Master of Laws

The Master of Laws by Dissertation programme gives candidates the opportunity to conduct their own research into a specific area of the law.

Overview

The Law School receives a large number of applications for research degrees each year and is only able to accommodate a small number of research students. In practice, a very strong academic record and/or a record of appropriate work or research experience is necessary to gain admission to the research degree programme. In addition, an important consideration is the availability of supervision in your chosen area of research.

Entry Requirements

• An LLB degree, a bachelors degree with honours, or an appropriate postgraduate diploma.
  • Your application should include a CV, an academic record (transcript) and a short proposal, also known as an expression of interest.
  • The short proposal is a document of 7 10 pages that outlines the applicants proposed research and the research questions to be investigated. It should include a provisional title as well as a provisional bibliography.
• Applications are considered on the basis of candidates academic record, the strength of their expression of interest and the availability of an appropriate supervisor in the School.
• Prospective research students are therefore further encouraged to approach potential supervisors in advance of their application, i.e. to find a member of staff in the School of Law who is willing in principle to supervise their proposed research.
• If you do find a willing potential supervisor, indicate this on your expression of interest. You may however proceed with your application even if you do not find a potential supervisor beforehand. In that case, the Postgraduate Studies Committee will endeavour to allocate a supervisor to you in the event that your application is successful.

University Application Process

• Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment.
• Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
• Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.
• Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

University Fees and Funding

• The Fees site provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.
• For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, the University's Postgraduate Funding portal is a database of scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities available to Wits postgraduate students.
• The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies.
• The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.

Programme Details

• Programme Code: LRA00
• Faculty: Commerce, Law and Management
• School: Law
• Qualification: LLM
• Duration: 1 - 2 years
• Study Mode: Full-time; Part-time

Closing Date

• July intake: 31 May 2024
• January 2025 intake: 31 October 2024 for local applicants, 30 August for international applicants.

Coordinator

• Judy Mafika