Director of Graduate Admissions, Martin D. Slavens, shares his thoughts on unlocking the value of an LL.M. degree.
By and large, however, would-be students are fairly confident that they’ll get a return on their investment. “Usually, by the time a prospective student reaches out to me or attends an LL.M. fair they have already determined that the degree is worth the costs and efforts involved,” points out Martin Slavens, Director of Graduate Admissions at Fordham Law School.
Financial concerns and questions are presented as a challenge to overcome to reach their goal of studying in the US, he adds. “I work with applicants to help them find ways to make it possible for them to attend our LL.M. degree. This includes the various scholarship opportunities offered by Fordham Law as well as providing applicants with a resource guide for external funding.”
Slavens adds that when it comes to judging the ROI in the LL.M, prospective students should consider how they will be able to leverage the opportunities, resources, and network a law school can provide to meet their specific goals.
“The ROI is as much about what students do with the unique opportunities they have during and after an LL.M. degree as it is about the school and programs themselves,” he says. “For example, someone looking for short term or long term employment in New York after their degree will need to spend a lot of time attending networking events and may want to do an externship to gain experience in a US law firm.”
He says that what each student brings to these opportunities, how they approach the encounters, makes a huge difference. “For those planning to return to their home countries after their degree to seek employment or return to their law firms, I recommend talking to lawyers from their area who have earned a US LL.M. to learn how the degree helped their career progress,” he adds.
Read “Beyond Dollars: Unlocking the Full Value of an LL.M. Degree” in LLM Guide.