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Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

Educational Opportunities for International Students

Students travel from around the world to study conflict and dispute resolution at the Straus Institute. Some of our most recent students and graduates have traveled from Canada, China, Germany, Korea, Mexico, Argentina, Greece, Republic of Georgia, Spain, Nepal, Czech Republic and Jordan to study dispute resolution. The Straus Institute has also hosted a variety of Fulbright scholars from Germany, Czech Republic, and Tunisia.

International applicants can apply to two of our academic program for studies in dispute resolution. Candidates with the first degree of law required to practice or teach law can apply for our Masters of Law (LL.M.), an advanced law degree in dispute resolution. Candidates without a law background who have a bachelor's degree or equivalent can apply for our Masters in Dispute Resolution (MDR) program.

Masters of Law (LL.M.) in Dispute Resolution

The Masters of Law or LL.M. in Dispute Resolution is an advanced law degree available exclusively for attorneys or judges. Applicants for our LL.M. program must have completed the first degree of law required to practice or teach law. For candidates in the United States this requires a JD degree from an ABA-accredited law school.

The LL.M. is a 28 unit program which can be completed as a full-time student in two semesters, or can take up to three years as a part-time student. Student can choose to graduate with one of four different LL.M. Concentrations including Mediation, Negotiation, International Dispute Resolution or Litigation, or graduate without declaring a concentration.

Masters in Dispute Resolution

The Masters in Dispute Resolution (MDR) program provides practical dispute resolution training for candidates who do not have a law background or degree. Students in the MDR program consist of people from a variety of professions including business and other graduate students, executives, human resource professionals, doctors, psychologists, peacemakers and social workers. Through the MDR students will gain experience through the required Externship program and Mediation Clinic class. Students can also delve deeper into specialty areas including Labor, Dispute Resolution Systems Design, Ombuds and more. Please refer to course descriptions for a full list of courses.

The MDR Program is a 32 unit program that can be completed in 1 year as a full-time student with courses available at the Malibu or Orange County campus.

Application Requirements

International students must complete the following requirements for admission to our dispute resolution programs:

  • Submit transcripts to an evaluation agency
    • Applicants to the LL.M. program must submit their materials through LSAC's LL.M. Credential Evaluation Service.
    • Applicants to the MDR program can submit their transcripts to an evaluation agency of their choosing. Some recommended evaluation services are WES and Education Evaluators International.
  • Complete International Student Data Form with supporting information from their banking institution verifying the necessary funds required to complete our academic program.
  • Submit testing results for the TOEFL Examination verifying the applicant's acceptable level of proficiency in English. Our minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 237 CBT, 580 PBT or 87 on the new iBT exam.
  • A three to four page personal statement.
  • Current resume or vita.
  • $50 Application Fee.
  • Three completed Personal Evaluation forms or narrative letters of recommendation.

International Student Funding Opportunity

Students pursuing advanced training in dispute resolution can apply for a Weinstein International Fellowship consisting of up to $25,000 in scholarship from the JAMS Foundation. For additional information, and JAMS application requirements, please visit their website at http://www.jamsadr.com/weinstein-fellowship