Certificate Program in International Trade and Finance Requirements
Purposes
The Certificate Program in International Trade and Finance is designed to serve three basic purposes:
- (1) to assist JD students at KU Law in preparing for the increasingly global practice of law, and in particular to emphasize the business nature of that practice;
- (2) to give JD students at KU Law a competitive advantage in the employment market; and
- (3) to give KU Law a competitive advantage in attracting great JD applications and recruiting promising JD students.
Structure
In order to obtain the Certificate in International Trade and Finance, a student will need to complete a minimum of 22 credits, typically during his or her second and third years.
These credits must come from the five categores, which are as follows:
- (1) 3 Core Courses related to International Trade, Commerce and Investment,
- (2) 2 International Finance and Economics courses,
- (3) 1 Business Sector course,
- (4) 1 Comparative and Public International Law course, and
- (5) 1 Writing Project.
The total number of credits, 22, typically would be split as follows:
- 9 credits from Core Courses (3 credits each), plus
- 6 credits from International Finance and Economics courses (3 credits each), plus
- 3 credits from the Business Sector course, plus
- 3 credits from the Comparative and Public International Law course, plus
- 1 credit from the Writing Project.
While this credit allocation pattern would be typical, and thus expected for the vast majority of students seeking the Certificate, there could be instances in which a student requests permission to deviate from it. Such requests could arise because of life circumstances, scheduling conflicts, or other pressing reasons. In the discretion of the Director of the Certificate Program (see below), a request may be granted.
At graduation, students successfully completing requirements for the Program would receive a "Certificate in International Trade and Finance" and other appropriate recognition (e.g., indication on official law school records, transcript, or degree, etc.) in line with what is done by the other Certificate Programs at KU Law.
Element #1: Three Core Courses
Each student will have to complete successfully all three of the following fundamental courses dealing with International Trade, Commerce and Investment:
- (1) International Trade Law (#944),
- (2) Advanced International Trade Law (#964), and
- (3) International Commerce and Investment (#945).
Element #2: Two International Finance and Economics Courses
All students would be required to complete successfully at least two courses, for at least 6 credits, from the following list:
- (1) Capital Raising by Privately Held Business Firms (#869),
- (2) Commercial Law – Payment Systems (#874),
- (3) International Economic Law and Development (#936),
- (4) Securities Regulation (#986),
- (5) A course in International Finance, Portfolio Management, or equivalent,
- (6) A course in International Tax or its equivalent, and
- (7) A course in International Financial Law, International Banking Law, or International Securities Regulation.
- (1) Agriculture Law (#858),
- (2) Antitrust Law (#863),
- (3) Copyright Law & Digital Works (#888),
- (4) Health Care Financing & Regulation (# 919),
- (5) Health Law and Policy (#920),
- (6) Intellectual Property Law (#968),
- (7) Media Law (#958),
- (8) National Environmental & Energy Policy (# 963),
- (9) Oil and Gas Law (#966),
- (10) Patent Law (#977), or
- (11) Water Law (#995).
- (1) Comparative Law (#879),
- (2) European Union Law (# 911),
- (3) International Criminal Law,
- (4) Islamic Law (#918),
- (5) Public International Law (# 974),
- (6) Sovereignty, Self-Determination and the Indigenous Nations (# 987),
- (7) Any other course focusing on a comparative dimensions of a field of law, including, for example, Comparative Constitutional Law, Comparative Tax Law, or such a course taught in an ABA-accredited summer law program, with the permission of the Director of the Certificate Program, or in his/her absence, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, or
- (8) Any other course focusing on the legal system of another country, region, culture, or religion, including, for example, Chinese Law, Japanese Law, Latin American Law, Jewish Law, Hindu Law, or such a course taught in an ABA-accredited summer law program, with the permission of the Director of the Certificate Program, or in his/her absence, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
- (1) Independent Research (#924) or
- (2) Law Review (#950) or Law Journal (#940/937).
Element #3: One Business Sector Course
Each student would have to complete one course on legal issues pertaining to a specific sector of the American economy, or to a specific sector or sectors in a region of the world (e.g., energy in the Middle East). Naturally, that Business Sector Course might emphasize domestic legal issues. However, grounding in those issues is relevant to the practice of international trade and finance, because that sector is of global importance.
The Business Sector Course would be drawn from the following list:
Element #4: One Comparative and Public International Law Course
In addition, each student will have to complete at least one course in comparative law or international law. This course is complementary to the Core Courses in that it deals with legal issues from the perspective of the international legal system or of a foreign legal system. International Trade and Finance is practiced in jurisdictions reflecting all the major legal traditions, as well as in the context of the international legal system, so it is important to develop in an American law school some facility with such other legal systems.
The Complementary Comparative Law Course would be drawn from the following list:
Element #5: Writing Project
Finally, each student will have to engage in a substantial writing project on a topic relating to International Trade and Finance. This writing project must be of such a nature as to earn at least one credit hour, or as to represent (in the discretion of the Director of the Certificate Program) an equivalent amount of work. The normal expectation would be that the paper would be a significant one of publishable quality. The paper requirement referred to here could be met through:
Note: Some modifications in the requirements for the Certificate were made in the fall of 2006. In respect of students already in the process of seeking the Certificate, transitional issues will be handled by the Director, in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs as necessary, to ensure that the changes will not work to the disadvantage of such students.
