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. This certificate program has been designed by the
Aresty Institute of Executive Education exclusively for mid-career professionals
seeking to gain business expertise. This program should not be confused with
an MBA program and does not include MBA students.
The courses in the WBLC program are taught by Wharton lecturers and industry
experts 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.
Wharton Certificate candidates are required to undertake course work over
and above that required of the LLM program alone and must pay additional
tuition beyond that charged for the LLM degree (see below). 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 three courses
offered by Wharton Programs for Working Professionals.
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. Note also
that the above requirement is independent of any English language testing
requirement mandated by the Law School for participation in the LL.m. Program.
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: Again, Wharton's English language requirement is independent from
any English language testing requirement mandated by the Law School, and
therefore a TOEFL waiver from the Law School is not transferable
to Wharton.
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, 2009 for the fall term beginning
September 9, 2009. Applications submitted by March 15, 2009 will
be responded to by April 1. WBLC applications submitted after
March 15, 2009 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and results may
not be available until after students arrive on campus. Please note that
late applicants, even if otherwise qualified, may be may be rejected
if space is no longer available.
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 $9,030. This includes a $82 per course technology
fee.
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
