Objectives
Postgraduate criminal justice teaching in the School of Law is distinguished by its strength in the international, comparative and philosophical dimensions of criminal justice. Familiar ideas, concepts, rules, institutions and practices of criminal justice, rooted in assumptions about the nature and competence of nation states and their domestic legal orders, are being overtaken by historical political developments, seemingly irresistible economic forces, world-wide cultural transformations, and rapid social change. The LLM Criminal Justice will encourage you to develop the intellectual skills, knowledge and understanding necessary for meeting the new challenges of crime and justice in the twenty-first century. Since its introduction in 1987, our LLM programme has continued to grow in popularity and prestige. Offering a wide and diverse range of over 50 options, the programme now attracts some 150 to 180 candidates each year, from more than 50 countries, confirming its status as one of the leading and most exciting LLM programmes available. We also offer LLM pathways in the areas listed below, as well as a more general LLM (Master of Laws) qualification: -LLM Environmental Law -LLM European Law -LLM Human Rights Law -LLM International Law -LLM International Commercial Law -LLM International Criminal Justice & Armed Conflict -LLM International Law & Development -LLM Maritime Law -LLM Public International Law
Course description
Key facts
-The School of Law is rated as ‘internationally outstanding’ (Grade 5A on a scale of 1-5) for its research and as ‘Excellent’ for its teaching quality.
-The School enjoys important professional relationships with international institutions; leading firms in the City of London and the provinces; private industry and consultancies; and non-governmental organisations.
-Students at the School of Law have exclusive access to the Baker & McKenzie Computer Room.
-Excellent Law Library has in excess of 60,000 volumes, immediate access to a very wide range of electronic materials and resources and dedicated Law Librarian.
Course Content
You will take 120 credits’ worth of full and/or part-time subject options during the taught components of this course.
Currently, some of the subjects offered in relation to Criminal Justice include:
-Foundations of International Criminal Justice
-Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights
-International and Comparative Penal Law & Human Rights
-International Criminal Law: Institutions
-Protection of Human Rights in the UK
-International Criminal Law: Substantive Law and Process
-Counter-terrorism & Human Rights
-Imprisonment and Human Rights
-Please note that all module details are subject to change.
You will conclude the LLM Criminal Justice by undertaking a 60-credit dissertation; this is an extensive piece of independent research in a subject of your choice. You will benefit from the support of a dedicated project supervisor, the School of Law’s Skills Programme, as well as the generic research skills training offered by the University’s Graduate School.
Course Structure
The LLM Criminal Justice can be taken on a full-time basis over 1 year or part-time over 2 to 4 years.
In order to qualify for the LLM, you must take four full-year options (120 credits in total), or the equivalent number of full and half options in the taught element of the programme. Full options comprise eighteen two-hour seminars, held during the Autumn and Spring Terms. Half-options comprise nine two-hour seminars, held in either the Autumn or Spring Terms.
All seminars offer dedicated teaching, open only to postgraduate students, including postgraduate research students, where an option is relevant to a student’s doctoral research.
The precise availability of individual options differs from year to year, depending on the availability of staff to teach them, but in a typical session LLM students are able to choose from around a dozen full-year options (30 credits) and up to 50 half-year options (15 credits) over the programmes. In addition, LLM students may elect to take up to two half-year options in relevant modules offered by the School of Politics as part of its MA in International Relations.
To qualify for a particular specialist degree, candidates must choose at least three full options (or their equivalent in full and half options) from the list of qualifying options within the relevant specialisation. Students may choose any full module (or equivalent half modules) within the LLM programme as their fourth, “free” option.
In addition, the candidate must choose a dissertation topic within the relevant area of specialism. The dissertation is worth 60 credits and taken over the summer period towards the end of the course for submission in September.
Assessment for options is by essay, examination or a combination of both.
