Program Overview

LLM Master of Laws | Part-time

About this course

LJMU's part-time Master of Laws LLM provides a broad liberal arts education in the law for students wishing to undertake a wide range of legal study options.

• Develop knowledge of business, corporate and finance law, global crime and security and criminal justice
• Examine key legal and justice issues in both a domestic and global context
• Learn from tutors who have extensive experience with a variety of backgrounds and research interests
• Pursue new areas of interest in-depth or deepen already acquired undergraduate understanding in a given area
• Provides opportunities to critically analyse key themes in law and criminal justice and global crime
• Generous funding scholarships available for home and overseas students
• Full-Time Study Option

This flexible LLM is suitable for students from experienced practitioners, graduates, career changers and overseas students wishing to broaden their legal knowledge.

The School of Law has decades of experience providing postgraduate legal education. The LLM programmes are consistently highly rated by students and practitioners alike.

The aim of this programme is to create a positive learning environment for students in which to practice advanced scholarship and research and gain academic and intellectual progression, together with the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills.

The programme will give you the opportunity to critically analyse key themes in law and criminal justice and will challenge your thinking and stimulate your academic aspirations in these fields.

The Rice-Jones Trust Scholarship

The Rice-Jones Charitable Trust was set by an individual who wanted to benefit postgraduate law students studying in the North West of England. The individual's late husband and father were both lawyers, and this inspired her to help students who show academic promise and a commitment to the legal profession, but who may not necessarily have the financial support to undertake their studies.

The Rice-Jones Charitable Trust is registered at the Charity Commission with registration number. The deadline for Rice-Jones applications is 31 March 2025.

The Rice-Jones Charitable Trust Scholarship is available to applicants who have accepted a place to study on a postgraduate law course, including but not limited to the Graduate Diploma in Law, the Legal Practice Course, the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, the Bar Professional Training Course or the Master’s in law.

The amount offered and purpose for which the Scholarship award is offered is at the absolute discretion of The Rice-Jones Charitable Trust and may vary per individual. A successful applicant may be in receipt of a grant of up to £20,000.

Course modules

Core modules

• Dissertation (60 credits)
  • This module will enable you to undertake a detailed study of a clearly defined legal or criminal justice topic, issue or problem.
  • It aims to increase knowledge of a selected subject area and develop a greater critical awareness, present findings in an appropriate form.
• Advanced Legal Research Methods (20 credits)
  • This module introduces research methodologies available for conducting research in law and criminal justice.
  • It aims to facilitate development of Masters-level technical legal and criminal justice research, encourage a Masters-level degree of independence and responsibility, introduce key research methodologies for researching law and criminal justice, develop the technical research requirements of a Masters dissertation.

Optional modules

• Drugs, Alcohol and Criminal Justice (20 credits)
  • This module aims to develop your understanding of drug and alcohol use within contemporary society.
  • It deconstructs the drug and alcohol status quo so you can acknowledge the complexities and contradictions that exist within this sphere.
• Youth Justice (20 credits)
  • This module aims to give you a critical, theoretically-informed and socially-orientated grounding in the study of youth justice.
  • It enables you to develop an analytical approach to understanding the treatment and experiences of young people within, and at the hands of, the criminal justice system.
• The Sociology of Policing (20 credits)
  • This module seeks to critically explore the complex and dynamic relationship between policing services/agents and members of the diverse public these organisations serve.
  • It will help you develop a critical appreciation of the historical and conceptual development of modern policing forms, evaluate contemporary policing structures/methods
    etworks, and explore future challenges for service provision.
• International Criminal Law (20 credits)
  • This module will introduce you to the basic concepts, institutions and processes of international criminal law.
  • It will introduce you to current debates regarding the application of international criminal law, provide you with an appreciation of contemporary issues of global concern relating to the prosecution of international crimes.
• Conflict and Warfare in International Law (20 credits)
  • This module aims to consider current controversies in international law pertaining to the use of force between states.
  • It will provide you with an understanding of legal limitations on methods and means of armed conflict, explore modern and emerging challenges to the law of armed conflict.
• The United Nations, International Security and Global Justice (20 credits)
  • The module aims to introduce you to the work of the United Nations in the maintenance and restoration of international peace and security.
  • It will develop your understanding of the legal framework which governs the work of the UN in this area.
• Terrorism and Organised Crime (20 credits)
  • The module aims to introduce you to the basic concepts, institutions and processes of international law.
  • It will build knowledge in the themes of crime, justice and security within a global legal context, provide you with an appreciation of selected contemporary issues of global concern in the context of conceptual themes of crime, justice and security.
• International Human Rights Law (20 credits)
  • Introduces students to the basic conceptual, institutional and substantive elements of international human rights law, current debates regarding the interpretation and application of international human rights law.
  • The module will provide students with critical appreciation of contemporary issues of global and regional concern relating to the interpretation and application of international human rights law.
• Philosophy of History, International Relations and European Integration (20 credits)
  • The module aims to teach the students the various theories on philosophy of history (linear and directional vs. cyclical history; ‘end of history’ theories; Marxist notion of history; recognition of patterns in history, such as, cycles; theory of history as history of ‘civilizations’; Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence theory; decline of the West; Carl Schmitt’s Land vs. Sea dichotomy) and to familiarize the students with the works of the thinkers who developed these theories (Kant, Hegel, Marx, Fukuyama, Popper, Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Huntington, Spengler, Schmitt, Toynbee, Gibbon etc.).
  • The module aims in particular to show the relevance of these theories to international relations (IR) and European integration theory.
• Capital Punishment in America (20 credits)
  • This module will give you an overview of the law governing the application of the death penalty in the context of the moral, social, and political questions raised by capital punishment.
  • In discussing the legal principles and policies it offers students a “real world” view of capital litigation.
• Animals, Rights and Law (20 credits)
  • To provide students to examine the law relating to animals in terms of its ethical, political and practical implications.
  • This module seeks to develop a critical understanding of the challenges faced in protecting animals in modern day society.
• International Trade and Finance Law (20 credits)
  • This module allows you to critically analyse contemporary legal issues regarding international trade.
• International Corporate Governance (20 credits)
  • This module seeks to introduce you to the intellectual and practical background of corporate governance in the UK and beyond.
  • It aims to provide an awareness and understanding of corporate governance through the critical examination of appropriate theoretical perspectives, models and practices.
• International Financial Crime (20 credits)
  • The module allows you to undertake an analysis of the law as it relates to a range of contemporary issues in financial crime.
  • It aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the impact of a range of financial crimes, plus analysis of attempts to curb financial crime and its impact.
• International Dispute Resolution (20 credits)
  • This module provides a detailed understanding and analysis of the various laws, regulations and systems applicable to the dispute resolution process.
  • It aims to provide a detailed understanding and analysis of the various laws, regulations and systems applicable to the dispute resolution process, identify potential risk areas of conflict and develop effective processes, procedures and strategies to limit exposure to disputes arising notably within business, corporate or commercial situations.
• International Environmental Law (20 credits)
  • This module provides an understanding of essential elements of environmental law, awareness of the impact of environmental issues both nationally and internationally.
  • It aims to provide an understanding of broad theoretical global issues of the relationship between global trade and national regulation, understanding of the issues relating to companies and businesses from a national and international regulatory perspective.
• International Labour Law (20 credits)
  • This module aims to review the global nature of international labour regimes and the regulatory mechanism, investigate the link between international labour law; corporate governance and international trade.
  • It aims to describe each of the rights encompassed by the term international labour and to consider the main legal elements pertinent to each right, review the operation of international labour regimes through specific industries.
• International Maritime Law (20 credits)
  • This module aims to introduce the basics of International Maritime Law, develops a critical understanding of commercial maritime issues and adequacy of the published material in maritime law.
  • It aims to help students consider the adequacy of the current legal structure of the modern maritime contract, facilitate critical assessment of contemporary issues surrounding the commercial vessel in law.
• International Corporate Finance Law (20 credits)
  • As a business vehicle, the limited company is widely used.
  • One of the reasons for its popularity is its ability to successfully raise business finance and diversify financial risk.
• International Investment Law (20 credits)
  • This module aims to introduce students to the core substantive, institutional and conceptual foundations of Foreign Investment Law, as well as the broader economic, political and social implications of international investment Law.
  • It also aims to provide a critical appreciation of the competing interests within the sphere of Investment Law and an introduction to the contemporary issues and debates within Investment Law.
• International Mergers and Acquisitions Law (20 credits)
  • The impact of mergers and acquisition activities affects every corporate constituent, namely shareholders of target and acquiring companies, employees, creditors, directors and managers.
  • In addition, it has an impact on the community, suppliers and national economy.
• Advanced Critical Criminology (20 credits)
  • This module is designed to examine the social construction of crime.
  • It aims to provide a balance between theoretical perspectives and empirical, practical knowledge about the power imbalances in society.
• Delivering Rehabilitation (20 credits)
  • This module critically evaluates, at an advanced level, the role and function of the prison and probation services in relation to the delivery of state punishment and rehabilitation.
  • It aims to critically reflect on the values and principles that underpin the delivery of contemporary penal policy through the creation of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
• Contemporary Issues in International Criminal Justice (20 credits)
  • This module will enable you to gain advanced knowledge of key issues relating to international and comparative criminal justice.
  • It aims to develop advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the theoretical concepts that underpin policy and practice with regard to issues in the delivery and maintenance of International Criminal Justice.

Your Learning Experience

Teaching

• Due to the wide range of option modules available, the timetable is flexible and so study hours will vary depending on the modules you decide to study.
• As with any Masters level programme, there is an expectation that you manage your own study time effectively to meet the demands of the curriculum.

Assessment

• To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
• Technology plays a crucial role in assessment on the LLM course.
• Modules use online feedback alongside face-to-face assessments.

Career paths

• Further your career prospects
• LJMU has an excellent employability record with 94% (HESA 2022) of our postgraduates in work or further study fifteen months after graduation.
• Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.

Tuition fees and funding

Home

• Part-time per year: £4,385

Fees

• The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.

Financial Support

• There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students.
• From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
• The University offers a range of financial support for students.

Additional Costs

• In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
  • Accommodation
  • Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
  • Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

• A minimum 2:2 in a subject such as Law, Criminal Justice, Politics, Finance, Banking or Accounting or an equivalent professional qualification

International requirements

• IELTS 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each component)

RPL

• RPL is accepted on this programme

How to apply

• To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form.
• You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.