International Law Certificate

The Certificate in International Law provides you insight into how to conduct international business, gives you an understanding of how to tackle important public international issues and introduces you to the inner workings of institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the World Trade Organization.

The certificate also offers you the ability to expand and apply your knowledge through participation in the study-abroad program in France, in-class simulations and other opportunities.

Supervising faculty member: Professor Heidi L. Frostestad

  • You will gain a foundational knowledge of international law, both public and private.
  • You will learn to apply this knowledge in practical ways.
  • You will learn to better navigate our globalized world with its many interconnections.

Section 1

An applicant for an NIU-COL Certificate in International Law must earn a minimum of eighteen academic credits in the courses described by sections 1.a, 1.b, and 1.c below, and must comply with all of the specified requirements of sections 1.a, 1.b, and 1.c below.

  1. Required Basic Courses
    • Public International Law
    • International Business Transactions
    • One of the following:
      • International Human Rights
      • Approved Elective Course (see 1.c. below)
  2. Required Capstone Courses (you must complete at least one)
    • Comparative Law, as a seminar
    • International Intellectual Property Law, as a seminar
    • A topical International Law course on current events
    • Another seminar or a directed research project, if primarily focused on international law, as approved in advance for certificate eligibility by the supervising faculty member
    • An externship or clinic primarily focused on international or immigration law, as approved in advance for certificate eligibility by the supervising faculty member
    • Civil Law & Civil Lawyers: The French Experience, and The Legal System of the European Union, including participation in other aspects of the Agen program for study abroad
  3. Elective Courses (you must complete at least one of the following elective courses, and must earn sufficient additional credits from the following elective courses to meet the eighteen-credit minimum described above)
    • International Criminal Law
    • Conflict of Laws
    • Women, Law and the Global Economy
    • Immigration Law
    • International Civil Litigation in U.S. Courts
    • Jessup Moot Court, with certification from the coach that the applicant made a substantial contribution to the team
    • Either of the courses listed in section 1.a.iii., if not counted toward the Required Basic Courses requirement for section 1.a.
    • Any of the courses listed in section 1.b., if not counted toward the Required Capstone Course requirement for section 1.b.

Section 2

An applicant for an NIU-COL Certificate in International Law must also meet the GPA and other requirements set forth in the College of Law Guidelines for Certificate Programs.