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Postgraduate Study

Course closed:

Law is no longer accepting new applications.

Teaching

The LLM is a nine-month taught master's degree commencing at the beginning of October each year and finishing by the end of the following June.  Students must take four courses but have a free choice as to which four they choose from the list of available course offerings.  In recent years, the number of LLM courses on offer has tended to be in the region of 30.  While some courses are quite popular, in most courses, student numbers do not usually exceed approximately 30.

One to one supervision

Under the existing assessment options, LLM students who choose to write a dissertation in lieu of examination for one of their four courses receive some one-on-one supervision from their dissertation supervisor. 

 
 
Seminars & classes

Teaching typically comprises 16 two-hour seminars and/or lectures for each of a student's four courses.  Provision is normally also made for discussion in smaller groups.

Lectures

See Seminars and Classes.

Practicals

There are no formal 'practicals', but all LLM students are expected to undertake substantial amounts of reading and private study for each of their four courses and may be required to produce written work in preparation for some classes.

Small group teaching

In addition to the seminars and/or lectures for each course, some additional provision is also made for discussion in smaller groups in the form of several workshops - unless the size of the course is relatively small.

Journal clubs

LLM students are encouraged to contribute to the student law review, the Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law.  In addition, many LLM students are involved in the Faculty's Graduate Law Society.

Posters and Presentations

This style of presentation is reserved for PhD students, but LLM students are welcome to attend.

Feedback

Formative assessment (i.e. assessment not contributing to final grades) is delivered by way of individual feedback on students' practice essays or, for those electing to write a dissertation, partial dissertation drafts.  In general, students can submit two practice essays for each of the four courses they are taking. Course convenors and lecturers will advise on topics, but the aim is to produce short pieces of writing which provide a concise, rigorous argument or cogent analysis of the issues in question.

Assessment

Thesis / Dissertation

LLM students have the option of writing a full dissertation in lieu of examination for one of their four courses.

Written examination

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, each course had been most commonly assessed by means of a three-hour written examination at the end of the LLM year, although students could elect to write a full dissertation in lieu of the written examination for one course (only), subject to prior formal approval of their dissertation topic.  In response to the pandemic, assessments shifted to open-book, online examinations with a time and a word limit – and this basic approach has been applied for 2022-23 (where a 5h time limit and a 6000-word limit has been applied for each course).  In the context of the University-wide re-evaluation of the assessment process, the examination options on the LLM are currently being reconsidered. 

Key Information


9 months full-time

Study Mode : Taught

Master of Law

Faculty of Law

Course - related enquiries

Application - related enquiries

Course on Department Website

Dates and deadlines:

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2023
Application deadline
Dec. 5, 2023
Course Starts
Oct. 1, 2024

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Course Funding Deadline
Dec. 5, 2023
Gates Cambridge US round only
Oct. 11, 2023

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.


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