Certificate in International and Comparative Law

Students who desire to concentrate their elective and extracurricular courses of study in the general areas of international and comparative law can seek a Certificate in International and Comparative Law. The Certificate is an acknowledgment by the faculty that the student has successfully completed a focused course of study to expand his or her knowledge in international, foreign, and comparative law.

Course of Study

Overall credit-hour minimum. Students must successfully complete at least 15 credit hours selected from the courses listed below. Students must take at least two courses from the "Core Courses" list. No more than 3 externship credits may be counted toward the 15-credit minimum.

Full-time faculty credit minimum. At least 9 of the 15 minimum credit hours must be earned in courses taught by full-time Washburn Law faculty. Externship credits and the semester exchange program in Maastricht may not be counted toward the 9-credit full-time faculty requirement.

Core Courses

Students must complete at least two core courses from the following list:

  • Climate Change Crisis and the Law (Law 891 - 2 hours)
  • Comparative Constitutional Law (LW 916 - 2-3 hours) OR Comparative Constitutional Law: Rights (LW 851 - 3 hours) (students taking both may count one as a Core Course and the other as a Curriculum Course, below)
  • International Business Transactions (LW 778 - 3 hours)
  • International Human Rights (LW 812 - 2-3 hours)
  • Law of Armed Conflict (LW 927 - 3 hours)
  • Public International Law (LW 928 - 3 hours)
  • Study Abroad: Semester Exchange Program at University of Maastricht, The Netherlands (LW 990 - 6-15 hours; courses vary; courses not taught by full-time Washburn faculty)
  • Study Abroad: Summer Law Program in Barbados (LW 843 - 3-6 hours; courses vary)
  • Study Abroad: Summer Law Program in Osaka (see Comparative Constitutional Law: Rights, above)

Writing Requirement

Students must complete the upper level writing requirement (or equivalent writing project) on a pre-approved Comparative or International Law topic. Students may satisfy the Certificate writing requirement through Directed Research (LW763) or an alternative writing project approved in advance by the student's certificate advisor. The writing requirement may be satisfied by completion of a term paper in a Comparative or International Law course that is evaluated by paper, for instance Comparative Constitutional Law, Law and Human Rights, or Law of Indigenous Persons. A student must receive a grade of "B" or better on the paper submitted to satisfy the writing requirement.

General Requirements

Prior to completing 40 hours of study, students interested in pursuing an International and Comparative Law Certificate must first meet with a faculty member administering the program (Professor Craig Martin) to declare their interest and plan their course of study. [NOTE: This requirement will be adjusted to accommodate students who have completed 40 hours but desire to pursue this new Certificate opportunity.] The faculty member and student will complete a "Meeting Summary" (27 KB PDF) identifying the faculty member who will serve as the Student's Certificate Advisor.

The student must complete 90 hours of total law school credit and achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the 15 hours of courses selected by the student to meet the Certificate requirements.

Note: Students who declared their intent to pursue a Certificate prior to June 1, 2021, and who obtained a minimum grade point average of 3.5 for courses used to satisfy their Certificate requirements, will be awarded the Certificate in International and Comparative Law (with distinction).

Curriculum Courses

  • Arbitration (LW 854 - 2 hours)
  • Artificial Intelligence and Law (LW 792 - 2 hours)
  • Climate Change Crisis and the Law (Law 891 - 2 hours)
  • Comparative Constitutional Law (LW 916 - 2-3 hours)
  • Comparative Constitutional Law: Rights (LW 851 - 3 hours)
  • Directed Research (topic requires approval by Certificate Advisor) (LW 763 - 1-3 hours)
  • Externship I (placement involving international or comparative law; please see Certificate Advisor for pre-approval) (LW 921 - 2-4 hours; only three hours may be counted toward the Certificate)
  • Federal Indian Law (LW 841 - 3 hours)
  • Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Law (LW 964 - 3 Hours)
  • Immigration Law (LW 815 - 2-3 hours)
  • International Business Transactions (LW 778 - 3 hours)
  • International Civil Litigation in the United States (LW 989 - 2-3 hours)
  • International Human Rights (LW 812 - 2-3 hours)
  • International Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples (formerly International Law of Indigenous Peoples) (LW 919 - 3 hours)
  • International Intellectual Property Law (LW 948 - 3 hours)
  • International Petroleum Transactions (LW 973 - 3 Hours)
  • Jessup International Moot Court Competition (LW 978 - 1-2 hours)
  • Law of Armed Conflict (LW 927 - 3 hours)
  • Mining Law (LW 977 - 1 hour)
  • Principles of International and Comparative Taxation (LW 983; 3 hours)
  • Public International Law (LW 928 - 3 hours)
  • Specialized Legal Research: Foreign and International Law (LW 930 - 1-2 hours)
  • Study Abroad: Semester Exchange Program at University of Maastricht, The Netherlands (LW 990 - 6-15 hours; courses vary; courses not taught by full-time Washburn faculty)
  • Study Abroad: Summer Law Program in Barbados (LW 843 – 3-6 hours; courses vary)
  • Study Abroad: Summer Law Program in Osaka (see Comparative Constitutional Law: Rights, above)
  • Tribal Law and Government (LW 941 - 2-3 hours)

Approved by the faculty: December 2007
Effective: January 2008
Updated: March 31, 2022.

Short URL for this page:
https://washburnlaw.edu/internationallawcertificate

Faculty Member
Photograph: Craig Martin.

Craig Martin
Professor of Law

News
{{monthNames[article.date.getMonth()]}} {{article.date.getDate()}}, {{article.date.getFullYear()}}
All News
Certificates of Concentration

Students at Washburn University School of Law may distinguish themselves in the job market by earning a Certificate of Concentration. The areas of concentration can be completed within the traditional 90 credit hours required for graduation. While students do not declare majors because law school provides a broad foundational education, the certificate program at Washburn Law allows students to formalize an area of specialization within the traditional law school curriculum.

Certificates may be earned in the following areas: