UCC Postgraduate courses

Law LLM

About This Course

Fact File

  • Title

    Law LLM

  • Code

    LLM

  • College

    Business and Law

  • Duration

    1 Year Full-time; 2 Years Part-time

  • Teaching Mode

    Full-time, Part-Time

  • Qualifications

    LLM

  • EU Fees

    Full-time €7,130; Part-time €3,630 (Year 1), €3,630 (Year 2 )
    See Fees and Costs for full details.

  • Non-EU Fees

    €17,900

  • Entry Requirements

    See Requirements for full details.

  • Closing Date

    Open for EU applications, check rounds closing under How to Apply

  • Non-EU Closing Date

    30 June 2023

  • Start Date

    11 September 2023

Course Outline

Our Law LLM programme is offered by the College of Business & Law at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland. It has been offered by our 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 15,000-word research dissertation and qualifying them for a Masters in Law (LLM).   

 

Full-time
Students take 90 credits in total including LW6538 LLM (Taught) Dissertation (30 credits) and 60 credits from the list of elective modules.

Part-time:
Year 1: Students take 40 credits from the list of elective modules.
Year 2: Students take 50 credits including LW6538 LLM (Taught) Dissertation (30 credits) and 20 credits from the list of elective modules.

Core Module
LW6538 LLM (Taught) Dissertation (30 credits)

Elective Modules
(It may be that not all modules will be offered each year):
LW6507 Comparative Family Property Law (5 credits)
LW6536 Intellectual Property Law (10 credits)
LW6544 Criminology (10 credits)
LW6545 Penology (10 credits)
LW6546 Juvenile Justice (10 credits)
LW6549 International Children's Rights (10 credits)
LW6550 International Criminal Law (10 credits)
LW6560 Law of Cybercrime (10 credits)
LW6563* Children's Rights 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)
LW6578 Consumer Rights: Law and Policy (5 credits)
LW6579 Law of Credit & Debt (5 credits)
LW6581 Method in Environmental Law (5 credits)
LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)
LW6606 International Human Rights Law (10 credits)
LW6609 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)
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)
LW6636 European Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency and Rescue (5 credits)
LW6639 FinTech: Law and Regulation (5 credits)
LW6640 E-Commerce Law (5 credits)
LW6641 The Role of Law in the Future of Europe - Critical Perspectives (10 credits)
LW6643 Negotiation and Mediation (10 credits)
LW6644 Managing Complex Disputes (10 credits)
LW6650 Contemporary Issues in EU Competition Policy (10 credits)

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

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 30-credit minor dissertation in an area of interest to them. As part of the preparation for their thesis, students take a course on research methodology. This opportunity allows students to learn advanced research methods and to make a presentation on their dissertation topic. 

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.

Modules

Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar

You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

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. Please 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, climbing 25 places to 75th in the world and to 1st in Ireland.

Connected Curriculum

Our learning approach also reflects our commitment to the Connected Curriculum where we emphasise the connection between students, learning, research and leadership through our vision for a Connected University. Our staff are at the forefront of this integrative approach to learning and will support you in making meaningful connections within and between disciplines such as law, human rights, governance, global issues, and the importance of law to a functioning society.

College of Business and Law Available Scholarships

We support our postgraduate community by offering scholarships and bursaries to prospective and current students. Please 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. Non-EU applicants should contact the International Education Office by email at internationalpostgrad@ucc.ie for application details.

For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.

International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

  • In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.
  • Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

English Language Requirements

Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Please visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

Fees and Costs

The EU fee for this course is Full-time €7,130; Part-time €3,630 (Year 1), €3,630 (Year 2 ).

The Non-EU fee for this course is €17,900.

Deposits 

If your course required a deposit, that figure will be deducted from your second semester fee payment in January.

EU student fee payment 

Fees for EU students are payable in two equal instalments. First payment is at registration in August and the second in January.

International student fee payment 

International Students can pay in two equal instalments once they have paid the appropriate deposit. The initial payment is due on registration and the balance usually by the end of January.

How can I pay? 

You can pay by Credit/Debit card online or by credit transfer.

Questions? 

If you have any questions on fee payment email our Fees Office at fees@ucc.ie.

How Do I Apply

1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

  • For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
  • Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

  • Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
  • Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

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 30 June 2023

Apply Now

For queries regarding course content or timetables please contact

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