Law Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law, LLM
The LL.M. program is open both to persons with J.D. degrees from ABA-accredited American law schools and to persons with degrees in law from foreign universities.
Since 2008, Nebraska Law has been the only law college in the nation to offer an LL.M. degree in space, cyber, and telecommunications law. Graduates of the one-year program have gone on to careers working for private companies like SpaceX; for civilian agencies like the State Department and NASA Jet Propulsion Lab; for military operations such as the U.S. Cyber Command and Space Operations at Vandenberg Air Force Base; as well as for think tanks, consultants and law firms.
The LL.M. program is open both to persons with J.D. degrees from ABA-accredited law schools and to persons with degrees in law from foreign universities. This highly competitive program enrolls between 8-10 students per academic year to ensure individualized attention during the demanding course year.
Directors and Faculty
Jack Beard
Professor of Law and Director of Space, Cyber, and Telecommunication Law Program
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Elsbeth Magilton
Executive Director of Space, Cyber, & Telecom Law and the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center
Phone: (402) 472-6295
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Lauren Bydalek
Associate Director of Space, Cyber, and Telecomunications Law
Phone: (402) 472-1662
Academic Requirements
A minimum of 24 credits is required to complete the LL.M program. All of these credits must be taken subsequent to receipt of the student’s first law degree and must be obtained at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Admissions Committee will exercise a strong preference for students who intend to enroll on a full-time basis.
To complete the LL.M. degree, students must also meet the following requirements:
- Complete an introductory course in American law (for students with foreign law degrees only)(this is a zero credit course).
- Complete (or be excused from) the required courses.
- Complete a program of study approved by the Director of the program.
- Complete a research paper of publishable quality, or, in the non-thesis track option, a space/cyber course from a designated list of courses provided by the Director.
- Attain a weighted average grade of no less than 6.0 for all courses taken at the Law College.
Required courses for the program are:
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
LAW 756 | International Cyber Security: Mischief, Crime and Warfare | 3 |
LAW 640 | International Law | 3 |
LAW 795 | LL.M. Research Independent Study | 3 |
LAW 719 | National Security Law | 3 |
LAW 747 | National Security Space Law | 3 |
LAW 726 | Telecommunications Law | 3 |
LAW 748 | Space Law | 3 |
Students who have taken comparable courses at other institutions as part of their basic law training may be excused from required courses at the discretion of the Directors of the program. A student who is not required to complete one or more of the required courses must still complete a minimum of 24 hours of course work to complete the LL.M. program.
The remainder of the course work for the LL.M. degree will be determined in consultation with a faculty advisor, and approved by the Directors. Up to six credits of this additional course work may be courses taken outside of the Law College (but still at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln), subject to the approval and grade requirements of Faculty Rule 2.4.2.
The LL.M. degree has either a Thesis or Non-Thesis track. The Thesis track requires completion of a research paper of publishable quality. This is normally completed in conjunction with the thesis/independent study required course, but may also be completed as part of the requirements of a seminar taken at the Law College.
Admissions
Application Requirements: We require a personal statement, all undergraduate and law college transcripts, the LSAC application questionnaire, 2-3 letters of recommendation, and a resume.
International Applicants: TOEFL score of 100 (on the internet based test) is required by foreign applicants from non English speaking countries. Foreign applicants must use apply online and use the LSAC credential assembly service.
Deadlines: We accept applications at all times. Semester start times are based on our rolling admissions and the requested semester start. Please contact the Associate Director, Lauren Bydalek, with questions on start dates. International students, please note while sometimes it may be possible, we can never guarantee a fall semester start date for applications received after March 31 or a spring semester start date for applications received after September 15.
Apply by creating an account at LSAC.org and selecting the application for the correct program.
Contact Information
Lauren Bydalek
Associate Director of Space, Cyber, & Telecommunications Law Programs
Phone: (402) 472-1662
E-Mail: lbydalek2@unl.edu