Certificate Requirements and Curriculum

Program Requirements

In order to earn a J.D. degree with a Certificate in International Legal Studies, a student must complete all courses required as part of the J.D. program and must fulfill the requirements specified in the following five categories.

Basic Courses. Successful completion of the following two courses is required:

Conflict of Laws (3)
Public International Law (3)

Public International law Courses. Successful completion of at least two units from the following group of courses 1 is required:

  • Fundamental Rights in Europe and the U.S. (2) 2
  • International Environmental Law (3)
  • International Organizations (2)
  • International Protection of Human Rights (3)
  • International Trade - Public Aspects (3)
  • International Water Resources Law Sem. (3)
  • Law of the Sea (2)
  • Law of Treaties (1)
  • National Security Law (3)

Domestic Business Law Courses. Successful completion of at least five units from the following group of courses 3 is required:

  • Administrative Law (3)
  • Antitrust Law (3)
  • Banking Law (3)
  • Bankruptcy (3)
  • Copyright Law (3)
  • Federal Securities Regulation (4)
  • Intellectual Property and Unfair Trade Practice (3)
  • Negotiable Instruments and Payment Systems (3)
  • Patent Law (2)
  • Personal Property Financing (3)
  • Sales and Leases of Goods (3)
  • Trademark Law (2)

International Business Related Courses. Successful completion of at least six units from the following group 1, 3 is required: 4

  • Admiralty (2)
  • Comparative Law Perspectives (2, 3)
  • Documentary Sales Transactions (1)
  • Economic Sanctions and Trade Seminar (2)
  • European Union Law (3)
  • Foreign Investment and Development (3)
  • Immigration and Nationality Law (3)
  • International Banking (2)
  • International Business Lawyer (2)
  • International Business Transactions (3)
  • International Business Transactions with China (3)
  • International Intellectual Property (2,3)
  • International Sale of Goods (1)
  • Seminar in Advanced Intellectual Property (3)
  • Taxation (US) of International Transactions (3)
  • Transnational Arbitration (1)
  • Transnational Lawyer Editorial Board (2,3)
  • Transnational Securities Law (2)

Required Skills Activity. Successful completion of one of the following skills activities:

  • Appellate and InternationalAdvocacy with a grade of “B” or better
  • Appellate and International Advocacy Teaching Assistant
  • Vis International Commercial Arbitration Competition team member orco-author ofthe competition brief
  • Jessup International Law Moot Court competition team member
  • Authoring an article or comment on an international or comparative law topic that is accepted for publication in a law journal
  • Directed Research (2 units) in a subject focused upon Global Business, Sustainable Development, Development of Legal Infrastructure or other aspects of international law
  • Completion with a grade of B or bet­ter of an international or comparative law course that requires a major paper in lieu of an exam.

Explanation of Requirements

The Basic Courses cover fundamentals that are assumed but not directly covered elsewhere in the curriculum.

The Public International Law Courses all relate to relatively specialized aspects of public international law; students concentrating in international legal studies should have at least two units beyond the basic courses.

The Domestic Business Law Courses cover basic domestic principles recognizing the fact that international business law­yers are expected to be well versed in the basics of their own commercial law.

The International Business Related Courses represent the advanced J.D. courses in international legal studies that provide the necessary linkages between foundational international law courses and basic domestic law courses.

The Skills requirement is meant to demonstrate mastery of a skill beyond ordinary classroom work.

Program Transition

During the Academic Years 2004-05 and 2005-06, students who were pursuing course work to qual­ify for a J.D. Concentration in International Legal Studies and who do not complete a requirement to satisfy item five (5) above will still be eligible for the J.D. Concentration. After the 2005-06 academic year, the concentration will no long­er exist.

Faculty Advisor

Students are encouraged to consult with the Faculty Advisor of the Certificate Program, and with professors teaching any of the listed courses, to learn more about how the specific courses may further their academic interests and career goals. The Faculty Advisor, in consultation with the International Studies Committee, is authorized to approve appropriate substitutions of courses or units when necessary to accommodate the specific career goals and interests of individual students, as well as to provide academic counseling.­

Dr. Michael P. Malloy
Dr. Michael P. Malloy is the Faculty Advisor for the J.D. Cer­tificate in International Legal Studies. If you are interested in the Certificate Program, you should contact Dr. Malloy at: 916-739-7338 or malloympm@aol.com.

1 The Faculty Advisor is authorized to "cross credit" courses from category 2 to category 4.

2 Available during the Pacific McGeorge Summer Program at the University of Salzburg Faculty of Law.

3 The Faculty Advisor is authorized to "waive in" appropriate sub­stitute courses in categories 3 and 4 from the general curriculum.

4 With approval of the Faculty Advisor and the International Studies Committee, courses taken in the Pacific McGeorge Summer Program in Salzburg (other than Fundamental Rights in Europe and the United States, already included in category 2, supra) and courses with substantial international law content taken in summer sessions offered by other law schools may also be accepted for credit in this category. New courses or special one-time offerings of semester long or mini-courses in the international field will also be approved by the International Studies Committee for credit in the most appropriate cate­gory.