Master of Laws (LLM) and Concentration Law and Technology

Why Choose This Program?

Technological innovations are transforming societies and forcing us to rethink our legal regimes. Adapting legal rules to new realities calls for the ability to break down complex problems, identify their underlying causes and dynamics, and formulate sound strategic solutions. The program aims to develop this ability in the student, inviting reflection on a range of innovations that require the adoption and implementation of new practices or public policies. This ability is a major asset, both for those working in private practice and for those acting as public servants, administrators or employees within a business or a public or parapublic organization.

Program Options and Structure

The concentration comes in two streams, depending on whether you wish to emphasize breadth of coursework or carry out in-depth research.

Course stream

You complete two required courses, Technoprudence (legal theory in the information age, DCL 7300) and Technopolicy (the interplay between technologies and existing legal rules, DCL 7310). A third course is added, chosen between directed research (DCL 7033) and a technology law internship (DCL 7304, on the Faculty's recommendation), followed by 12 units of optional courses selected from the concentration's list. This stream is completed in twelve months full-time (or seven terms part-time).

Research paper stream

For those who wish to explore a question in depth through research, the research paper option replaces part of the coursework with a research paper (MRP 6999) or a technology law project (DCL 7366) and adds a required internship to the common core. It is completed over two years.

The optional courses cover such areas as the regulation of internet communications, communications law in cyberspace, intellectual and industrial property, competition law, cyberfeminism, and digital music law. The selection varies each year.

For the current list and course details, consult the official program requirements in the University of Ottawa catalogue.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible, you must hold an undergraduate degree in law (LL.B., LL.L. or equivalent), obtained with a minimum average of 70% (B). Particular attention is given to your experience in a legal setting, your previous research work, and your letters of recommendation.

Applications are submitted online through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC). Deadlines vary by profile; consult the official deadlines before preparing your file.

For applicants trained abroad

The LL.M. is an academic degree that enriches your professional profile and opens the way to research; on its own, it does not authorize the practice of law in Canada. Admission to the bar or to the Chamber of Notaries falls to the provincial regulatory bodies and involves a separate accreditation process. If practising in Canada is your main goal, it is worth checking with the relevant regulator before applying.

What You Can Do With Your Studies

The program can lead:

for members of the relevant regulatory body, to practice as a lawyer in an office specializing in intellectual property, communications, media and entertainment law, cybersecurity and data protection, artificial intelligence, virtual currency and e-commerce, to name a few;

for members of the relevant regulatory body, to a notarial practice focused notably on licensing and technology-transfer agreements;

to a career as an entrepreneur or business manager in a high-technology sector;

to a career as an analyst or developer of public policy within a government, notably by designing and modernizing the regulatory frameworks governing technological issues;

to a career as a researcher in a centre or organization pursuing public-interest work;

to candidacy for a doctoral program (for students who have followed the research paper stream).

Professional Experience

The program does allow you to integrate field experience through DCL 7304, Technology Law Internship, carried out with a government department or the in-house legal department of a specialized company. This internship may count toward the stream, on the faculty’s recommendation.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees vary according to your status (Canadian or international student) and your enrolment (full-time or part-time).

For current amounts, visit the University of Ottawa's tuition fees page, select your academic year, then choose "Regular student."

Admission scholarships are awarded each year by the Faculty of Law and the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, with no separate application on your part (recommendations are submitted by the Law Admissions Committee). Other donor-funded scholarships, as well as graduate funding resources, are also available.

University fees

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Graduate studies

Master of Laws (LLM) and Concentration Law and Technology

Program Overview

Why Choose This Program?

Program Options and Structure

Course stream

Research paper stream

Admission Requirements

For applicants trained abroad

What You Can Do With Your Studies

Professional Experience

Tuition Fees

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