Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy
Master of Laws (LLM)
Quick Facts
Top 1%
of all Higher-Ed
Institutions
- Center for World University Rankings, 2022
#1
In Best Value Among
Arizona's Public Universities
- Payscale, 2022
Through rigorous research and advocacy work, you will become a specialist in the complex issues facing Indigenous peoples today. In this degree program you will gain proficiency in fields like federal Indian law, Indigenous peoples’ human rights advocacy, environmental law, Indigenous community and economic development, the protection of cultural and natural resources, and critical race theory and practice.
Program faculty engage students in human rights advocacy projects and litigation on behalf of Indigenous peoples. Faculty and students have represented the Rio Yaqui of Mexico, Maya of Belize, the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group of Canada, and other Indigenous and tribal communities in human rights cases and petitions with far-ranging, international reach and impact.
For students interested in academic careers, this program allows you to conduct pioneering research under the guidance of leading scholars within their respective fields.
The IPLP online LLM degree program has closed applications for admission during the 2024-25 academic year and will also not be accepting applications during the 2024-25 academic year for the entering class beginning in Fall 2025.
The Master of Laws (LLM) degree at the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) Program allows students who have completed a Juris Doctor or LL.B. the opportunity to specialize in federal Indian law, tribal law and policy, and Indigenous peoples’ human rights through a full-time or part-time program requiring 24 credit hours of coursework.
*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.
The curriculum for this program includes:
Explore international law's human rights regime and how it has developed to address the concerns of indigenous peoples worldwide, giving rise to new international norms and procedures that generally favor their cultural survival, land and resource rights, and self-determination.
Explore the place and status of Tribal Governments in our federal system, focusing in particular on federal policy decisions underlying various laws and statutes. This course examines ways to interpret and apply the relevant laws and the impact that would result from changing the policy behind those laws. Students will be assigned differential graduate-level coursework outlined in the course syllabus.
In this survey course on human rights law, you'll gain a foundation in sources of law, enforcement mechanisms, and fundamental human rights derived from international law.
Outcomes
Skills
Earning your Master of Laws (LLM) in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy will build core skills, including:
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Human rights advocacy
- Judgement
- Legal discourse
- Legal reasoning
- Legal research
- Legal writing
- Networking
- Oral communication
- Organizational skills
- Problem solving
- Written communication
Potential Career Paths
Graduates of the Master of Laws degree at the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) Program will be prepared to pursue the following careers:
