitment to an international perspective in the study of law, the International Law Programs are integrated academic programs in international law that run each May and June. Hosted at Bader College at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, U.K., this unique learning opportunity combines an 8-week intensive course in international law with field study visits to law firms, international organizations, and international courts. Instructors and guests are prominent figures in international law who bring their practical experience to the classroom. The program offers many networking opportunities, including a career options evening at the castle with alumni and friends of the program. Students choose either International Business Law or Public International Law.
Combined Degrees
Commerce + Law (BCom/JD)
This six-year combined program capitalizes on the strength of the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree offered by Smith School of Business and the rich business law program offered by Queen’s Law.
The BCom/JD degree reduces completion time and tuition by one year for undergraduate students admitted to the BCom degree program at Smith. Students entering the third-year of the Smith BCom program are eligible to apply through an internal application process at Queen’s.
Law + Business MBA and GBD (JD/MBA & GDB)
This four-year combined program capitalizes on the strength of the internationally acclaimed, intensive 12-month Master of Business Administration (MBA) offered by Smith School of Business and the rich program in business law offered by Queen’s Law.
Options for early completion of the program in three-and-a-half years are available. Through the BISC option, students earn nine upper-year credits in the International Business Law Program at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, England, and six credits earned in the MBA program may be transferred to the JD degree.
An on-campus early completion option in three-and-a-half years, which permits students to apply 12 transfer credits from the MBA program toward completion of the JD degree at Queen’s.
Economics + Law (MA(Econ)/JD)
Queen’s Law has joined with the Department of Economics to offer a combined program that allows students to obtain both an MA and JD degree in three years. The program provides highly focused interdisciplinary training for students interested in the many areas where law and economic analysis intersect, for example, international trade law and policy, corporate law and policy, competition law and policy, environmental and resource management and tax law and policy. Combined MA (Econ)/JD students will receive excellent training and gain a strong comparative advantage to pursue careers in specialized legal work that requires knowledge of economic theory and social science methods, high-level policy work and academia.
Law + Public Administration (JD/MPA)
Queen’s Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration (JD/MPA) is a three-and-a-half-year combined degree program. The JD/MPA is an excellent choice if you seek to combine advanced skills in policy analysis and management with training in law for successful policy development and implementation. The School of Policy Studies has a strong reputation for advanced education in policy studies in the areas of health policy, global governance, social policy and public policy in the voluntary sector of not-for-profit, community-based, non-governmental organizations.
Law + Industrial Relations (JD/MIR)
The Juris Doctor/Master of Industrial Relations (JD/MIR) is a three-and-a-half-year combined degree program that merges graduate training in human resources management and labour policy with a professional degree in law.
Civil Law / Common Law
Queen’s Law admits civil law graduates from the University of Sherbrooke pursuant to an agreement that enables completion of a common law degree in one academic year. Applications from University of Sherbrooke applicants are due on March 1 for admission the following September. If there is sufficient space, civil law graduates from other Quebec law schools may apply for admission by May 1. Applications must be supported by a personal statement, at least one academic letter of reference and some documentation establishing fluency in written and spoken English.
LLM Program
The Queen's Master of Laws (LLM) degree is a nine- to twelve-month program that deepens students’ legal knowledge and research skills with a view to further studies at the doctoral level or careers in research, policy work or legal practice.
Candidates should have obtained high standing in an undergraduate or first law degree (LLB, JD or equivalent). In exceptional circumstances we will accept candidates whose previous degree(s) are not in law but in cognate fields.
LLM with a Specialization in Political and Legal Thought
The 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. Students complete an MA in the Departments of Philosophy or Political Studies, or an LLM in the Faculty of Law, by choosing from a broad range of designated courses across all three disciplines, which, in any given year, will cover topics such as global justice, jurisprudence, ethics and animals, just war theory, feminism and the law, bio-ethics, egalitarianism, and human rights. 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.
PhD Program
The Queen’s Law PhD program is a four-year program of advanced scholarly research and writing, culminating in a dissertation. Queen's Senate recently approved the expected length of the PhD program from three to four years.
Our students represent a broad range of research interests, and are encouraged to use a variety of research methods. Doctoral students are a key part of our vibrant intellectual community: some teach courses in the law school and work in collaboration with faculty members on research projects. They are invited to participate in faculty workshops, lectures and seminars, and engage intellectually with other students and faculty.
We welcome applications from students who have excelled in previous legal studies, normally with an undergraduate law degree (JD, LLB or equivalent) and a graduate law degree at the Masters level (LLM or equivalent).
