International Law Certificate
General Requirements
- Students must complete a minimum of 12 units in classes that are approved for the International Law Certificate. See here for a current list of approved classes. Classes taken in summer abroad programs do not count toward the 12-unit requirement. Classes taken at other universities do not count toward the 12-unit requirement, unless specifically approved by the CGLP Director. Students who complete a semester-long international externship may count 3 units from the externship toward the 12-unit requirement.
- Courses count towards the Certificate only if the student receives a grade of C or better (or credit, if the course is graded credit/no credit), and the student must achieve an overall average of C+ (2.67) or better in the courses counted towards the certificate.
- Students who graduate prior to August 1, 2017 must complete a Supervised Analytical Writing paper in a certificate-designated course. Students graduating after August 1, 2017, need not complete this requirement as the Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement has been eliminated.
- Students must complete at least one study abroad program operated by Santa Clara University or a foreign university with which Santa Clara has a partnership agreement. Summer abroad programs operated by U.S. law schools other than Santa Clara University School of Law will not satisfy this requirement.
- Students must complete the requirements for at least one of the specializations listed below.
- Only JD students are eligible to apply for, and be awarded, the International Law Certificate.
Honors
A student earns the International Law Certificate with honors if the student satisfies all of the applicable requirements and has an overall grade point average of B+ (3.67) or better in units counted towards the certificate.
Specializations
Students must choose at least one of the following specializations:
- Public International Law
- Required Courses: International Law (215), plus at least two of the recommended courses listed below.
- Recommended Courses: Legal Aspects of War: Humanitarian Law (204), Advanced International Law Seminar (305), International Human Rights (440), U.S. Foreign Relations Law Seminar (550), International Environmental Law (608), Climate Change Law (669), Globalization and the Rule of Law (247), Transitional Justice (367), International Human Rights Clinic (727), Advanced International Human Rights Clinic (728), Comparative Privacy Law (485).
- Recommended Summer Programs: Costa Rica, Geneva, The Hague, Oxford, Sydney
- International Business Law
- Required Courses: International Business Transactions (216), plus at least two of the recommended courses listed below.
- Recommended Courses: Chinese Trade and Investment Law (219), Comparative Privacy Law (485), Conflict of Laws (220), International Business Negotiation Simulation (528), International Commercial Arbitration (601), International Law (215), International IP Law (439), International Taxation (276).
- Recommended Summer Programs: Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Vienna
Candidacy
Full-time students may indicate progress towards the International Law Certificate on their resumes if they have completed the following number of units:
| In the _____ Semester | Total Certificate Units Completed or Enrolled |
| Third | 3 |
| Fourth | 6 |
| Fifth | 9 |
| Sixth | 12 |
The requirements adjust proportionately for part-time students.
To Apply
Students can apply for multiple certificates on this single online form. Please submit an online form:
Deadlines
For December grads: Application due by November 15 of graduation year
For May grads: Application due by February 15 of graduation year
Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022: COVID-19 International Law Certificate Policy Update
Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 graduating law students impacted by the COVID-19 CGLP Summer Abroad cancellations will still be eligible to apply to the International Law Certificate if they have completed the following requirement: a minimum of 5 additional units earned at Santa Clara Law, beyond the 12-unit requirement in the area of International Law. Students must meet all other requirements for the specialization of their choice.
Students who do not study on CGLP Law Study Abroad programs and are determined eligible for receiving the certificate’s transcripts will having the following note: “Due to COVID-19 pandemic, International Law Certificate recipient did not complete a Study Abroad program. Recipient instead completed additional course work in International Law.”
