LLM Law (Legal Practice) top-up

• You must hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Examples of appropriate qualifications include PgDip Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and PgDip Legal Practice (for instance, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), Bar Training Course (BPC), Bar Vocational Course (BVC) or Bar Course).
• You should also possess at least a lower second class (2.2) honours degree in any subject.
• You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 7.0 with normally no less than 6.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The LLM is a prestigious qualification and an excellent addition to your CV. If you’re a qualified legal professional wishing to achieve a full master’s award, the University of Bolton’s LLM Law (Legal Practice) Top-up course is ideal. We’ll support you in developing high-level research and critical thinking skills that will enhance your professional practice and advance your career.

As a graduate of this LLM, you’ll possess an in-depth knowledge of your chosen area of law. You’ll be able to demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems and be confident in planning and implementing your projects. You’ll also have impressive legal research and writing, analysis, critical evaluation and logical thinking skills.

What can I do with this qualification?

With our guidance, you’ll choose a research project that meets your career development goals. For example, you could extend and deepen your understanding of your current specialism or use it to explore an area of law that your current employer is interested in pursuing. Alternatively, you could use it as a stepping-stone into a new area of law, demonstrating your commitment to the legal field and opening up fresh employment opportunities.

As an LLM graduate, you’ll also be able to explore a career in academia. This top-up course can act as a bridge allowing you to move from practice to research. Your research experience will be ideal preparation for doctoral-level studies. If you choose to pursue a PhD, this can lead to an academic career route.

Alternative career options

Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or additional study may be required. They include:

• Immigration
• Police
• Trading standards
• Investment banking
• Tax advice/inspection
• Teaching and education
• International aid/development
• Human resources
• Health and safety
• Probation/social work
• Accountancy
• Political research
• Charity and advice work
• Recruitment
• Stockbroker
• Marketing

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.

We aim to offer an inspirational student experience, and the University of Bolton’s ‘Teaching Intensive, Research Informed’ approach underpins the design and delivery of this LLM. We fully appreciate that you have considerable prior practice experience and education. We’ll build upon and draw from your current knowledge and experience as you develop at the master’s level.

We’ll use various teaching and learning methods to help you acquire and develop the appropriate skills, concepts, and knowledge. You can expect formally-timetabled classes with tutors, including lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. You’ll also need to undertake a significant amount of personal study, such as reading, preparing for seminar activities, working on assignments, research activities and critical reflection. Assessment will involve a range of methods such as essays, presentations and in-class evaluations.

The LLM focuses on teaching you essential research methods and developing your master’s-level research and thinking skills. Choosing the dissertation option of this course allows you to undertake an extended and substantial piece of research, gathering data either through deskwork, fieldwork or a combination of both. We’ll support you as you examine your findings in light of your postgraduate-level legal knowledge and critically discuss, evaluate and present your results.

Alternatively, you may choose our specialist work-based learning portfolio module. This module supports you to identify research questions and methodologies appropriate to your professional practice in a specific area of law. This allows you to develop and demonstrate your ability to understand and critically apply complex theories, principles and models of reflective practice in your specialist area.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Research Methods
• Dissertation

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.