Program Overview

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Introduction to the LLM Health Law Program

The LLM Health Law program at Nottingham Law School explores the dynamic and critical intersection of medicine and law. As the National Health Service faces increasing pressure on resource allocation and debates intensify over an individual's capacity to consent or refuse medical treatment, the demand for legal professionals skilled in health law has never been greater.

About the Course

Our LLM in Health Law offers a comprehensive overview of key legal areas affecting medical practice in the UK, enriched by perspectives from EU legislation and international health norms. Students will dive deep into fundamental principles like consent to treatment and medical ethics, while also exploring specialized areas of health law such as the regulation of healthcare quality, mental health law, and employment and health law.

Course Structure

• The course incorporates a strong emphasis on ethics-based critiques of legal approaches to health and medicine.
• Students will develop a sophisticated international perspective on the issues, particularly through the lens of human rights approaches.
• The program includes a range of modules designed to provide a thorough understanding of health law, including:
  • Regulation of Healthcare Quality
  • Employer and Health Law
  • Mental Capacity and Mental Health Law
  • Beginning and Ending of Life
  • Medical Use of the Human Body
  • Global Innovation and Intellectual Property

Module Information

Core Module

Regulation of Healthcare Quality

This module aims to examine the key areas of law relating to the practice of medicine in the UK, taking into account EU legislation and international health norms. There will be a particular focus on the law relating to medical malpractice, clinical governance, quality of healthcare, medication safety, and patient-centered care, including the protection of confidential information.

Optional Modules

Employer and Health Law

This module aims to foster an understanding of the obligation of employers to care for the health of employees, particularly in the context of employees in a healthcare setting.

Mental Capacity and Mental Health Law

The module aims to identify and critically analyze the conceptual underpinnings and law relating to consent to medical treatment in the UK, mental capacity under the Mental Capacity Act, and the civil law provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Beginning and Ending of Life

The module supports students in the identification and critical exploration of the legal and ethical issues in two key respects relating to human life.

Medical Use of the Human Body

The module aims to support students in gaining a critical appreciation of the conceptual aspects of medical use of the human body and critically explore it as a phenomenon.

Global Innovation and Intellectual Property

This module critically develops the key issues underpinning innovation and the discipline of patent law, including their application in the UK and internationally, often in a public health and sustainable development context.

Dissertation

The dissertation is an extended piece of academic work, independently researched and written. Students will be supported in their work by one-to-one supervision from a tutor expert in the chosen field.

Teaching and Assessment

• The academic year for the LLM courses is split into three parts: two ten-week terms and the summer period.
• Full-time students study three modules in each term and complete the dissertation over the summer.
• Part-time students study three modules across Terms One and Two in each year and complete the dissertation during the second year.
• Modules are assessed using a range of different methods, including coursework, examinations, oral and poster presentations, mooting, multiple choice questions, or a combination thereof.

Entry Requirements

UK Students

• A good law degree, 2.2 or above.
• Applicants whose first degree is not Law will be required to provide evidence of commitment to the LLM subject that they wish to study.
• Applicants from other disciplines will be welcomed in appropriate circumstances, particularly if they have experience in the area, even if not as lawyers.

International Students

• We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world.
• Please check your international qualifications on our international entry requirements page.
• English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Fees and Funding

UK Students

• Full-time: È9,100
• Part-time: È4,550

International Students

• Full-time: È18,300
• Part-time: È9,150

Careers and Employability

• Career development is an integral part of the programme.
• Our careers team runs a series of workshops where you can identify methods and strategies to enable you to pursue your career goals.
• Due to the School's excellent reputation within the legal profession, our graduates are highly sought-after and recognized for the depth and relevance of their knowledge.

Campus and Facilities

• Nottingham Law School is based in the Chaucer building on the City Campus.
• The Law School has invested in a mock courtroom, a family courtroom, and four mooting rooms to enhance your mooting and advocacy experience in an authentic environment.
• Our on-campus teaching law firm, NLS Legal, is the only of its kind amongst all UK universities, providing a practical learning environment where you can get involved in the running of the firm.