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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Masters
5. Law LLM

Course Fact File

Code	LLM
Duration	1 Year Full-time; 2 Years Part-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time, Part-Time
Qualifications	LLM
NFQ Level	Level 9
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.
Start Date	8 September 2025

Course Outline

Our Law LLM programme is offered by the School of Law since 1992 and remains a very popular vehicle for postgraduate study at the School. Students may either focus their interest in one area, for example, business or international law, or choose from a broad variety of legal subjects. This programme also provides students with the opportunity to pursue a dissertation in their area of interest under the supervision of dedicated and experienced lecturers.

Our LLM offers you a wide choice of options ranging from criminal, medical, and human rights law to internet, environmental and intellectual property law. Students can choose to specialise in one or two chosen areas of interest or they can sample modules from across the broad range of possibilities as detailed in the module selection below.

Postgraduate Diploma in Law

Applicants for the LLM Degree also have the option of registering for a Postgraduate Diploma in Law. Students take 60 credits of taught masters’ modules from those on offer for the LLM. The Postgraduate Diploma can be completed over 9 months full-time or 18 months part-time. 

This shorter programme may be attractive to legal professionals and others who may prefer not to make an initial commitment to a full-time master's level programme. It is possible for graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma to progress their studies by completing a 12,500-word research dissertation and qualifying them for a Masters in Law (LLM).

Modules

• Full-time: Students take 90 credits.
• Part-time: Students take 90 credits, completing a total of 40 credits in Year 1 and 50 credits (including LW6652 and LW6659) in Year 2.

Core Modules (30 credits)

• LW6652 Legal Research Methods in Writing (5 credits)
• LW6659 LLM Dissertation (25 credits)

Elective Modules (60 credits)

• LW6507 Comparative Family Property Law (5 credits)
• LW6536 Intellectual Property Law (10 credits)
• LW6544 Criminology: Core Theories, Context and Critique (10 credits)
• LW6560 Law of Cybercrime (10 credits)
• LW6563 Child Law in Practice (10 credits)
• LW6566 Contemporary Issues in International Law (5 credits
• LW6568 The Family and the Law (10 credits)
• LW6574 Intellectual Property and Internet Regulation (10 credits)
• LW6581 Method in Environmental Law (5 credits)
• LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)
• LW6606 International Human Rights Law (10 credits)
• LW6592 Mental Health Law (5 credits)
• LW6617 International Biodiversity and Ecosystems Law and Policy (5 credits)
• LW6618 Climate Change Law and Policy (5 credits)
• LW6619 Alternative Dispute Resolution: Processes and Practice (5 credits)
• LW6620 Introduction to the Law of Sea (10 credits)
• LW6622 Sale, Insurance and Carriage of Goods at Sea (5 credits)
• LW6623 Global Maritime Security (5 credits)
• LW6627 International Environmental Law (5 credits)
• LW6633 Public International Law (5 credits)
• LW6634 Refugee and Forced Displacement Law (10 credits)
• LW6643 Negotiation and Mediation (10 credits)
• LW6644 Managing Complex Disputes (10 credits)
• LW6650 Contemporary Issues in EU Competition Policy (10 credits)
• LW6655 Foundations of International Children’s Rights (5 credits)
• LW6656 Contemporary Issues in Children’s Rights (5 credits)
• LW6657 Law and Policy of the EU Digital Market (10 credits)
• LW6658 International Youth Justice (5 credits)
• LW6660 Digital Finance and FinTech: Law and Regulation (10 credits)
• LW6662 Law & the Future of Europe: Critical Perspectives Internal Market & Citizenship (5 credits)
• LW6663 Law & the Future of Europe: Critical Perspectives EMU and Governance (5 credits)

It may be that not all modules listed above will be offered each year and/or other options may become available.

See the Academic Programme Catalogue for the most up-to-date list of elective modules.

Undergraduate Modules
In certain cases, with the permission of the Programme Director, students may elect to take 10 credits from the list of undergraduate modules available for the LLB Degree.

* LW6563 - there is a quota of 20 students for this module. Preference will be given to students from the LLM (Children's Rights and Family Law) and any remaining places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

In order to ensure a reasonable distribution of workload, when choosing modules for all programmes, students should take a balance of credits between Semester 1 and Semester 2. Students who wish to deviate from this rule must seek permission from their Programme Director.

Dissertation

In addition to their chosen modules, all LLM students pursue an individually supervised 25-credit minor dissertation in an area of interest to them.

Presentation of Dissertation/Submission Dates

The dissertation must be submitted for examination at the Winter Board, on a date in September to be specified by the School of Law at the commencement of the programme.

Exit award: Postgraduate Diploma in Law (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)

Upon successful completion of modules to the value of 60 credits, registered LLM students may opt not to proceed with the programme and exit with a Postgraduate Diploma in Law.

Course Practicalities

LLM classes are in seminar format. This participative and interactive format of teaching is suitable for the postgraduate level. Students receive advance reading lists and/or materials for each seminar. 

Seminars take place in 2-hour blocks between 9:00am and 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. 10-credit modules run for 12 weeks and 5-credit modules run for 6 weeks.

The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over two years.

Assessment

Students are examined by continuous assessment throughout the year and the dissertation must be submitted in September. Individual module assessments can be viewed in the Book of Modules.

Who teaches this course?

The School of Law has many expert and committed lecturers with expertise across a wide range of areas. See our School of Law staff page for more information.

Why Choose This Course

A primary advantage of this course is that it allows students to choose from a wide choice of modules across a range of areas and can either focus their interest in one area, for example, business or international law, or choose from a broad variety of legal subjects.

This programme will provide you with a high-quality, broadly-based postgraduate experience where our commitment to academic excellence is combined with a firm commitment to developing student appreciation of law's practical and policy implications.

Top 100 Ranking

UCC School of Law has been ranked among the world’s best Law Schools in the latest QS World University Rankings by subject, placing 59th in the World and 1st in Ireland.

College of Business and Law Available Scholarships

We support our postgraduate community by offering scholarships and bursaries to prospective and current students. See the College of Business and Law Scholarships & Prizes page for more information.

Requirements

• (a) Hold a BCL (Hons) Degree from the National University of Ireland with at least a Second Class Honours Grade I; Or
• (b) Have such other relevant third-level educational qualifications and/or professional experience as, in the School of Law's opinion, qualify the candidate under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to undertake the LLM Degree.

Applications from overseas candidates are welcome and their qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis under (b) above.

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. We strongly encourage you to complete all sections as this will support your application. The additional information requested includes:

• Please enter all details of professional or voluntary positions held.
• Please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.
• Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.
• Please enter the names and email addresses of two referees. 

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

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