Master of Laws by Coursework (LLM)
Program overview
The Master of Laws by formal coursework offers law graduates an opportunity to study in an organised fashion areas of specialty and greater difficulty than are met within a Bachelor of Laws program. Courses offered in the LLM by Coursework program combine a degree of sophistication or technical difficulty in terms of legal content with a substantial consideration of relevant interdisciplinary aspects of the subject matter and a focus on policy. Each course contains a significant research component.
Program structure
Students must complete eight single session (6 unit of credit) courses or the equivalent to a total value of 48 units of credit. Students may elect to complete a major sequence of courses in a specialist area (see below).
International LLM coursework students are required to enrol in the course Australian Legal System in their first semester. Some students may be exempt from this course because of their academic and professional background.
Specialist major sequences
Candidates for the LLM by coursework may undertake study incorporating a major sequence in any one of the following specialist areas:
To incorporate a specialisation into a Master of Laws by Coursework degree, students must choose 4 courses (24 uoc) from those allocated to that specialisation.
The remaining courses may be selected from any of those offered by UNSW Law (unless otherwise stated. Refer to online handbook for further information about requirements for individual specialisations).
Postgraduate electives
Course offerings may vary. Refer to Law timetable for courses on offer.
Visit UNSW Online Handbook for further information.
Program options
A student may complete a research thesis of about 12,000 words in place of one semester-long course subject to the approval of the Postgraduate Education Coordinator.
A student may apply to complete postgraduate law courses offered at other universities via cross institutional study subject to the approval of the Postgraduate Education Coordinator.
Students undertaking the LLM can undertake one semester of study at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Lausanne offers instruction in English in the LLM in International and European Economic Law or International and European Commercial Law. The courses undertaken at Lausanne will be credited to your UNSW LLM degree. Refer to the University of Lausanne Exchange information sheet for further information.
Students with a distinction average (75%) or more in their LLM are invited to consider applying for entry to the Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD). It is recommended that LLM students considering progression to the SJD program include 6 uoc Research Thesis Option in their study plan for the LLM by coursework.
Assessment
All postgraduate courses have a strong research dimension and course assessment is principally on the basis of research essays (6,000 words). Essay topics are agreed upon with the lecturer within the first few weeks of semester to enable students to work on their research and writing with continuous feedback from the lecturer. Papers are normally due a week or two after the end of semester.
