External summary

‘European law’ is a product of post-war development in Europe, yet at the same time marks an understanding, or culture, of law which has existed for hundreds of years.  Edinburgh is uniquely placed for study in the area, for two reasons. First, it is the national capital and heart of a distinct legal system which is, like European law, a hybrid.  A Scots lawyer is necessarily a comparative lawyer, and this is reflected in the study and culture of law in Edinburgh. Second, the Europa Institute was the first centre established in the United Kingdom (in 1968, five years before UK accession) to specialise in the study of the (then) European Communities. As presently constituted as a research centre within the School of Law, the Europa Institute has developed as one of the pre-eminent centres in Britain for the study of the institutions, policies and law of the European Union. The Union forms the core of modern European endeavour and so also the core of the LL.M. programme, but it casts its nets wider.

The interdisciplinary ethos of the Europa Institute also provides a unique environment for advanced study of EU law in its political and economic contexts; we offer courses in the Law School on both policy implications and applied economics, and we have links with courses offered by our colleagues in the School of Social and Political Studies. We also involve legal practitioners and policy-makers working at the highest levels of the development of EU law in our LLM teaching, thereby offering our students a broad range of perspectives on EU (and wider European) law and practice.

Educational aims of programme

The aim of the LL.M. in European Law, taught primarily by staff working within the Europa Institute, is essentially twofold; first, to provide an established core of European law subjects at an advanced level and, second, to apply and broaden this knowledge via study of specialised optional courses. The programme offered at Edinburgh thus reflects the rapid evolution of contemporary European law and, against the backdrop of international law more generally, its unique bearing on domestic legal orders.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

The information contained in this Programme Specification should be used as a guide to the content of a degree programme and should not be interpreted as a contract.

The candidate having completed the programme will have a deep understanding of the various sources of European law - an easy familiarity with its primary sources and principles, and the most important secondary sources (droit d??riv??); the work, methods and techniques of its institutions, particularly those of the EU judicature; the economic/political context and the national legal environment in which EU and other European laws operate; an ability to identify key issues of and critically to analyse the law at a high level of sophistication, assess its validity within the EU hierarchy of norms, the method(s) of its application, and its relationship with other (international and national) rules; and, beyond these universal rules, a deeper knowledge in those areas of law in which he or she elects to specialise.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

The programme leads to:

- instinctive familiarity and ease as to where to find up-to-date EU law, in both published/reported and not published, paper and electronic sources; and with its recognised methods of citation and reference

- immediate appreciation of the standing of that law in its wider international/European contexts and the difficulties it may face in its full application within a national legal system

- an ability critically to analyse source materials and use them in both an academic or professional context.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

The graduate of the programme will have acquired an advanced ability to act independently in planning and undertaking tasks in European law, to think critically about its purpose, to work collaboratively in groups to test, modify, strengthen and impart his or her individual views; and to use these skills equally in the context of a public administrative post or in private legal practice.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

The graduate will have acquired the ability to work effectively with colleagues from different legal and linguistic cultures and backgrounds and to impart, succinctly, systematically and at an advanced level opinions, analyses and advice of European legal issues in the standard English adapted and used to that purpose. Such is the universality of European law that the medium of it may be English but the substance will be recognisable equally to a Sicilian or a Swede, a Bulgarian or a Belgian. As the European courses are taught with proper deference to the multilingual sources and culture of European law, he or she ought to be able to do equally in any other language with which he or she is adequately familiar.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

The graduate will have learned the art of working effectively in multinational and multilingual groups; will have acquired an understanding of and sensitivity to the different legal and cultural backgrounds yet drawing from them a common thread in response to resolving uniform problems; will have skill at organising and prioritising time and effort effectively in the performance of a given task, and the confidence to make informed decisions based on their knowledge and understanding and their personal and intellectual autonomy.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

Programme structure and features

You may take the LLM in European Law either full-time or part-time. The full-time route is 12 months from September.

Students are required to complete 180 credits of study: this includes a dissertation, upon a topic of the candidate’s choosing in collaboration with his or her supervisor, to be submitted following completion of the taught component of the programme. The dissertation comprises 60 credits, the taught component 120 credits made up from LLM courses (or other taught courses approved for that purpose).  80 of the taught 120 credits must be selected from a list of specialised European law courses; the remaining 40 credits may be (but need not be) selected from another level 11 course within the School of Law or, in a related discipline, within the School of Social and Political Studies.

Exit Awards/Progression

Progression to the dissertation and award of the LLM degree will be decided, in line with the University’s Taught Assessment Regulations, by a Board of Examiners administered in the School of Law and composed of staff teaching on the degree.

Specifically, the normal conditions for progression and exit awards are as follows:

In order to progress to the masters dissertation candidates must:

• attain at least 80 credits with a pass at masters level or more in each of the separate elements and
• be awarded an aggregate pass at masters level for the 120 credits of study examined at the point of decision for progression and
• have no course mark below 40% in any 40-credit course, and no more than one course mark below 40% in any 20-credit course

Students who do not meet the criteria for progression but who receive a pass at diploma level or more in 80 credits and an aggregate pass at diploma level for the 120 credits of study are eligible to receive the Diploma.

In order to be awarded a masters degree candidates must:

• have satisfied the requirements for progression, as laid out above, and
• attain 60 credits, by achieving a pass at masters level for the dissertation.

Any student who meets the criteria for progression but who then does not pass the dissertation is eligible to receive the Diploma.

Students can also exit with a postgraduate certificate on achieving 60 credits from taught elements.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

The learning process will be didactic, seminar-based and research-focused. The courses will usually be taught by a seminar in a discussion group ranging from five to 25 students, although some courses may (rarely) be larger. Seminars will normally last for two hours. Students will be expected to prepare in advance by reading the required materials and by reflecting on the issues to be discussed. In some courses, there may be a more formal lecture for the first part of the seminar. Courses will be usually assessed by essays and other coursework.

Promoting social responsibility, sustainability and equality and diversity

This LLM programme seeks to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in a complex, multilayered and in parts, fast-changing area of the law which is continuously interacting with issues of policy and public interest. By enabling and encouraging students to become critically aware and to develop autonomous views and arguments on these issues, through innovative techniques and a strong emphasis on reflection and critical analysis, this programme is capable of embedding the University’ core objective of increasing awareness of social responsibility questions in its specific area.

Sustainability and equality and diversity

This LLM programme seeks to deploy a variety of teaching techniques ranging from face-to-face seminar contact to one-to-one dissertation supervision to the utilisation of electronic and online library, communication and research resources.  The overarching goal is to ensure flexibility, autonomy and self-reliance in students’ learning while at the same time preserving and enhancing high teaching and learning standards: it is envisaged that this blended approach to teaching and learning will secure strong results in terms of the sustainability and good use of resources in the delivery of the programme; it will also ensure that a diverse student audience will be able to attain its learning outcomes by taking the utmost advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities offered.

There will be some variation amongst the courses as to the modes of assessment as differing courses in the LLM programme will test different competencies and aptitudes.  In full year courses (40 credits), assessment will normally be by two written essays with the first having a lesser weight. One semester courses (20 credits) are assessed either by one essay that counts for 100% of the grade or by a combination of essay and another form of assessment (such as a take-home exercise, a presentation (both solo and group), an annotated bibliography, a poster, a response to a policy consultation, a moot, or an assessment completed in class).

The School provides targeted, timely and useful feedback to students on their performance in a number of ways:

• through direct comment by staff members in seminars;
• through supervision meetings on the dissertation;
• through written comments provided to students during the course of the academic session on formative assessment, such assessment designed to assist students in improving their essay and examination technique;
• through individual written feedback provided to students on summative coursework such as essays and the dissertation;
• through informal meetings that students can arrange with course organisers, or other members of the teaching team, where additional support or advice on how to improve their learning strategies and practice is required.

The School is always looking to improve the quality and helpfulness of its feedback to students, and takes seriously the comments on feedback provided anonymously in class questionnaires and via the annual Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey.

Student feedback and evaluation is a valued input to curriculum and programme review and development within the school and students are asked to complete evaluation forms on each course they take.  Student representatives are elected at the start of every year and represent the study body throughout the period of the programme of study.  As postgraduate students have access to the resources and facilities of the Institute of Academic Development at the University.  The Institute offers a range of workshops and training sessions including essential communication skills, information technology skills, time management, project management, decision-making and much more

Assessment methods and strategies

• The range of teaching and learning methods used on the programme, including opportunities for feedback

All courses on the programme are taught in seminar discussion groups.  Class sizes range from 5-25 students and seminars generally last for two hours.  Students are expected to prepare for these seminars in advance by reading the materials prescribed in class hand-outs and by reflecting upon the issues which will be critically discussed in the seminar.  Seminars may include large group discussions, small group work exercises and group and/or individual presentations.  Interaction with course staff, course organisers and fellow students throughout seminars, in which active participation is a prerequisite, ensures that students get ongoing feedback on their contributions to the class and opportunities to reflect on their learning.  The programme also includes a supervised dissertation to which students progress after satisfactorily completing the taught courses.  All students are allocated an individual supervisor with relevant academic experience in their chosen area of study.  Supervision is designed to assist students in identifying and refining an appropriate academic research project, to support their programme of research activity, and to empower them to take lead responsibility for their research.  Students receive ongoing feedback and must reflect on their progress through their one to one supervision meetings.

• Facilities (e.g. library; IT or any other distinctive facilities provided within the School)

The University of Edinburgh library has one of the largest and most important collections in Britain. It has some two million items including the latest publications, key texts, and rare books. The Law School has its own library within Old College, well stocked in most important fields of law. The library of the Europa Institute, housed alongside the Law Library, is an outstanding European Documentation Centre. Within walking distance from the Law School is the National Library of Scotland which also possesses an important legal collection accessible to postgraduate students.

Postgraduate students have access to the extensive computing facilities provided by the Law School. The School maintains a number of computer labs, all of which are available for the exclusive use of postgraduate students. Wireless network access is available in many parts of the Law School including within the Law Library and Lecture Theatres. Postgraduate students have extensive access to online legal research facilities including electronic journals, LexisNexis and Westlaw. Additional computing facilities (including a laptop loan service for flexibility of learning) are available in the University's Main Library and via the University's Computing Services.

The School is proud to boast a brand new Moot Court Room, which is installed with all the latest IT and audio facilities, giving all students who participate in mooting competitions and exercises a flavour of practice in a real court situation.

Career opportunities

The School is dedicated to ensuring all students are academically and socially prepared and are responsible and ethical citizens.  We offer training events and support for all our postgraduate students in both academic and key life skills.  The current employment market is a difficult and competitive one but we aim to ensure our students are independent thinkers with practical skills, giving them an advantage over their peers.

The Careers Service offers expert advice on careers options, searching for careers, CV writing and preparing for interviews.  This support can be tailored for students from the School of Law.

This LLM programme has been conceived as a gateway into a range of employment opportunities and specialised academic work, which may include:

• Legal practice
• Government legal service (at both national and EU levels)
• International civil servants
• Government advisors
• Legal advisors to non-governmental organisations and private companies
• Specialised researchers in academic and think-tank institutions
• Independent consultants

Other items

The School and its research centres actively organise frequent events including seminar and lecture series, conferences, research training, workshops and fairs.  We strongly encourage all our postgraduate students to attend these events as well as getting involved with their organisation.

The Edinburgh Student Law Review is the first of its kind in Scotland.  Managed and written entirely by the School’s student body, it aims to provide a forum for law students to engage in a more analytical approach to the study of law.  Students from all levels and legal disciplines are encouraged to submit articles, case notes and updates which are published in the Review each year.

The School of Law and Edinburgh University are committed to providing pastoral support for postgraduate students.  The Director of Postgraduate Studies, the Programme Director and postgraduate office staff act as points of first contact and can advise students on the extensive network of services that exist throughout the University.  Additional language training and support is available for international students through the English Language Training Centre at the University.  The International Office provides broader support and advice on living and studying in Edinburgh to this constituency of students. The Student Disability Service offers guidance and support for students experiencing difficulties or suffering from impairments covered by the Equality Act, and the Edinburgh University Students’ Association, run by and for students, offer a broad range of services to support students’ well-being at the University.  The University’s Accommodation Services can also help students finding appropriate accommodation in the city.