Graduate Diploma in Foundations of Canadian Law

The Only Program of Its Kind in Canada.

Build a solid understanding of the Canadian legal system for your academic and professional goals in law.

The Graduate Diploma in Foundations of Canadian Law is designed to provide a deep understanding of Canadian law in the key areas of public and private law. It covers foundational aspects of the Canadian legal landscape, including Canada’s legal history and structure; skills-focused topics, such as legal research and writing; and more specialized topics, through elective courses of your choice. Learn from expert faculty and network with professionals across a variety of industries. The Graduate Diploma in Foundations of Canadian Law opens the doors to better career opportunities in the Canadian legal market and can set the stage for further graduate study.

A World Leader in Continuing Legal Education

Osgoode Professional Development (OsgoodePD) is the lifelong learning arm of Osgoode Hall Law School. Over nearly three decades our mission has remained consistent and clear: we provide a uniquely broad range of interdisciplinary graduate‑level legal education designed for professionals. We are committed to:

Integrating Internationally Trained Lawyers into the Canadian Legal Profession

We recognize that internationally educated lawyers bring valuable experience and prospectives to the Canadian legal profession. As part of our responsibility to aid in the diversification of the legal profession in Canada, we offer the broadest range of programs anywhere in Canada for internationally trained lawyers, without taking a one‑size fits‑all approach. We understand that internationally trained lawyers often have similar needs and goals, but also that each individual student brings with them their own interests and lived experiences that serve to enrich the programs they become a part of. The breadth of our course offerings and our wide array of student services are designed to help international students achieve academic and career success.

Technology & Innovation

OsgoodePD is known globally for its commitment to ongoing innovation in educational technology and pedagogy. We were the first law program in Canada to offer distance learning, and have worked to continuously improve quality, accessibility and flexibility. We strive to be at the centre of innovative design and delivery of professional legal education, enabling understanding, connection and transformation.

Remaining at the Forefront of Legal Knowledge, Expertise and Capability

We work continuously to enhance and extend our professional development offerings. As the needs of the global community for professional development in legal education evolves, we introduce new programs, courses and ways of learning to help students meet their goals.

Our Offerings

We work continuously to enhance and extend our professional development offerings. As the needs of the global community for professional development in legal education evolve, we introduce new programs and ways of learning to help you meet your Professional Development goals.

Professional Development

• Short Courses, Conferences & Certificates: OsgoodePD’s conferences and short courses represent one of the largest collections of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) offerings in Canada.
• Professional LLM Single Courses: Our single LLM courses provide professionals not yet ready to commit to an LLM program with a flexible way to explore the programs of their choice.
• In-House & Custom Programs for Organizations: We have the expertise, resources, and technology to design a customized version of an existing program, a Certificate, or a new program that cost-effectively achieves your training objectives.

Academic Programs

• Part-Time Professional LLMs: Designed at the graduate level and structured to accommodate the needs of the working professional, you can choose from among 15 specializations and a wide range of electives.
• Full-Time Professional LLMs: Our full-time graduate-level Professional LLMs are designed for internationally trained lawyers who are seeking to study or practice law in Canada.
• Graduate Diploma Programs: Our Graduate Diploma programs provide deep insight into specific areas of the law.
• Research LLM: A full-time research-intensive degree, ideal for students who want to delve deeply into specific areas of study and for those who are considering advancing to the Ph.D.
• Ph.D. in Law: A full-time advanced degree involving extensive, research-intensive study, suitable for students who aim for an academic position.

Internationally Trained Lawyers

We offer the largest number and broadest range of programs anywhere in Canada for internationally trained lawyers and experienced professionals. When designing these programs, we focus on the specific needs of internationally trained lawyers. We provide a wide array of student services to help international students achieve academic and career success.

• OsgoodePD’s full-time Canadian Common Law LLM , International Business Law LLM and Taxation Law LLM specialization programs are designed specifically with the internationally trained lawyer in mind.
• Osgoode is the only Canadian law school to offer a National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) preparation course for internationally trained lawyers.