LLM in European Law

You must select between 80 and 120 credits of the following courses:

• Contract Law in Europe (20 credits)

  The aim of this course is to examine the law of contract from a comparative perspective. Reference will be made to civilian and common law systems (including mixed systems) and, in particular, the laws of Scotland, England, France, and Germany. You will critically consider major themes, spanning the life of a contract, in these jurisdictions. Students will be asked to consider whether there are significant differences between the common law and civilian systems or whether the differences are more apparent than real. The use of supra-national and harmonisation initiatives will also be discussed.

• Citizenship in Europe (20 credits)
  This aim of this course is to explore the multi-level governance framework for citizenship in Europe, looking at the national, sub-national and international/European levels at which law operates. The aim is to understand the classic notion of national citizenship in the context of developments such as European Union citizenship and the impact of supranational and international norms such as the ECHR, placing the law throughout in its wider political context.

• EU Data Protection Law (GDPR) (20 credits)

  The purpose of this course is to consider the European Union¿s (EU) data protection framework as set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The last decade has seen a heightened awareness of data protection and privacy issues, largely brought about by the development of new technologies and business models that rely heavily on the use of personal data. We are now operating in a world where our everyday life is increasingly dominated by ¿smart¿ devices, apps, online platforms and AI systems, and the EU is often seen as leading the global effort in regulating this new data and technology-driven environment. This course will consider whether or not data protection laws are appropriate to cope with the pressures that developments in technology are bringing. It will focus on the principles at the heart of data protection law and examine their application to specific settings. It will also consider the impact the GDPR has already had on the global data protection landscape.

• EU Competition Law (40 credits, full-year course)

  The purpose of the course is to impart to students an understanding of the rationale behind competition regulation in the European Union, the substantive and procedural rules which comprise EU competition law, and their place within the scheme of the Treaties - they being 'fundamental provision[s] - essential to the accomplishment of the tasks entrusted to the [Union] and, in particular, the functioning of the internal market' (Case C-126/97 Eco Swiss China Time v Benetton International [1999] ECR I-3055, para 36). 
  It is the private law side of Union integration and a mirror of the law of the internal market - put otherwise, the commercial law of the EU. Appropriate comparisons with the equivalent laws of the member states, in particular those of Germany (the GWB) and the United Kingdom (the Competition Act 1998; the Enterprise Act 2002), will be drawn throughout the course.

• EU External Economic Relations Law (20 credits)

  The objective of the course is to equip you with advanced knowledge of the legal and institutional framework governing the external economic relations of the European Union (EU). The EU is a complex international actor with a variety of attributed and implied powers and the course will explore the division of competence between the EU and its Member States in relation to economic relations with third countries. The course will also examine the institutional arrangements within the EU in order to understand the role of the Commission, Council and Parliament in making external economic policy, as well as the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in shaping this process. Based upon this knowledge of the inner workings of the EU, the course will turn to consider the different legal instruments and policy tools that are used by the EU in its economic relationships with third countries and how it interacts with international organisations. Specific analysis will be made of 1) the legal foundations for the EU's interaction with the WTO, 2) the legal foundations for the EU's investment policy and handling of investment disputes and 3) the EU's approach to trade and development, in particular the Generalised System of Preferences regime.

• EU Criminal Law (20 credits)

  The course is aimed to provide the students with the foundations of EU Criminal Law. They will engage in discussion on primary and secondary sources, as well as analysis of the centrepieces of the area. Through the involvement of practitioners, they will be exposed to different approaches and address the topics from a theoretical, and practical, points of view.

• Human Rights Law in Europe (20 credits)
  This course will look at the protection of human rights in Europe through a primary focus of the law of the European Convention on Human Rights. The course will also look at some other human rights instruments of the Council of Europe as well as human rights protection in the EU system. The programme will include an introduction to European human rights law, a thorough grounding in the primary institutions and main instruments dealing with the protection of Human rights in Europe, with a specific emphasis on the European Convention of Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. There will also be some consideration of themes raised by the convention and the Court, other human rights instruments of the council of Europe as well as human rights protection in the European Union.

• EU Immigration and Asylum Law (20 credits)

  The course is aimed to provide the students with the foundations of EU Immigration Law. They will engage in discussion on primary and secondary sources, as well as analysis of the centrepieces of the area. Through the involvement of practitioners, they will be exposed to different approaches and address the topics from a theoretical, and practical, points of view.

• The Values of the European Union: A Legal Perspective  (20 credits)

  This course examines the values on which the European Union is founded, as expressed in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. It addresses how the Union, and especially the case law of the Court of Justice, has brought these values to legal life in recent years, and also considers opportunities for further legal developments.

• The Law of Integration in the 21st Century: the Case of the EU  (20 credits)

  The purpose of the course is to analyse the process of constructing a legal system designed to encourage and facilitate deep economic and social transnational interactions, namely the European Union. The course will cover the institutional framework, judicial system and some concrete case studies of areas of legal integration. It will also critically analyse the trade-offs and pre-requisites for states when engaging in such a process.

   

You will have the option to take between 0 and 40 credits of courses from different subject areas offered by the Law School, depending on availability and with the express permission of the Programme Director. Depending on demand, space on courses outside the core courses may be limited.

Full programme details, including core and optional courses is available on the University Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study website.

View 2024-25 programme and course information for the LLM in European Law

Having successfully completed 120 credit points of courses within the LLM, you will be ready to move onto a single piece of independent and in-depth research. The 10,000 word dissertation allows you to focus on a preferred topic from within the field of European law normally based on a subject you have studied in one of your courses during the programme.

You will be assigned an academic dissertation supervisor who will provide you with support and guidance while you prepare and write your dissertation.

The dissertation is a challenging but rewarding endeavour, asking you to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the relevant literature and an ability to engage critically with a range of sources, drawing on the skills and knowledge you have developed during the course of the programme. Students are encouraged to show originality and evidence of independent thinking, whether in terms of the material used, or the manner in which it is presented.

The dissertation is written in the summer months (April to August) after the taught courses are successfully completed.

Elisenda Casanas Adam is Lecturer in Public Law and Human Rights and Associate Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law. Her main research interests lie in the comparative analysis of public law, focusing on plurinational constitutionalism, referendums and self-determination, devolution and federalism, and judicial review and the protection of human rights in multi-level systems. She has a special interest in the public law of Scotland and the United Kingdom, and of Catalonia and Spain.

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Stephen Coutts is a Lecturer in European Union Law. He is a member of the editorial board of European Papers and formerly on the editorial board of the Irish Journal of European Law. He is on the Advisory Board of the Irish Centre of European Law and a former President and current Council member of the Irish Association of Law Teachers. 

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Robert Lane's principal areas of interest lie within the various strands of EC law. They include in particular the constitutional and administrative law of the European Union and the European Community, the methods and reasoning of the European Court of Justice, and the law of the internal market and EC competition law.

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Dr Leandro Mancano is Senior Lecturer in EU Law at Edinburgh Law School, Head of EU Law Subject Area and Programme Director of the LLM in European Law.

Leandro’s main research interests lie in EU constitutional Law, EU fundamental rights Law, the law and policy of the EU Area of Freedom Security and Justice. He teaches and is course organizer of courses in EU Law, EU Criminal Law, EU Asylum and Immigration Law.

Leandro’s publications focus on the interaction amongst different areas of European law and policy, such as crime, migration, and human rights. His first monograph analyses the legislative and judicial approach of the EU to deprivation of liberty in the fields of substantive and procedural criminal law, immigration, citizenship and free movement.

Before joining the University of Edinburgh, Leandro received his PhD from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa). He has been visiting researcher at Queen Mary University of London, Université Libre de Bruxelles and the University of Copenhagen. Leandro is UK’s Deputy Contact Point for the European Criminal Law Academic Network (ECLAN).

Leandro is regularly involved in public engagement, has drafted policy papers and provided evidence to Scottish institutions.

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Niamh Nic Shuibhne is Professor of European Union Law. She is one of the Joint Editors of the Common Market Law Review. She was Joint Editor of the European Law Review from 2009-2014, and remains a member of its Editorial Board. She is a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges), where she introduced the first compulsory course on EU citizenship law in 2013.

Her research examines questions of substantive EU law from a constitutional perspective, with a particular focus on principle-based analysis of free movement law and European Union citizenship. Themes that underpin that work include the values of coherence, fairness and integrity; the respective commitments, and responsibilities, of the Union and of the Member States; and the quality of EU legal decision-making, with particular emphasis on the role of the judiciary.

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Jo Shaw has held the Salvesen Chair of European Institutions in the School of Law since January 2005. Since 2018, she has also held a part time visiting position in the New Social Research programme of Tampere University in Finland.

Since 2017, she has been working on a set of related projects on citizenship regimes: what they are and how they work. Her work has been supported by a EURIAS Fellowship at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (2017-2018) and a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2018-2020). She is also co-Director of the Global Citizenship Observatory. Her current work builds on research previously funded by the European Research Council and the Nuffield Foundation.

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Arianna is on sabbatical for the 2024-25 academic year

Arianna Andreangeli's research interests lie in the area of EU and domestic competition law, both substantive and procedural. She is especially interested in exploring how the competition rules can be effectively applied so as to safeguard genuine rivalry in the market while safeguarding the concerned actors' economic freedom and incentive to innovate and invest.

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A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in law or European Studies. We may also consider a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a social science subject.

In evaluating your application for postgraduate study, greater emphasis may be placed upon results of prior learning in subjects relevant to the intended degree programme. Entry to this programme is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.

Supporting your application

• Relevant work experience is not required but may increase your chances of acceptance.
• Relevant professional qualifications will be considered.
• Preference will be given to those with grades above the minimum requirements due to strong competition for places on this programme.

International qualifications

You can check whether your degree qualification is equivalent to the minimum standard before applying.

Check your degree

Students from China

This degree is Band A.

Find out more about our postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

Postgraduate study in the field of law requires a thorough, complex and demanding knowledge of English, so we ask that the communication skills of all students are at the same minimum standard.

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

Two year expiry

• IELTS Academic / IELTS Academic for UKVI and IELTS Academic Online: total 7.0 (at least 7.0 in the writing component and 6.5 in each other module)
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 25 in writing and 23 in each other module)
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components
• PTE Academic: 70 overall with at least 70 in the writing component and 62 in each other component
  *Please note that we have suspended acceptance of PTE Academic Online with immediate effect*
• Oxford ELLT (Global and Digital): 8 overall with at least 8 in the writing component and 7 in each other component

Three and a half year expiry

• C1 Advanced, formerly known as Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
• C2 Proficiency, formerly known as Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your English language qualification must be no more than two years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins, unless you are using CAE/CPE, in which case it must be no more than three and a half years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, that was taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). The UK Government's website provides a list of majority English speaking countries.

View the UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or equivalent, that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.

Approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

View approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries

Your application may not be successful if you do not currently satisfy any of these requirements; alternatively, you may be offered a place conditional on your reaching the satisfactory standard by the time you start the degree.

Find out more about the University's English language requirements

Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes

We also accept satisfactory completion of our English for Academic Purposes programme as meeting our English language requirements. You must complete the programme no more than two years and one month before the start date of the degree you are applying to study.

Find out more about the University's Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes

English language support

The University runs a series of programmes for English Language Education, including a pre-sessional English Language Programme intended to strengthen your English Language skills before you start your programme of study.

Find out more about English language support offered by the University

Deadlines for applicants applying to study the LLM in European Law in 2024-25 are provided in the table below.

We monitor application numbers carefully to ensure we are able to accommodate all those who receive offers. It may therefore be necessary to close a programme earlier than the published deadline and if this is the case we will place a four-week warning notice on the relevant programme page.

Please note that the deadline for meeting the conditions of an offer is 18 August 2024.

Applications are made online via the University Application Service, EUCLID.

Please follow the instructions carefully and make sure that you have included the following documentation with your application:

• You will need to submit a personal statement of around 500 words, outlining your academic history and relevant experience. Guidance on writing your personal statement.
• Degree certificates showing award of degree
• Previous academic transcripts for all past degree programmes (please upload the full transcript showing results from all years of study)
• A reference in support of your application. The reference should be academic and dated no earlier than one year from the start of study on the LLM programme
• Evidence of English language proficiency, if required

If you are currently studying for your degree or you are not in a possession of an English test result you may still apply to the programme. Please note that it is your responsibility to submit the necessary documents.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

View full detailed application guidance

Students at this University must not undertake any other concurrent credit bearing studies in this (or in any other) institution, unless the College has granted permission. The College must be satisfied that any additional credit-bearing studies will not restrict the student’s ability to complete their existing programme of study. Students will not be permitted to undertake concurrent degree programmes in any circumstances.

If you are studying at this or another institution just prior to the start of your postgraduate studies you must have finished these studies before the start of the programme to which you have an offer.

After your application has been submitted you will be able to track its progress through the University's applicant hub.

Application processing times will vary, however the admissions team will endeavour to process your application within four to six weeks of submission. Please note that missing documentation will delay the application process.

You will be informed as soon as possible of the decision taken. Three outcomes are possible:

• You may be offered a place unconditionally
• You may be offered a conditional place, which means that you must fulfil certain conditions that will be specified in the offer letter. Where a conditional offer is made, it is your responsibility to inform the College Postgraduate Office when you have fulfilled the requirements set out. 
  Please note that the deadline for meeting the conditions of an offer is 18 August 2024.
• Your application may be unsuccessful. If your application has not been successful, you can request feedback from us or refer to our guidance for unsuccessful applicants, which explains some of the common reasons we why we reach this decision.
  View the University's guidance for unsuccessful applicants

Deferring your offer

We do not normally offer deferrals, however, we may be able to make a very limited number of offers for deferred entry in exceptional circumstances.

View full guidance on deferral requests

The University’s terms and conditions form part of your contract with the University, and you should read them, and our data protection policy, carefully before applying.

University of Edinburgh admissions terms and conditions