JD-LLM in Taxation | NYU School of Law

The Law School makes available to JD students from both NYU School of Law and other accredited American law schools the opportunity to obtain the JD and LLM degrees in a total of seven semesters of full-time study. The JD-LLM in Taxation takes only seven semesters to complete (instead of eight) because the Graduate Tax Program allows students to count graduate tax courses taken at NYU School of Law as JD students towards the LLM in Taxation degree.

The 24 credits required for the LLM degree must be completed within five years from the initial semester of enrollment in an NYU advanced tax course that will count toward the LLM degree. Students participating in the JD-LLM program must complete at least 12 credits of study as matriculated LLM students after completion of their JD degrees. During this post-JD degree period, these students are considered LLM students at the Law School and are subject to the rules and regulations of the Law School applicable to LLM students.

NYU School of Law JD students may apply to the Office of Graduate Admissions during their 2L or 3L year, or shortly following graduation, for admission to the part-time or full-time LLM in Taxation program. Upon review of an applicant’s complete materials, the Committee on Graduate Admissions will determine both eligibility for and admissibility to the JD-LLM in Taxation program.

Students currently enrolled at another accredited American law school who wish to complete the JD-LLM in Taxation program must apply during their 2L year to the Office of JD Admissions as a Third Year Visiting/Non-Matriculant student. If admitted as a non-matriculant, it is expected that the student will complete 12 credits of advanced tax courses while in residence at NYU, and the student’s JD degree will be awarded by his or her “home” institution upon completion of the 3L non-matriculant year at NYU. Admission as a 3L non-matriculant does not assure or guarantee admission to the LLM portion of the joint degree program. Rather, during the 3L non-matriculant year, the student must apply to either the part-time or full-time LLM in Taxation program. The Committee on Graduate Admissions will then determine eligibility and admissibility to the JD-LLM in Taxation program.

JD-LLM in Taxation students who receive their JD from NYU are also eligible to apply for a Tax Policy Fellowship. Each year one or two students are provided a stipend to help finance a six-month internship either with the Office of Tax Policy in the US Treasury Department or the Congressional Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation. The internship is taken at the completion of the student’s third year in the JD program, and the student returns to NYU School of Law the following spring to complete the joint degree requirements. A full-tuition scholarship is provided for this final semester. Those interested in the Tax Policy Fellowship must apply during their 3L year to the Graduate Tax Program for fellowship consideration and to the Office of Graduate Admission for the full-time LLM portion of the joint degree program.

Detailed Requirements

Upon receipt of the JD, an NYU Law Dual Degree candidate will be admitted officially to the LLM program and will be given credit for advanced tax courses successfully completed while pursuing the JD This is not technically a "dual degree" program in that a student does not formally become a candidate for the LLM degree until after they have received their JD degree. In compliance with ABA standards, the student's admission to the LLM program is contingent upon receiving the JD degree. No exceptions will be made to this requirement. Visiting third year JD students only will receive credit for advanced tax classes taken at NYU Law. Such non-matriculants should visit the Graduate Tax Program office on the 3rd floor of Furman Hall for more information. The term "advanced tax courses" includes all tax courses except Income Taxation. This advanced credit enables the student to earn the LLM degree after a minimum of only one additional semester of full-time study.

Please note, at this time, online courses in advanced tax are not open to JD students. When completing the LLM degree, it is the responsibility of the students taking online courses to determine whether and to what extent their decision to take such courses will impact their ability to practice in their jurisdiction of choice. Additionally, foreign students should consult with the OGS to determine the effect of online classes on their visa status.

Part-time or Full-time

After completing the JD, a student in the Dual Degree Program may pursue the LLM either on a full-time or part-time basis. On a part-time schedule, Dual Degree Program participants can complete the LLM in as few as two semesters. A student may take as long as 5 years to complete the LLM requirements on a part-time basis. The 5 year period begins to run at the time the candidate took his or her first advanced tax course as a JD student.

Requirements

All of the requirements of both the JD (82 credits) and the LLM (24 credits) must be satisfied by joint degree students. Additionally, dual degree students must take 20 of the required 24 LLM credits in advanced tax courses. Only advanced tax courses taken as a JD may double-count toward the LLM Non-tax classes taken while a JD student do not count towards the LLM The other 4 credits may be taken in any upper-level course offered in the Law School.

All candidates must complete a course in tax procedure and a course in tax policy. Even if a candidate plans to finish the degree on a part-time basis, they must satisfy both the tax policy and procedure requirements. This is in contrast to other part-time LLM students who need not satisfy the policy requirement. Beyond these two course requirements and attending a tax research workshop that is offered each fall during the day, dual degree candidates are free to design their schedules to meet their individual needs.

Regardless of how many advanced tax courses a student takes while pursuing his or her JD degree, after being awarded the JD degree, they must take 1 additional semester of full-time study (or its equivalent, i.e., 12 credits) to earn the LLM (in Taxation).

Examples

If a student took 15 credits in advanced tax courses while a JD student, then they must still take 12 credits after receiving the JD However, only 5 of the remaining 12 would have to be in advanced tax classes.

If a participating NYU Law student took 12 credits of advanced tax courses while pursuing their JD degree, they would need only 12 additional credits to complete the requirements of the LLM degree, for a total of 24 credits. At least 8 of the 12 post-JD credits must be in advanced tax classes.

Writing Requirement

There is no independent writing requirement for students in the dual degree program. With permission, students may receive up to 2 credits for a Directed Research Project supervised by one of the tax faculty. No exceptions can be made to the maximum of 2 credits for directed research.

Suggested Schedule

First-year students should take Income Taxation during the fall semester of their second year. This will enable them to take a second tax course (probably Corporate Tax I & II) during the spring semester.

Second-year students should plan their last three semesters of study now because some advanced tax courses are offered only one semester each year, and other advanced tax courses are offered during the day only one semester each year. Courses students may want to consider taking during their third year include:

Taxation of Property Transactions (3 credits). We highly recommend that if students are going to take this course, they take it during the fall semester. Mastery of the material in this course is necessary to appreciate fully many areas of the tax law.
Corporate Tax I & II (4 credits). This course is offered both semesters during the day.
Timing Issues and the Income Tax (2 credits). There is no compelling reason for a student to take this course during their third year. If, however, a student does decide to take this course during their third year, we highly recommend that they take a day-time session.
Tax Policy (2 credits). As mentioned above, all Dual Degree candidates must take one of our tax policy offerings. This required course is offered every semester, but only during the day. Because none of the tax policy classes is offered in the evening, if a student is planning to complete the requirements for the degree part-time, they should take this course during their third year.
Tax Procedure (1 or 2 credits). Please note, the 1credit course may only offered in the fall during the day and the 2 credit course may be offered in evenings in the fall.
Partnership Taxation (3 credits). This course is usually offered every semester.
Estate and Gift Taxation (2 or 3 credits). This course is offered in the fall.

In addition to the above suggestions, there are numerous other courses that students may want to take, depending on their interests. Therefore, we recommend that students make an appointment with the Director of the Graduate Tax Program, who will work with them to devise a schedule that will meet their particular needs. Additionally, students should also feel free to discuss their schedule with any member of the Tax Faculty.

Intellectual Life

Careers

The Office of Career Services assists students with their job search process, offering services and training to prepare them for entry into the private law market, as well as the following opportunities which are designed to bring students together with employers nationwide:

Fall and Spring On-Campus Interview Program
LLM Taxation Interview Program
NYU Day at the Tax Court

For those with an interest in law teaching, the Academic Careers Program provides a comprehensive curriculum that educates students and assists them with entry into academia. Students may also apply to be appointed as an Acting Assistant Professor of Tax Law, a highly-selective program which has launched the careers of many successful tax academics for over 50 years.