Online Master of Laws Launches at USC

Gould welcomes 13 students from nine countries

When Donald Scotten entered the classroom this week to teach Business Organizations at USC Gould, he took a seat alone at a conference table. He punched in a special login, and was instantly connected to 13 students hailing from around the world.

Donald Scotten teaches an online Business Organizations course to international law students

His students’ diverse faces popped up on a large monitor, and within moments, Scotten had the entire class engaged, introducing them to Business Organizations – a course that examines legal organizations most often used by businesses in the United States.

Welcome to USC Gould’s specialized online Master of Laws (LLM) program for international students, which launched Sept. 3. The new online program – the first of its kind – is designed specifically for foreign attorneys and law graduates, who want to earn a LLM degree and an optional graduate certificate in Business Law.

“When people think of online education, the common perception is that professors are simply videotaped teaching in their classroom,” said Scotten, Associate Academic Director, Graduate and International Programs, and adjunct assistant professor of law. “That’s the farthest thing from the case. The big difference is that our online learning is interactive.  We are actively engaging with students through live sessions as well as one-on-one sessions.”

The inaugural online LLM class includes 13 students from nine countries.

The inaugural class includes 13 students from Brazil, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Italy, Kuwait, New Zealand, Nigeria and the Philippines. Many have passed the bar in their home countries and have successful careers in law, business and government, said Deborah Call, Associate Dean of USC Gould’s Graduate and International Programs.

“In addition to having a first degree in law, some have earned graduate degrees as well in law, public administration and business,” she said. “We are fortunate to have attracted very top-tier international attorneys to our program.”

USC Gould Dean Robert K. Rasmussen said it is the law school’s mission to innovate and create new forms of education. “Online education will be increasingly important in the legal profession,” he said. “Our goal is to be the leader in this area. Thousands of lawyers, who are practicing overseas, understand the value to their careers by earning a Master of Laws degree, but they simply cannot leave to study in the United States. We are offering them another alternative – an elite legal education strictly online.”

USC Gould has teamed up with Pearson Embanet, a leading provider of online learning services, to deliver all marketing and technology services, web support, maintenance, instructional design, and course conversion.

Like USC Gould’s residential LLM program – in which about 200 international attorneys, judges, government officials and other international law graduates spend an entire year on the USC campus – the online program has received the American Bar Association’s acquiescence and WASC accreditation.

Prominent USC law faculty, who include industry experts that are committed to helping students succeed, teach the online LLM classes. The Graduate & International Programs Office will provide students with curricular advising, academic support, career development, bar exam preparation and more.