LLM study options
The LLM programmes by online distance learning can be studied full time or part time, have start dates in both September and January and offer a flexible way to study a postgraduate programme whilst maintaining busy professional and personal commitments.
The online LLM
The University of Edinburgh has two teaching semesters per year:
- September to December
- January to March
To be awarded the LLM degree, you must complete six 20-credit modules, and a 60-credit dissertation.
Each online module comprises ten weeks of teaching during a semester, with a week's break mid-way through. You should expect to spend around 10-15 hours per week on each module and allow additional time for assessments.
The dissertation is always completed over the summer months of your final year with us: April to August. The dissertation is to be approximately 10,000 words.
Depending on your start date and the duration of your programme, you have some flexibility to choose how many modules you take at a time, although you must take at least one module per semester, and no more than three modules in any one semester.
Full-time and part-time study options
We offer full-time and part-time study options on the LLM programmes and start dates in September and January of each year.
The table below shows how your programme would be structured depending on the study option chosen,
| LLM Study Option | Start | Number of semesters |
Modules per semester | Dissertation submission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year (full time) |
September | 2 | 3 modules | End of first year of study |
| 2 years (Part time) |
September | 4 | 1 or 2 modules* | End of second year of study |
| 20 months (Part time) |
January |
3 | 2 modules | End of second year of study |
| 3 years (part time) |
September | 6 | 1 module | End of third year of study |
| 32 months (part time) |
January | 5 | 1 or 2 modules** | End of third year of study |
* Students on the 2-year route will either take one module in two semesters and two modules in two semesters; or one module in three semesters and three modules in one semester.
** Students on the 32-month route will take one module in four semesters, and two modules in one semester.
Contact us
If you have any questions about your LLM study options please contact our online distance learning team.
llm.distance@ed.ac.uk