Program Overview

A master's degree in law is a fantastic way for law graduates to develop a specialisation, or for non-lawyers working in related fields to gain a deeper understanding of legal issues.

This pathway connects research in law, social science and contemporary politics to provide you with a solid grounding in international human rights and international humanitarian law. You'll focus on responses to violations of these legal regimes through transitional justice and international criminal justice. You will learn how these issues are addressed in the context of conflict-affected countries, where human rights and international law violations often arise.

You'll also have the chance to choose from a wide range of optional modules to supplement this core teaching, and opt to either write a 15,000 word dissertation or conduct a work-based project that will give you valuable experience of dealing with a specific legal issue in detail.

The course is perfect for lawyers and law graduates looking for career development, although all of our LLM courses can be studied by students without a background in law, since you will be trained in the necessary analytical and legal skills.

As such, the programme will also provide ideal training for paralegals, journalists, NGO and charity workers, policy advisors, consultants, lawyers, those working in business and finance or anyone who will benefit from a legal education in their career.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

You'll develop a thorough understanding of the role of international law and human rights legislation in upholding justice in regions affected by war. This pathway takes advantage of our long-standing expertise in transitional justice and conflict, so you'll be learning about crucial, contemporary topics in the field from leading experts.

The Centre on Human Rights in Conflict - based at UEL - does important work to protect human rights in regions suffering the consequences of war; you will learn from academics, researchers and practitioners in the Centre as well as experts in law and social sciences from across the university. You will also benefit from the regular seminar and lecture series held by the Centre, featuring prominent global practitioners and researchers.

You'll also be able to choose a further two optional topics from our extensive list of LLM modules. Some of the available options are also related to human rights, transitional justice and international law, so you can develop your specialisation further, or opt to diversify your training with subjects from other areas of law.

As well as choosing your optional modules, you can decide to either write a postgraduate dissertation or carry out a work-based project. Both of these options allow you to conduct independent study on a topic of your choice, developing your practical legal skills while honing your knowledge of a specific legal issue.

The programme also offers an optional placement year, following your first year. Placements will be provided and supported by the London-based NGO, Pro Bono Communities,  where you'll gain valuable experience in handling issues relating to aspects of social welfare law. Training and supervision will be provided by Pro Bono Communities and a module leader at UEL will oversee the relationship and assess student performance.

We consistently review our courses to ensure we are up-to-date with industry changes and requirements from our graduates. As a result, our modules are subject to change.