Offered in alliance with the Penn Law Master of Laws (LLM) Degree Program
The practice of law requires superior preparation not only in conventional areas of legal education, but also in the diverse disciplines that intersect with the law. The Wharton Business and Law Certificate pairs the resources of one of the world's top business schools with one of its foremost law schools to offer internationally trained attorneys a rigorous preparation in professional business disciplines.
Offered exclusively to students enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Master of Laws (LLM) program, this Wharton certificate is especially beneficial to internationally trained attorneys who seek to understand business strategy in a U.S. context. The program is most suitable for those in the early to middle stages of their careers who wish to acquire key business skills in order to better serve business clients, manage their practices, or expand their professional options beyond the practice of law.
Taken concurrently with the one-year LLM program, all Wharton Business and Law Certificate courses earn credit from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to the LLM degree conferred by Penn Law, participants who successfully complete the program earn a certificate in business and law awarded by Wharton Programs for Working Professionals (WPWP).
With a schedule that complements the intensive LLM course of study, Wharton courses are held in the evenings and Saturdays in state-of-the-art teaching facilities at Jon M. Huntsman Hall on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia.
Participants earn the Wharton Business and Law Certificate (WBLC) after successful completion of coursework at two centers at the University of Pennsylvania: three courses from Wharton Programs for Working Professionals and one course from Penn Law:
Wharton Programs for Working Professionals. WBLC students choose three courses from among several areas of study, including accounting, corporate finance, human resource management, marketing, business policy, and general management. The business courses in the certificate program are taught by Wharton faculty members and industry executives who are appointed by Wharton departments for their subject expertise, teaching skills, and ability to offer applied concepts and examples to course participants. Courses available to WBLC students provide a top-level introduction to the foundations of management in a wide range of business disciplines. For additional information about Wharton Programs for Working Professionals, visit www.whartoncertificates.com, or contact wharton-wpwp@wharton.upenn.edu.
Penn Law Master of Laws (LLM) Degree Program. Students must complete at least 23 semester hours to earn the LLM degree. Of this total, six hours of credit may be transferred from participation in courses offered by Wharton Programs for Working Professionals. The remaining credits must be earned from Penn Law courses. For WBLC candidates, at least one course must be selected from Penn Law's extensive list of courses focusing on the intersection of business and law. With more than 70 percent of its faculty holding additional advanced degrees in economics, management, and other complementary fields, Penn Law offers world-class expertise in corporate, finance, and other business-related legal fields. Upper-level courses are taught in small classes or seminars comprised of both LLM and JD students. For additional information, visit Penn Law http://www.law.upenn.edu/prospective/grad/ or contact gradadmissions@law.upenn.edu.
Corporate lawyers, in-house counsel, judges, bankers, and other internationally trained legal professionals who are enrolled in Penn Law's LLM program and need to acquire:
Strong grounding in business disciplines to better meet the needs of clients, oversee their practices, or widen their professional options
A robust business vocabulary that enhances workplace communication
An understanding of business culture in the United States
Enhanced skills for the sophisticated presentation of projects, ideas, or investment propositions to colleagues, clients, and other professionals from the worlds of both law and business
Better understanding of core management concepts that will increase their capacity to develop or professionalize a practice, department, firm, or business enterprise
The academic policies for the WBLC program differ from other WPWP programs. Please see Wharton Business and Law Certificate Academic Policies for specific information on program support, minimum grade requirements, transfer credits, substitutions, and other academic policies.
Note: Penn Law LLM students who do not meet these formal requirements may apply if they believe their credentials are substantially equivalent. When submitting the WBLC application, such candidates should explain, in 250 words or less, the basis of their equivalent credentials. WPWP will consider such applications on an individual basis, which may delay notification of the admission decision. Acceptance into the Wharton certificate program is at the sole discretion of WPWP.
Qualified applicants must submit:
Current resume
WBLC application essay (separate from Penn Law's LLM application essay)
$75 application fee
Those interested in applying to the WBLC program must already have been admitted to Penn Law's LLM program. Once you have been admitted to the LLM program, you will receive via email, a secure link directing you to the WBLC application. All applications and admissions inquiries should be directed to Penn Law, not to the Wharton School.
Wharton Programs for Working Professionals, including the Wharton Business and Law Certificate, offer students a learning experience that encourages public speaking, group discussions, and active class participation. To succeed, students must possess a highly developed proficiency in written and oral English.
International students whose first language is not English must submit with their application proof of English language proficiency, demonstrated through one of the following:
TOEFL CBT: 240 with TSE 55 or iBT Speaking and Writing 24
TOEFL PBT: 585 with TSE 55 or iBT Speaking and Writing 24
TOEFL/iBT above 96 total with 24 in Speaking and Writing
TOEIC 850
CAE: grade B or above (or CPE: grade C or above)
IELTS: 7.0 or higher
ELP student: 800 level
Note: If your test score is more than two years old, you must retake the test. Wharton accepts only official TOEFL scores sent by the ETS.
TOEFL Waiver:
You may request to waive the TOEFL:
if you have earned an undergraduate or master's degree in an English-speaking country or from an institution in which English is the language of instruction
have completed a U.S. graduate degree program followed by at least three years of work in the U.S.
In some circumstances, applicants may be required to provide evidence in support of the waiver with an iBT Speaking and/or an iBT Writing score of 24 or higher, or one of the above tests with the score level indicated.
Note: If your test score is more than two years old, you may be required to retake the test. Wharton accepts only official TOEFL scores sent by the ETS.
Testing: Applicants may have the option to take the SPEAK Test (the University of Pennsylvania version of the TSE) which is offered by the University's English Language Programs office (ELP). The ELP offers on-site testing three times annually: at the end of the spring, fall, and winter semesters. Questions about registration and payment may be directed to the ELP at 215.898.8681.
March 15, 2008 for the fall term beginning
September 3, 2008. Applications received after the deadline will be considered on an individual basis which will delay the notification process.
Those interested in applying to the WBLC program must already have been admitted to Penn Law's LLM program. Once you have been admitted to the LLM program, you will receive via email, a secure link directing you to the WBLC application. All applications and admissions inquiries should be directed to Penn Law, not to the Wharton School.
While the WBLC program runs concurrently with the Penn Law LLM program, it requires coursework and tuition over and above that associated with the LLM alone. Tuition for the WBLC is
$8,679. This includes a $78 per course technology fee.
Financial aid is not available for the WBLC. Penn Law LLM students are, however, eligible for certain special programs offered by third-party lenders such as Citibank.
Citibank Global Program Commercial Loan (WITHOUT CO-SIGNER)
Citibank offers a commercial loan program, available to international students enrolled at Penn Law and Wharton, that does not require a U.S. co-signer. For further information, click here (1.6 mb, pdf) to download.
For more information, or to apply, please contact:
Penn Law
Graduate and International Programs
University of Pennsylvania Law School
3400 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104.6204 USA
+1.215.898.0407 phone +1.215.573.2025 fax gradadmissions@law.upenn.edu
For more information about Wharton Programs for Working Professionals:
Wharton Programs for Working Professionals
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
255 South 38th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104.6359
+1.215.898.2888 phone
+1.215.386.4304 fax wharton-wpwp@wharton.upenn.edu
