Program Overview For a link to interviews and contact information for our current Chinese students, click here. For application forms, click here. For campus pictures, click here. Information about LL.M. Program: UMKC School of Law and Interviews for LL.M. Scholarship The statement below will give you complete information about the LL.M. program at UMKC Law School. Our program not only provides an excellent exposure to American legal systems and practices, but also a true introduction to America itself - in the “real America” - the American Midwest. In addition, our program is perhaps the most reasonably priced of any LL.M. opportunity in America. Our base cost is much lower than most other programs, and we are generous with scholarship aid for mainland Chinese students. We are interested in bringing students here to provide diversity to our student body and perspective to our faculty, not simply to make money from Chinese student tuition. An interview is required to qualify for admission and scholarship. Interviews will occur in late November and December of 2007, and, if positions remain open, additional interviews may occur in February of 2008. Professor Patrick Randolph, director of the Chinese programs at UMKC School of Law, and director of the Peking University Center for Real Estate Law, will conduct interviews for the programs. Please contact Nancy Kunkel, Program Coordinator, via email at kunkeln@umkc.edu to arrange an appointment. Mrs. Kunkel’s telephone number is (816) 235-1647, and her fax number is (816) 235-5276. Information about the LL.M. Program at UMKC School of Law The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) has a special interest in working with students from the mainland of China and invests considerable resources in establishing and maintaining contact with such students, both through University programs in China, J.D. admissions and scholarships, and LL.M. programs and scholarships in America. The description set forth here will tell you about the LL.M. program, the cost of the program, financial aid opportunities, and the experience of studying at UMKC. 1. The LL.M. Program at UMKC: The LL.M. program at UMKC is a two semester resident program that is a “general law” program. Unlike some other American programs for international students, our program does not require intensive focus in a particular area of law, such as intellectual property, international transactions, or international environmental law. We have courses in these areas, and an LL.M. student can undertake study in any of these areas under faculty supervision, but there is no course of studies specifically for LL.M. students in an identified area. The general law program, rather, provides the opportunity for foreign students to identify a course of studies that best matches the individual student’s learning objectives. Students can select from among any of the courses available to J.D. students. Our program will require three designed specifically for foreign LL.M. students. In the first semester there is a specialized introductory course to writing and research in American law. In addition, we have a “survey” course in which various professors spend one class session each with the class discussing their specialized area of study. The second semester course is an introduction to law practice skills, including writing skills, but also oral and written advocacy, problem solving, client relations, and other skills that practicing lawyers have developed in America but which are still in the formative stages in the new Chinese legal system. All of these courses will be supervised by Associate Dean Jeffrey Thomas. Dean Thomas spent a year at Nankai University as a Fulbright Teaching Scholar and is knowledgeable about the educational needs of our Chinese students. Although, as indicated, the course may be completed in two semesters, in our experience many students elect to remain at the law school for three semesters, spreading out the academic load and permitting them to get a broader experience of America and American culture because their workload is lighter and they have little or no course work during the summer between the second and third semester. Dean Jeffrey Thomas will serve as general academic and support advisor. In addition, students will be able to consult with Professor Pat Randolph, a world-famous authority on real estate law and a frequent visitor to China. In January of 2006, the Beijing Municipal Government awarded to Professor Randolph the Great Wall Friendship Prize - its highest award given to a foreigner - to recognize his career contributions to development of the Chinese legal system. II. Transfer of Credits to J.D. Program: It is possible for students in the LL.M. program, upon petition, and after careful evaluation, to transfer to the J.D. program. Although usually it would be best for the student to take the LSAT test to enhance the transfer process, the school may waive the LSAT for students who have demonstrated outstanding potential during the course of the LL.M. program. It is also possible to transfer credits earned in the UMKC LL.M. program to another ABA-accredited J.D. program at another American law school, assuming that the other school admits the student. Of course, the other school has the option to refuse to accept transfer of particular credits, but we anticipate that most UMKC LL.M. “transferrable credits” will be acceptable at all ABA-accredited law schools. We discuss the concept of “transferrable credit” in the next two paragraphs. There are two types of credits that can be earned in the LL.M. program: “transferrable credits” and “degree credits”. “Transferrable credits” are earned when a student successfully completes a course and the examination is graded on a curve with the other American J.D. students. The school does give foreign students in their first year of study in America extra time to complete exams, and such extra time does not prevent them from earning “transferrable credits”. “Degree credits” are earned when a student, having determined that the grade that would be earned through the regular evaluation process is unsatisfactory, elects to ask for a special evaluation from the instructor. We have found that the device of “degree credits” is sometimes necessary for foreign students to complete our program successfully under our grading system. Students studying in our program are taking courses at the graduate level with American J.D. program students who already have had preliminary courses in these areas or many years of studies in American institutions. Although we have found that our Chinese students are able to complete these courses successfully, sometimes their lack of background or lack of experience in an English-speaking classroom make them less competitive when it comes to taking the final examination. Consequently, we permit Chinese students to opt for a separate evaluation system to insure that they get adequate credit even though their exam performance might lead to a low placement on a grade curve. Although participation in this separate evaluation system is optional with our faculty, we have never had a faculty member refuse to participate. Students who successfully receive “degree credits” in some courses, rather than “transfer credits,” can receive a degree and can sit for the bar exam in those states that permit foreign LL.M.’s to do so, subject, of course, to the requirements of each state. But they cannot transfer these credits to a J.D. program. III. Costs of the Program; Financial Aid: Although tuition for the 2008-2009 academic year has not yet been established, we estimate that the total cost of studying at UMKC for the LL.M. will be about $35,000. This includes tuition, books, food, and the cost of living, but does not include the cost of transportation to the U.S. The overall cost is much lower than many other schools, because tuition and living costs are considerably lower in Kansas City. UMKC annually has one full-tuition scholarship and a number of partial scholarships available to LL.M. students. The scholarship provides a gift of as much as $11,000 toward tuition costs. If such a scholarship is granted, this would leave a cost for the year, including all expenses, of approximately $24,000. You must have the necessary total sum of money available to you in an account in order to acquire a visa to come here. When you arrive, you likely will be able to earn about $3,000 toward your expenses through work/study opportunities. If a student is offered a partial scholarship, the student must indicate promptly that the student is accepting the scholarship and must withdraw applications to the LL.M. or J.D. programs at other American law schools and file no further such applications. As there are a limited number of partial scholarships, we wish to be confident that students who receive them will actually come here. Further, if the student is unable to obtain a visa after a reasonable opportunity to do so, we reserve the right to award the scholarship to another. We encourage students to apply early. We make every effort to arrange a personal interview prior to the admissions decision, and will notify you of opportunities to have such an interview. Scholarship decisions will be based upon academic record and English proficiency, and the judgment of the interviewer as to the student’s ability to succeed in an English-speaking law school environment. The law school has determined that it will award one full tuition scholarship to an incoming LLM candidate from China in 2008.  This will be a merit scholarship based upon aptitude, English language ability, performance in law school, and other characteristics suggesting that the candidate will benefit most from the experience of study at UMKC Law School.  Attached below is a .pdf file containing an application for the scholarship.  Persons interested in being considered for the scholarship must have a completed application on file with the law school as well as the completed application for the full scholarship by March 21, 2008.  If you are not certain whether your application is complete, please contact Nancy Kunkel at kunkeln@umkc.edu.  This is a merit scholarship, and financial need is not a consideration.  Consequently, applicants must file evidence of financial ability to attend UMKC with their application forms even if they are applying for the scholarship.  Otherwise, the application will not be deemed to be complete.  The total financial ability necessary for 2008 that must be shown in the application is approximately $24,600 (assuming that the candidate will receive a partial scholarship as is normal with applicants from China.)  Candidates who would be unable to attend without receiving a full scholarship must demonstrate financial ability to pay the non-tuition portion of the cost of attendance, which is $10,550.  Persons who have already been admitted to the program with a partial scholarship are eligible to apply for the full scholarship.  Application for the full scholarship will not reduce the chances for admission to the program without the full scholarship and will not reduce the chances of obtaining a partial scholarship.  We are pleased to announce that the winner of the full tuition scholarship award for 2008-2009 is HE Sha.   The full-tuition scholarship application form is available here: scholarship application.pdf IV. TOEFL and English Competency We require a minimum TOEFL paper-based score of 550 (or a TOEFL internet-based score of 80) for admission, but 600 (IBT 100) is the minimum score for a scholarship.  In lieu of the TOEFL exam, students may take the IELTS exam instead and have a minimum overall score of 6 with no portion of the exam below 5.5 in order to qualify for admission.  The TOEFL or IELTS score and the interview are both critical in evaluating language competency. High scores on the TOEFL or IELTS, however, are no assurance of a scholarship. More important are your experience and performance in Chinese education and practice (if you have practiced). The University offers specialized English language training during the summer months, as well as during the school year. It is possible that a student with relatively weak English skills could be considered for admission upon satisfactory performance of the English training program. The program has additional costs, but they also are lower than competing costs at many other schools. V. Educational Background in China: Prior to coming to our program, students must have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in law at a recognized Chinese law school. To take the Bar exam in America, students must have completed at least three years training in China and have a law degree from their Chinese institution and an LL.M. degree from an American institution. VI. The Experience of Learning at UMKC: UMKC has a long tradition of involvement with many educational institutions in mainland China. Edgar Snow, a famous journalist and friend of China, was born and raised in Kansas City, and the University honors him by preserving his papers on campus in the Edgar Snow Reading Room and through various cultural and scholarly exchanges. The Law School’s program also involves a wide variety of faculty and student exchanges. Nine law faculty have taught in China, and each year we send three more to teach at Peking University Law School. UMKC also operates a summer program for American students at Peking University. Several law faculty are engaged in research on comparative law topics involving China, providing useful opportunities for students to serve as work/study research assistants. UMKC Law faculty have taught or lectured at schools all over China. We have had students here from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chongching, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Taiyuan, and many other cities, and from many different law schools in China. Chinese students who have attended UMKC universally praise it for its friendliness and special attention to the needs of foreign students. The campus is located in a thriving city with an active Chinese community and many cultural opportunities off-campus, but the foreign community is not so dominant that Chinese students cannot easily interact with American students as well. Housing is available a short distance from the law school, and the community, as compared to many other urban centers, is clean, safe and uncrowded. It is an ideal opportunity to experience American culture while studying American law. Centrally located in the U.S., with a busy international airport, Kansas City is a good base for traveling to other American cities during the period of study here. We have added to this website pictures, home schools, and email addresses of all our current students. In several cases there are also video interviews (in Chinese) with these students. We are very proud of the fact that our students are all quite satisfied with what UMKC has given them. . VII: Qualifications for students qualifying for the New York Bar or other American bars: The law school has no expertise concerning the current requirements of any state's bar, and student are encouraged to make their own inquiries. We have recently obtained information that the New York Bar will not permit students with three year Juris Master degrees from China and no undergraduate law degree to sit for the New York Bar unless all three years of the Juris Master program involved regular class attendance. We are not certain of the accuracy of the information we received, but believe that what we know is generally accurate. Recently, the Missouri Bar (where UMKC is located) has announced that it will permit foreign lawyers (admitted to the bar in a foreign country) to sit for the Missouri Bar if those lawyers have completed an LLM program at a U.S. law school involving American law. We do not believe that this policy will apply to students who have passed the Chinese Bar but have not been admitted because they have not completed a year of post-exam residency or for some other reason. We reiterate that students must make their own inquiry to ascertain how an individual state bar's requirements fits that student's background and qualifications. VIII: Further Information: Upon request, we will provide general information about study at UMKC and the activities of our International Student Affairs Office, which will also review your application. The Law School website is: http://www.law.umkc.edu/. For specialized inquiries, please contact Professor Patrick Randolph, Director of Chinese Study Program, UMKC School of Law, via email at randolphp@umkc.edu.  If you plan to apply, and have difficulty with the application or need other technical information concerning applications, please contact Professor Randolph’s Assistant, Nancy Kunkel, at kunkeln@umkc.edu, telephone (816) 235 1647. Mrs. Kunkel maintains a voice mail box at that number and will promptly respond to any calls. Be sure to leave in a clear message your contact information, including email address and the phone number at which you would like to be called back.