Specialized Graduate Diploma in Canadian Law

The Specialized Graduate Diploma in Canadian Law is designed for internationally trained common law graduates who wish to pursue bar admission in a Canadian province or territory outside Quebec.

The program provides a solid foundation in legal theory and in Canadian substantive and procedural law. It also offers students a working knowledge of Quebec’s civil law system—an asset for anyone entering the Canadian legal profession.

Courses are tailored to the requirements of the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

The process at a glance:

The NCA requires candidates to apply for assessment of their legal qualifications, considering both educational and professional backgrounds.
Based on this assessment, the NCA assigns requirements (e.g., specific subject courses) to ensure candidates demonstrate knowledge comparable to that of graduates from an approved Canadian law program.
After successfully completing the Graduate Diploma in Canadian Law, students may obtain the NCA Certificate of Qualification, which is required to apply to a bar admission program in Canada.

Graduates of the Diploma may also transition directly into the LL.M. in Comparative Common Law. This pathway requires just two additional graduate-level courses and a research essay (9 credits), which can be completed during the summer term (May–August).

Detailed overview of the program

Program content

The Specialized Graduate Diploma in Canadian Law is a full-time 8-month program that runs from September to April.

The program requires the successful completion of 30 credits, allocated as follows*:

DRT 6466 - Legal research and drafting seminar (3 cr.)
DRT 6583 – Ethics and professionalism (3 cr.)
DRT6200 – Quebec's civil law system (3 cr.)
DRT6502 – Foundations of Canadian and Indigenous law (3 cr.)
DRT6593 – Canadian criminal law 1 (3 cr.)
DRT6594 – Canadian criminal law 2 (3 cr.)
DRT6597 – Canadian constitutional law 1 (3 cr.)
DRT6598 – Canadian constitutional law 2 (3 cr.)
DRT6595 – Canadian administrative law (3 cr.)

*Course titles will appear in French in the transcript.

Students must also choose a 3-credit elective course among the courses offered in other graduate law programs, with the approval of the dean or his or her representative, or from the undergraduate language course repertoire.

Language

All courses in this program are taught in English.

Students are welcome to take French language courses. The first one can be considered an elective course of the program, while subsequent courses will be followed in addition to the regular program.

Admission requirements

Juris Doctor or LL.B in common law with high academic standing; civil law degrees do not meet the admission requirements of this program
Average of at least 2,7 on 4,3 or equivalent
Thorough knowledge of the English language. Students whose primary language is not English or who have not completed an undergraduate degree at a recognized institution where English is the language of instruction are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or an equivalent test, and should achieve a score judged satisfactory by the Dean of the Faculty of Law
Meet the other admission requirements specified in the academic regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies on this page (in French only).