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Study Abroad & International Opportunities

Penn Law offers opportunities for experiential international learning through these six formal Study Abroad programs, as well as a JD/MA program in conjunction with Wharton's Lauder Institute:

Waseda Law School in Tokyo, Japan

The strong relationship between Penn Law and Waseda Law School can be seen in Dean Michael A. Fitt's address that appears on Waseda Law School's website. Almost all Waseda Law School courses are taught in Japanese, although each term there are several courses conducted in English. Penn Law students have in the past constructed a full schedule based on these English-language courses:

  • "Modern Japanese Law"
  • "Japanese Legal Culture"
  • "International Trade Law"
  • "Comparative Finance Law"

Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany

The Bucerius Law School/Penn Law Exchange Program has been in existence almost since the founding of Bucerius Law School in 2000. Penn Law students have the opportunity to follow a specially designed, English-language program in International and Comparative Business Law. More information on this program can be found HERE.

Tsinghua Law School in Beijing, China

Penn Law students may spend one semester in the pioneering program at Tsinghua Law School in Beijing, the first formal program permitting international students to study Chinese law in China through English-language courses. Later, after completing their J.D. studies at Penn, participants in the Tsinghua program have the option of earning an LL.M. degree from Tsinghua by returning to Beijing for a second semester of graduate-level study at their own expense.

Tel Aviv University Law School in Israel

Students may spend one semester at Tel Aviv University Law School in Israel. TAU offers a variety of courses taught in English by TAU faculty and visiting professors from leading law schools from around the globe. Students choosing to enroll in Hebrew-language courses may take their exams in English. Note: Students participate in the Tel Aviv program during the spring of their 3L year.

ESADE Law School In Barcelona, Spain

Penn Law students may also spend one semester Barcelona at ESADE law school Barcelona, Spain. Students take Spanish-language classes or choose from a list of English-language courses that comprise the core of a special program in international business law.

Joint Degree in Global Business Law (J.D./Master) Program – sponsored jointly by the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne Law School (Paris 1) and the Institut d'Études Politiques (Sciences Po)

Students spend their entire third year in Paris, studying as part of group of approximately 30 students drawn from Paris 1, Sciences Po and a select group of U.S. law schools. The program is primarily conducted in English during the first semester, with a substantial French-language curriculum in the second semester. Penn Law participants in this program graduate, after a total of three years of legal studies in Philadelphia and Paris, with both a J.D. and a French Master of Law degree (formerly known as a DESS - Diplôme d'étude supérieures spécialisées).

"Lauder Law" International Studies JD/MA program with Wharton School's Lauder Institute

J.D. students with strong pre-existing language skills may apply to participate in a joint International Studies J.D./M.A. program with Wharton's Lauder Institute. This program, which requires greater than normal course work and tuition, allows students to earn both degrees over the same period normally required to graduate with a J.D. alone. Beginning immediately after their 1L year, "Lauder Law" joint degree students join a small cohort of M.B.A. students in management courses, intensive immersion language classes overseas, and other studies.

As new formal study abroad programs are added, they will be posted on this website. Students are also encouraged to consult with Penn Law's Office of Graduate and International Programs to create their own ad hoc overseas study programs with foreign law schools elsewhere.

Human Rights Fellowships

Our new Human Rights Fellows Program, meanwhile, supports students interested in cross-border public interest internships between their first and second years of law studies. Penn Law School provides funding and draws on institution-to-institution relationships to arrange summer positions in such fields as human rights, rule of law development, and international criminal tribunals. Recent placements include summer internships in Cambodia; Ecuador; Buenos Aires; Rwanda; Guatemala; Geneva, and Washington, DC. Other opportunities are possible as well. Here are several recent student profiles.