LLM Law
Overview
LLM Law
What is the LLM Law?
At Essex, we believe your postgraduate study should be as unique as your career ambitions. Our one-year general LLM Law offers unparalleled flexibility, empowering you to take control of your education and curate a bespoke curriculum drawn from across our extensive range of postgraduate law modules.
You will have the freedom to design a course that aligns exactly with your intellectual curiosity and professional goals. Whether you want to explore the intersections of international commercial law and human rights, or combine modules on artificial intelligence, environmental law, and international criminal law, you can build a versatile and interdisciplinary foundation for your career.
Taught within the vibrant, research-intensive Essex Law School and Human Rights Centre by world-leading academics and expert practitioners, you will engage with cutting-edge legal debates. By building a diverse, adaptable skill set, you will graduate as a versatile legal thinker, ready to meet the evolving demands of modern employers across legal practice, NGOs, policymaking, or further academic research.
Why this course
- Complete freedom to shape your studies: Design a fully bespoke degree by choosing from our entire catalogue of postgraduate law modules. You can cross traditional boundaries to match your unique intellectual and career ambitions.
- Learn from world-leading experts: Be taught by internationally recognised academics and active practitioners in a research-intensive environment that is renowned for tackling real-world global challenges.
- Future-proof your career: Develop the versatile, interdisciplinary skill set that modern employers demand. You will graduate as an adaptable professional ready for roles in legal practice, NGOs, international business, or government policy.
- Join a vibrant, global community: Experience the famous ‘Essex Spirit’ and study alongside a diverse network of students and staff from all over the world, bringing a truly international perspective to your legal education.
- Practical professional development: Benefit from an agile curriculum designed to adapt to the changing legal landscape, giving you the strong academic foundation needed for modern professional qualification routes.
Who should apply
- The Self-Directed Learner: Applicants seeking to build unique, interdisciplinary legal expertise tailored to specific career goals.
- The Exploratory Scholar: Students who prefer to build a broader academic foundation before committing to a single legal specialisation.
- The Career-Focused Candidate: Students looking to combine rigorous academic modules with practical, professionally oriented study and future qualification tracks.
What you’ll learn
Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.
Your learning experience
Postgraduate students in Essex Law School usually attend two-hour workshops, or a one-hour lecture and one-hour seminar for each module each week.
- Taught through small-group interactive seminars that foster critical debate and analysis.
- Postgraduate students are actively encouraged to attend events and talks where external speakers share their insights and experiences.
- Modules are assessed via coursework, an examination, or a combination of the two.
Your dissertation is normally 12,000 words in length. You will have the freedom to select your own dissertation topic. A special dissertation module offers guidance on topic selection and the writing process, as well as one-to-one supervision by a member of academic staff.
Our internationally diverse community of staff and students gives us a breadth of cross-cultural perspectives and insights into law and justice around the world.
This community, combined with opportunities to study abroad during your time with us, ensures you graduate with a unique worldview and a network of international contacts.
- Gain commercial awareness at our Business Law Clinic.
- Work on key human rights projects at our Human Rights Clinic.
- Tackle pressing environmental and sustainability issues in partnership with NGOs as part of the Sustainability Law and Governance Clinic.
- Participate in mooting competitions to develop your skills, particularly important if you hope to become a barrister.
- Test your mediation and negotiation skills in our Client Interviewing Competition (sponsored by Birkett Long Solicitors).
- Join our student-run societies, such as Model United Nations, Law Society, Human Rights Society, and UNICEF and Amnesty International societies.
- Take advantage of networking opportunities throughout the year with visiting law firms.
Careers and outcomes
Essex Law School graduates have gone on to a wide variety of careers in international and intergovernmental organisations or employment with governments across the world, in commerce and banking, in non-governmental organisations and, as might be expected, in the legal profession and the judiciary.
During the year, we hold a careers session for our students in which we reflect upon our own careers and how they have been built as well as those from former students.
We are always available to discuss career options and if you are interested in a particular area of the law, we can connect you to the relevant alumni to offer advice.
We also work with the University's Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
Course content
Components
Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.
Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.
| Status | What this means |
| Core |
You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted. |
| Core with Options |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted. |
| Compulsory |
You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
| Compulsory with Options |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
| Optional |
You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail. |
The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.
Modules
Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.
In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.
Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:
| HR | 100 | 4 | FY |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History. |
The module number. |
The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification. |
The term the module will be taught in.
|
COMPONENT 01: CORE
You’ll undertake a dissertation of 12,000 words in length for your LLM course. This is a compulsory element of the course.
COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY
This module is a compulsory module for all LLM in International Law students on all pathways, which aims to develop students’ academic skills as required for the postgraduate study of international law. This module has been designed to be taken alongside the module LW902 Public International Law (also compulsory for all LLM in International Law students). The LW949 Academic Skills in International Law module equips students with the technical skills required to engage in research and study of public international law, including academic referencing of scholarship, treaties, cases of international courts and tribunals. Students also develop the necessary skills to analyse international legal materials, complete both essay and problem-based questions within the field, produce high-quality independent writing at postgraduate level, and reflect upon feedback. This module will also prepare students for the foundation essay (formative essay) for the LLM in International Law. This is a formative essay, which provides an opportunity for students to engage with postgraduate level reading and writing on a topic of international law, and to submit an essay for the first time at LLM level. As a valuable learning tool, students receive feedback on their foundation essay, allowing them to reflect accordingly for future coursework with a view on how to further develop their skills throughout their postgraduate degree.
View Postgraduate Academic Legal Skills on our Module Directory
Entry requirements
UK entry requirements
A 2:2 Degree in Law or a joint honours Degree in another subject with Law.
Applicants who do not hold a Law Degree but who have at least six months of relevant professional experience, traineeships, or professional qualifications/certifications issued by professional bodies such as Bar Associations can apply and will be considered. Please provide your CV.
International & EU entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.
Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum component score of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in all other components.
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Additional Notes
The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.
Fees and funding
Home/UK fee
£11,025
International fee
£23,875
Scholarships and financial support
There may be scholarships, bursaries or discounts available to help with the cost of this course.
Fees and funding guide
What's next
Open Days
We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:
- tour our campus and accommodation
- find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
- meet our students and staff
If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.
2026 Open Days (Colchester Campus)
Visit Colchester Campus
Set within 200 acres of award-winning parkland - Wivenhoe Park and located two miles from the historic city centre of Colchester – England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.
Virtual tours
If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360-degree virtual tour allows you to explore our University from the comfort of your home. Check out our Colchester virtual tour to see accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.
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