Going Global - One Person at a Time
Situated in Minnesota's metropolitan Twin Cities, Hamline University is an intimate private college with a global impact. As Minnesota's oldest institution of higher learning, Hamline has long enjoyed a reputation of rigorous academic discourse. In the 2004 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Hamline University ranked first in Minnesota, ninth among 142 universities in the Midwest region and among the top schools nationally in the Best Universities-Master's category. Again this year, Hamline Law School retained its top-five national ranking in dispute resolution in the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings of the nation's best law schools and specialty programs.
As one of the leading educators in American law, Hamline University School of Law has recently embarked on a number of new and expanding initiatives to bring its quality education and training to lawyers and law students around the globe: the expansion of the LL.M. program for non-U.S. lawyers; a new three-year grant as part of the European Community-United States of America Cooperation Program in Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training; and new curricular offerings in summer European programs.
The Hamline LL.M. program provides lawyers an opportunity to explore the differences between their country's legal system and the U.S. legal system. Students may now concentrate in the areas of: dispute resolution, intellectual property, international business law, American business law, or human rights; or choose a course of study individualized to the lawyer's interest. The Twin Cities has a vibrant cultural environment and is home to a number of Fortune 500 companies (such as 3M, PepsiAmericas, Medtronic, Inc., and Northwest Airlines) making it one of the most popular and successful U.S. cities.
Hamline University School of Law is among a select group of institutions chosen to receive a three-year grant as part of the European Community-United States of America Cooperation Program in Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training. The program, part of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), is administered by the U.S. Department of Education. This three-year effort will enable the development and dissemination of international, cross-disciplinary curricula in dispute resolution and initiate and sustain transatlantic student mobility. As a lead partner in this grant, Hamline is positioned as a catalyst in the center of two vital and emerging trends in legal education - globalization and dispute resolution. The other U.S. partners include: Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (New York); and Moritz School of Law, The Ohio State University (Ohio). The European Community partners include: University of Rome "La Sapienza" (Italy - Lead Partner); University of Deusto (Spain); and Catholic University of Paris (France).
This summer Hamline Law School will offer academic programs at European universities in Rome, Paris, Budapest, Bergen, and Oslo. In these programs, American students learn alongside counterparts from a variety of European countries. A primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of ideas and cooperative projects among academics, professionals, and students throughout the world. Some non-U.S. lawyers will start the Hamline LL.M. program in one of these European summer programs, and then continue their studies in Minnesota this fall.
Whether non-U.S. lawyers begin their LL.M. program in Minnesota or through the programs offered in Rome, Paris, Budapest, Bergen, or Oslo, each lawyer will find the courses and experiences make a U.S. based LL.M. a lifelong investment.
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