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Technology & Entrepreneurship Law Certificate - LLM

USC Gould School of Law

Earning a certificate in Technology and Entrepreneurship Law in addition to your LLM degree gives you a thorough grounding and hands-on preparation for practice at the intersection of intellectual property and business law. It also offers you a credential that demonstrates your specialized training in this vibrant field.

Students are limited to pursuing one certificate with their degree.

No science or other technical background is required to complete the certificate or any of the qualifying courses.

Certificate Requirements

To earn the certificate, you must take at least 12 units of mandatory and elective courses. Sample elective courses are provided below. Students must complete at least 8 units of numeric grading within the certificate courses, and should consult with an academic advisor to confirm enrollment in the correct elective courses, as electives may vary by year.

Mandatory Courses

  • Patent Law
  • Business Organizations

Electives

  • Business for Lawyers
  • Contract Drafting, Analysis and Negotiation (LLM)
  • Corporate Finance
  • Corporate Taxation
  • Counseling the Startup
  • Cyber Law: Legal Issues
  • Directed Research
  • Information Privacy Law
  • Intellectual Property
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Patent Drafting and Prosecution
  • Partnership and LLCs
  • Secured Transactions
  • Securities Regulations
  • Technology Transactions
  • TV and Digital Media: Business and Legal Issues

The courses provide you with a substantive and experiential curriculum that prepares you for practice, with an emphasis on the importance of acquiring both strong legal skills and familiarity with business practices. The curriculum features a combination of lecture-style and skill-based courses taught principally in a workshop format.

Not all courses are offered every year. Courses are open to all students, not just those pursuing a certificate. You must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.6 in your certificate coursework to receive the certificate.