LL.M. in Real Estate: Degree Requirements

Credit and GPA Requirements. Candidates for the LL.M. in Real Estate must earn at least 27 credits for approved course work with a minimum cumulative grade point average of B- (2.67). Except with the prior written permission of the program director, all courses other than the Graduate Real Estate Externship taken toward the LL.M. degree must be graded (not pass/fail).

Required Courses. Candidates must successfully complete the five courses of the Core Curriculum. Candidates who have completed comparable courses elsewhere or who have directly relevant work experience may petition to waive core courses but nonetheless must complete 27 credits of approved courses at the required grade point average to earn the LL.M. degree.

Graduate Real Estate Core Curriculum. All candidates must complete the following Core Courses:

Advanced Real Estate Transactions (RET) (3 credits) or Real Estate Transactions and Finance II (2 or 3 credits)
Financial and Economic Analysis of Real Estate (3 credits)
Land Use Regulation (2 or 3 credits)
Tax Issues in Real Estate Practice (2 credits)
Advanced Research Thesis Seminar (2 credits)

Concentration in Transactional Practice. Students concentrating in Transactional Practice must also take:

Real Estate Drafting and Negotiation (3 credits)
Ethical Issues in Transactional Practice (2 credits)
At least one Drafting Workshop (2 credits)

Concentration in Real Estate Development. Students concentrating in Real Estate Development must also take:

Real Estate Drafting and Negotiation (3 credits)
Ethical Issues in Transactional Practice (2 credits)
Drafting Workshop: Commercial Development Contracts (2 credits)
Construction Law (2 credits)

Concentration in Public Policy and Regulation. Students concentrating in Public Policy and Regulation must also take:

The Role of the Government Attorney (2 credits)
Administrative Law (3 credits)

Elective Courses. Elective credits applied toward the LL.M. in Real Estate degree generally must be earned from the courses listed in the Graduate Real Estate Curriculum. With prior written permission from the program director, candidates may substitute up to five credits from other course offerings at New York Law School. Elective courses may include:^*

Drafting Workshops (2 credits each)

Leasing Documentation (Prerequisite: Commercial Leasing)
Financing Documentation (Prerequisite: Advanced RET or RETF II)
Commercial Development Contracts (Prerequisite: Advanced RET or RETF II)
Partnership and LLC Documentation (Prerequisite: Advanced RET)

Other Elective Courses

Affordable Housing and Community Development
Agency, Partnership, and Limited Liability Entities
Business Planning for the Closely Held Enterprise
Commercial Leasing
Condominiums & Cooperatives
Construction Law
Credit Enhancement & Suretyship
Environmental Problems in Business Transactions
Federal Income Taxation: Corporations
Federal Income Taxation: Partnerships
Housing & Lending Discrimination Law
Insurance Law in Real Estate Practice
International Real Estate
Urban and Regional Planning Seminar
Municipal Finance
New York City Government
New York City Law Seminar and Workshop
Preservation Law
Real Estate Development
Real Estate: Landlord and Tenant Law
Real Estate Valuation
Secured Transactions
Securitization/Real Estate Capital Markets
State and Local Government
State and Local Taxation
State and Urban Government: Current Problems and Issues
Tax Planning for Real Estate Transactions Seminar
Title Insurance

Prerequisites for All Courses. A basic course in Real Estate Transactions and a basic course in Federal Income Taxation are prerequisites for all courses in the Real Estate LL.M. program. Candidates who have not taken one or both of these courses may satisfy these requirements by taking them at New York Law School in their first semester of the Graduate Real Estate program or during the preceding summer, but these credits do not count toward the 27 course credits required for the LL.M.

Other Requirements and Policies. The requirements for the LL.M. in Real Estate and all New York Law School and program policies are subject to change without notice. Candidates for the LL.M. in Real Estate degree must satisfy any other requirements for that degree that are in force when the degree is conferred. Any LL.M. candidate who did not graduate from either (a) a U.S. law school or (b) a foreign law school whose language of instruction is English must demonstrate his/her proficiency in understanding the English language. A recent TOEFL exam is required. Additionally, information on taking the New York Bar Exam can be found here.

Transfer Credits. With permission of the program director, candidates may be granted up to nine credits for relevant course work done in post-J.D. programs at other law schools.

CLE. New York Law School is a certified CLE provider for New York State. Courses in the Real Estate LL.M. program may be used to satisfy New York State CLE requirements.

^* Not all courses will be offered in any given year.