LLM Law

The LLM General programme affords you the opportunity to choose any combination of the graduate modules offered by the Sutherland School of Law. Members of staff in the Sutherland School of Law have engaged in major research across the areas of law reflected in the modules offered in the programme ranging from cross-border divorce law, the socio-economic rights of asylum seekers to the regulation of charities in Ireland.

To understand and think critically about various facets of Law;
To apply their knowledge and understanding of Law to real and hypothetical factual situations;
To conduct independent research and write coherent, well-structured papers.
Careers & Employability
The deeper understanding and knowledge of law acquired through the programme is highly regarded by employers and has been the basis for many successful varied careers, both domestically and internationally. Recent employers include Mason Hays & Curran, Eversheds LLP and Maples & Calder.

Several UCD careers events are held throughout the year, including dedicated law careers fairs which are attended by top employers. For specific careers advice, the UCD Sutherland School of Law has a dedicated careers advisor on its academic faculty.

The Sutherland School of Law offers a wide range of modules for the Masters programmes. Modules of especial interest to those undertaking this programme include:

Environmental Law and Policy - Environmental law forms a fundamental part of how our society interacts with its natural surroundings. This course comprises a practical, in-depth examination of environmental law, with a focus on European and international perspectives. It will trace the development of EU and international environmental law to date and will analyze the legal principles applied to environmental protection. 

Immigration and Asylum Law  - States have a right under international law to limit access by non-citizens to a state. However, this right is necessarily limited and prescribed. Immigration and asylum law raise questions regarding the ability of states to regulate or control in-ward migration for certain categories of non-citizen. Immigration & Asylum: Law, Politics & Rights is designed for both law and non-law students. With profound changes expected to the Irish immigration and asylum systems over the coming years, this course will be useful to a wide variety of individuals. A sound knowledge and understanding of the legal rules and principles that have evolved to govern immigration and asylum law is useful and necessary for all persons operating in government, national and international governmental organisations, politics, business, as practising lawyers, policy makers, or as rights advocates within the international and national non-governmental sector (NGOs). 

Corporate Governance will cover both the legal and regulatory environment and the informational and market infrastructures which apply in Ireland and the wider EU. The objective of this module is to develop an understanding of the development of corporate governance and its importance to companies and their stakeholders. It seeks to provide a framework for analysing how regulations impact on corporate decision-making, ethics and planning. The module will investigate the processes of supervision and control within companies and determine what the primary aims of those processes should be. It will examine the regulations and norms which seek to ensure that directors act in the interests of shareholders or wider stakeholder groups as appropriate. It will examine both the theory and the reality of shareholder democracy. Throughout the module, consideration will be given to the important question of determining the appropriate form of regulation to achieve the desired aims of corporate governance.

CIEL

The Comparative International and European Law (CIEL) programme is an exchange programme for registered full-time LLM students. The programme includes joint thesis supervision with academic colleagues at both the home and host institution. Upon successful completion students are awarded the CIEL certificate in addition to their LLM award.