LLM Programmes

Leicester De Montfort Law School offers leading-edge full-time and distance learning LLM programmes. Our distance learning programmes enable professional students to enhance their careers whilst continuing to work full-time and manage other commitments.

"I think distance learning is one of the great inventions of modern education in that it allows people to study for qualifications that they would otherwise have been unable to undertake. Balancing the pressures of study with full time employment and other personal/social commitments is possible but it is a real discipline. However, the whole basis of distance learning is that it allows you to complete the course using the approach that is convenient for you, whether that is a steady couple of hours a day or in blocks of seven days at a time!"
Karen Riddick, LLM Environmental Law 

The Law School offers five distance learning LLMs in the following areas:

• Business Law (also available full-time)
• Employment Law in Context
• Environmental Law
• Food Law
• Medical Law and Ethics
• LLM Sports Law and Practice  

Each LLM allows students to study from home - whether in the UK or overseas - and keep in contact with tutors by email, telephone, fax and/or post. Students also maintain contact with one another, both during and after their studies, offering invaluable peer support and networking opportunities.

For students who would like to study full-time on campus, we offer the LLM Business Law by full-time study, a 12-month programme beginning in late September each year.

Career Enhancement

Although the LLMs offer CPD credit for those who are solicitors, they are not confined only to lawyers. Many of our current students are non-law graduates and some of the best students to study the various programmes over the years have come from non-law backgrounds. These students are often able to grasp legal concepts very quickly and their practical knowledge of how the law works is subsequently enhanced by an understanding of its conceptual basis. For many students, the successful completion of their LLM is seen as a way of gaining formal recognition for the expertise which they have developed in their professional lives over a number of years.

Programme Structure, Assessment and Attendance
The distance learning LLM courses start in October each year and normally take two years and three months to complete. A few places are also available each year for suitably qualified applicants to complete all sections of the programme by accelerated learning and complete the LLM in around one year. Each programme has a core module which is assessed through a combination of an assignment and an examination (a two hour unseen exam sat in the January following the October enrolment). This is the only exam that students will sit during the entire LLM programme. All other modules are assessed by assignment only.

For 15-credit modules, students are required to produce two 3,000 word assignments. For 30-credit modules, three assignments will need to be written - two 3,000 word assignments and one 6,000 word assignment. In order to graduate with an LLM, a student will need to successfully complete the relevant core module, three 30-credit optional modules (or the equivalent thereof in 30 and 15 credit modules) and a 20,000 word project.

The project provides students with an excellent opportunity to study an aspect of the law in their chosen area of study which is of particular interest to them. Students often, but not exclusively, select project topics which have a direct bearing on their professional lives. The standard of the work produced is very high indeed and from time to time, internal and external examiners have been in agreement that a project is so good that it ought to reach a wider audience.

Attendance at Leicester De Montfort Law School in Leicester is limited to four days a year at the weekend. The vast majority of students on the programmes do manage to attend these sessions and benefit from the tutorials and lectures, as well as the opportunity to meet fellow students. Attendance is not compulsory, however, and we fully appreciate that work and family commitments sometimes mean that it is not possible to come to Leicester, particularly for students based overseas.

In order to obtain a named award, eg LLM in Environmental Law, it is necessary to study the core module for that programme, at least one 30-credit module from the list of modules specifically for that programme, and write a project with a related theme. It is possible, therefore, for students to obtain a named award and yet still have the opportunity to study modules which fall outside the scope of their LLM Programmes chosen course. Similarly, it is possible to study a combination of different modules and gain an ‘un-named’ LLM award.

LLM Programme Modules

Module	Credits	Total	Award
Compulsory core module	30
+
Double module or two single modules	30	60	Certificate
+
Two double or one double module + two singles	60	120	Diploma
+
Project	60	180	LLM

Teaching

Students are guided through each of the programmes by sets of printed materials containing notes, reading lists and self-assessment questions. Staff-student interchange is facilitated by coursework materials, telephone contact, email and written responses to coursework submissions. Some modules may be supported by eLearning. The weekend workshops provide the opportunity to meet with tutors and fellow students. Tutorials represent an important part of the teaching programme. During the course of these sessions, there is ample opportunity for students to clarify their understanding of the topics under discussion. Lectures by guest speakers or members of the Law School are also a feature of the weekend programmes. The time between these weekend visits is used for individual study, for which purpose access to a university law library is essential.

Entry Requirements

 For entry to all the LLM programmes, candidates are expected to have a background knowledge of law or a discipline related to the specific LLM (usually an undergraduate degree or professional qualifications). A degree in law is not essential.

For applicants for whom English is not their first language, an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent is essential. For full-time LLM Business Law applicants, De Montfort University can offer preparatory English language courses if required, plus a free four-week pre-sessional English course (for all applicants with IELTS 6.0 or above by August), and/or three hours per week optional English language tuition during the LLM programme.

Contact details, further information and how to apply:

For a full course brochure and application form or if you have any questions regarding the course, please contact Informa Professional Academy, our professional partners in the marketing and administration of our distance learning LLM programmes. 

Call Andrew Pini on Tel: +44(0)20 7017 5906

Email: dmu@informa.com|
Visit: www.informaprofessionalacademy.com|

The course is run by Leicester De Montfort Law School 

Tel: +44 (0)116 257 7458 

Email:bal@dmu.ac.uk|