Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law is the only law school located in the capital city of Indianapolis, just steps away from the center of government, businesses, and major law firms. Degrees offered include J.D., LL.M., S.J.D., the M.J. degree.

Spotlight on the Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) Degree 

The M.J. Program is designed for individuals interested in developing a better understanding of the law but do not wish to practice law or earn a J.D. degree. Unlike some other law schools, IU McKinney offers day, evening, and summer courses tailored to fit your specific scheduling needs. Planning to work during the day and take courses at night? Would you prefer to take some online classes? Are you interested in a dual degree program? At IU McKinney we work hard to accommodate your specific needs. M.J. students enjoy the flexible scheduling options which allow them to maximize their time with us.

Targeted Curriculum 

Unlike other M.J. programs that operate stand-alone M.J. programs and limit M.J. students to M.J. only courses, IU McKinney offers M.J. candidates a robust suite of J.D. courses that are taken alongside J.D. students with the same law professors who teach in our J.D. program. This exposure to our doctrinal courses provides a rich learning environment for our M.J. students and trains them in critical legal analysis skills.

There are two required classes in the M.J. degree program. Legal Process is an intensive prep course taught in the summer before the full academic year. It provides M.J. students a foundation in case reading, legal analysis, and legal writing. M.J. students then choose one of the first-year required courses in our J.D. program, which includes Contracts, Property, Torts, Criminal Law, and Constitutional Law, to take in their first fall semester of the program.

M.J. students then tailor their program to their specific career goals by choosing the remaining credits (24-25) with the help of their faculty mentor and program advisor. Popular concentrations include human resources, employment law, health law, education law, social work, philanthropy, law enforcement, and environmental law among many others!

We encourage you to browse the rich list of M.J. electives here. Courses listed with “MJ” next to the course title are eligible electives.  Courses that are experiential in nature are reserved for J.D. students since those courses are more specifically designed to prepare students for the practice of law. 

Indianapolis: A Welcoming and Vibrant Capital City in the Heart of the Midwest

In addition to our unique classroom experience, our law school offers all the advantages of living and studying at the edge of vibrant downtown Indianapolis. With our beautiful and modern campus just a few blocks from the city’s financial and government center, you will have access to a thriving business community, dozens of governmental agencies (including city, county, and state government), and a variety of local, state, and federal courts. Our IUPUI campus, which is Indiana’s premier urban university with over 30,000 students, includes dozens of programs and schools, and is home to Indiana University’s finest professional schools. IU McKinney is a welcoming and diverse environment. Our international student population ranges from 10-15% total enrollment annually with students hailing from over 40 different countries each year.

When you arrive, you will see that Indianapolis has a thriving healthcare industry, a dynamic sporting community, and a downtown that has been rated as one of the best places to live and work in the nation. All this in a city that has one of the lowest cost-of-living rates in the United States.

Top Academics and Research

Our research centers and programs include the Center for Law and Health, Center for International and Comparative Law, Program in International Human Rights, and Program on Law and State Government. Our Program in International Human Rights Law has been granted "Special Consultative Status" at the United Nations. Students can also earn a graduate certificate with their JD in one of 7 different areas of law, including criminal law, health law, environmental and natural resources law, and advocacy skills. We also offer 3 law reviews, 8 joint degree programs, and 8 clinics. 

As a student at McKinney, you will have the opportunity to take classes with distinguished state leaders, including justices of the Indiana Supreme Court and the former Attorney General of Indiana. We are honored to have former Justice Frank Sullivan Jr. as a full-time faculty member, as well as Justice Steven H. David ’82, Justice Robert Rucker, Justice Mark Massa ’89, Judge John Baker, and former Attorney General of Indiana Greg Zoeller counted among our teaching faculty over the years.

Estimated Costs

Significant scholarship assistance is available to students with demonstrated financial need and outstanding academic/professional credentials; however, the LLM program does not typically offer full tuition waivers. The combination of generous scholarships, relatively low tuition, and a low cost of living make the McKinney School of Law one of the most affordable LLM programs in the United States.

• Tuition 2020-2021: $46,230 ($1,541 per credit hour-30 credits)
• Mandatory fees (for entire program): $1,535
• Books and supplies (estimate): $1110
• Housing and living expenses (estimate for 9 months): $12,592
• Health insurance (mandatory for foreign students): $1,524
• Total cost: $62,811

Career Services

The Office of Professional Development provides a series of workshops on career research strategies, résumé and cover-letter writing, interviewing skills, and other related topics. Staff members meet with students individually for résumé review, interview practice, and related aspects of career counseling and professional development. In addition, the law school provides a variety of job-search resource materials.