About the Courses
A postgraduate law degree is an internationally-recognised qualification that can open up opportunities for a wide range of roles across the public, private and third sectors.
Intellectually challenging and personally fulfilling, the LLM in Law and Society will give you unique insight into the connected areas of the law, rights, justice, human behaviour and society that can be of enormous benefit when working in legal practice in areas such as family law, criminal law or social welfare law. You could also pursue careers with national and international charities and NGOs, or in law reform, for example, with the Law Commission for England and Wales, the European Court of Human Rights or European Commission on Human Rights, or the International Court of Justice or International Criminal Court.
By developing your ability to undertake critical analysis,
A postgraduate law degree is an internationally-recognised qualification that can open up opportunities for a wide range of roles across the public, private and third sectors.
Intellectually challenging and personally fulfilling, the LLM in Law and Society will give you unique insight into the connected areas of the law, rights, justice, human behaviour and society that can be of enormous benefit when working in legal practice in areas such as family law, criminal law or social welfare law. You could also pursue careers with national and international charities and NGOs, or in law reform, for example, with the Law Commission for England and Wales, the European Court of Human Rights or European Commission on Human Rights, or the International Court of Justice or International Criminal Court.
By developing your ability to undertake critical analysis, solve complex problems and present rational, coherent and accurate arguments orally and in writing, you’ll graduate with essential skills valued by legal and non-legal employers alike, in areas such as banking, insurance and Civil Service.
The specialist research skills you learn, particularly on Pathway 2, provide a strong foundation for pursuing further study at doctoral level for those interested in doing so. Pathway 2 is recognised as fulfilling the requirements of the ESRC postgraduate social science research training and development and as the first master's year of '1+3' awards, which means you can apply for postgraduate funding
Modules
COURSE STRUCTURE
The LLM Law and Society adopts a pathway structure which gives you the opportunity to tailor your degree to your individual interests and professional needs.
All students study three compulsory core 15-credit modules on research in law and society (45 credits), which introduces you to the research skills and critical analysis necessary for the successful completion of a master’s programme, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary socio-legal research methods.
To obtain the master’s qualification, all students must successfully complete 180 credits, which includes researching and writing up a dissertation (60 credits) on a topic of your choice, which you'll prepare for throughout the course. You then have flexibility to make up the remaining 75 credits by choosing either a general pathway (Pathway 1) or the research-intensive pathway (Pathway 2).
Students on Pathway 1 must study either qualitative or quantitative research and data methods (15 credits), then have freedom to choose from a broad and diverse selection of modules. Whereas on Pathway 2, you must study both qualitative and quantitative research and data methods, as well as a module on ethics in research (45 credits) before choosing any optional modules, which is ideal if you intend to pursue a PhD and wish to apply for PhD funding. You will be given the opportunity to choose your elective modules and discuss your choices with the Course Director during the first week of the programme.
The LLM can be studied as either a one-year full-time or two-year part-time course, with a September start date. It is also possible to study more flexibly part-time on a modular basis, accumulating degree credits by taking individual modules over a period of maximum of five years. The information below outlines a one-year full-time study schedule.
Compulsory core modules
Compulsory core/optional modules
Optional modules