Contents - Faculty of Law - University of Cambridge

Master of LawThe LLM Course. The LLM (Master of Law) is a postgraduate course in selected legal topics intended primarily for thosewho wish to pursue further legal studies after completing their first degree in law. It is a full-time, one-year taughtcourse which lasts three terms, starting at the beginning of October and finishing at the end of the following June. Itis a residential course which follows a prescribed timetable. It is therefore not possible to start the course at anyother point in the year or to take the LLM by correspondence or on a part-time basis.The principal method of instruction is through lectures, although some courses use a seminar approach. Some coursescombine lectures and smaller discussion classes. There are no college supervisions (or tutorials) for the LLM course.Independent study is a large and important part of the LLM. Therefore students are expected to be capable of doing asubstantial amount of work on their own aided by reading lists circulated at lectures. The LLM is an advanced course forlaw graduates, not an introduction to the common law and therefore students who are new to the common law should beprepared to do some preparatory work. It should be noted that non-common law graduates might have difficulty withsome papers which assume some knowledge of common law. The LLM is taught and examined on the basis thatstudents are familiar with the case-law method and with the basic concepts of English law.Please note that time spent studying for the LLM cannot be counted towards the requirements for any of the Faculty’sresearch courses. Students who wish to continue to a research course in law at Cambridge following successfulcompletion of the LLM are required to apply separately by the relevant deadline for the diploma or degree sought. It maybe made a condition of entry to that course that a particular standard is achieved in the LLM examination.Applications. Competition for admission to the LLM programme is intense and potential applicants are advised that highstandards of previous attainment in law are necessary. In a typical year, there will be approximately 1,000 applications.Generally, about 180 students take the LLM each academic year.The minimum entry requirement for the LLM is normally a First class degree in law from a UK university, or the equivalentfrom an overseas institution. For overseas students this typically means being placed in the top 5-10% of their class.The LLM Admissions Committee does consider applications from those with a non-Law first degree, provided that inaddition to their degree they have either undertaken substantial relevant professional legal experience or have obtained aprofessional legal qualification with the equivalent of a First Class result. However, a first degree in law is the preferredpreparation for the Cambridge LLM.Please note that we do not normally offer a place on the LLM course to an applicant who already holds or is currentlystudying for an LLM from a UK institution.As will be appreciated, a considerable command of the English language is required for the course. Therefore, werequire applicants who are not native English speakers to take and pass the IELTS or TOEFL English language test.IELTS: minimum requirement is an overall band score of at least 7.5 with a grade of at least 7.0 in the reading, speaking,listening and writing tests. TOEFL: Minimum requirement: 637 in the paper-based TOEFL test with 5.5 in the Test ofWritten English; the minimum score must be achieved in both parts of the test in the same sitting. A TOEFL score withoutthe Test of Written English is not acceptable. Internet-based TOEFL test: minimum score: 110 overall, with at least 25 ineach of the individual components of reading, speaking, listening and writing.All applications must be made through the University’s Board of Graduate Studies, using one of the following methods:Online application through the Board of Graduate Studies website at:http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus/applying/online.html73