External summary

The LLM in Medical Law and Ethics draws on the expertise and tradition of Edinburgh Law School to deliver an internationally-focussed, interdisciplinary programme that combines flexible learning with the most up-to-date teaching on all of the important issues affecting medicine, law and ethics today.

The programme content spans foundational issues in medical law, such as:

• Consent

• Negligence and confidentiality

• Issues at the beginning and end of life

• Public health

• Biosecurity

• Regulation of medical research

• Legal and social approaches to biotechnology

Having studied the programme, the student will emerge with an understanding of medico-legal issues not just in the legal context, but with a sound grounding in ethics, social and theoretical contexts.

Applications are welcomed from healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses and from all those with an interest in this area.

Educational aims of programme

The LLM in Medical Law and Ethics aims to promote advanced knowledge and understanding of medical law and ethics within International, European and Domestic settings.

The broad educational aims mirror those of other LLM programmes offered in the School of Law: to provide advanced knowledge, to provide the tools which enable that knowledge to be located within a broad interdisciplinary, comparative or historical context, to foster critical and evaluative skills and to generate independence of thought.

Having studied the programme, students will emerge with an understanding of legal issues not just in the legal context, but with a sound grounding in ethics, social and theoretical contexts. 

Since students will have access to the results of innovative, cross-cutting research of the highest quality, the programme is suitable to prepare students for advanced research.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

The subjects of the degree are intended to equip students with both an advanced knowledge of substantive medical law and of the place and role of medico-legal and ethical argument within a domestic, regional and international context, laying a foundation for a specialised dissertation.

By the end of their studies for this degree, students will have acquired a high level of knowledge in the field of medical, a sophisticated awareness of the problems in the area and of the differing approaches to their solution.

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

By the end of the programme the students will develop:

• the capacity to engage with and participate in the existing debates in their chosen areas of study;

• the ability to select and deploy appropriate research techniques with a view to developing their own arguments and reaching conclusions that constitute a contribution to the current debates;

• the ability to critique other authors’ contribution to the scholarly debate and suggest alternative approaches.

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

By the end of the programme students will have acquired:

• the ability to independently assess the relevance and importance of primary and secondary sources and to construct alternative interpretations and views based on the student’s own understanding and argument;

• the capacity of discerning, without continuous supervision, the appropriate research techniques and methods that are most suitable to the legal standards and policy approaches that are relevant in specific contexts and cases and of suggesting solutions to a given problem;

• the ability to question current legal rules and to critique the outcomes of specific cases with a view to assessing their effectiveness to a given objective;

• the ability to plan and draft an extended piece of independent research;
• an ability to adapt and apply a broad range of analytical tools to new situations.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

By the end of the programme the students will:

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

By the end of the programme, students will have the ability to:

• work independently, seeking relevant advice and support when necessary;

• participate effectively in online discussions;
• work constructively as a member of an online community;
• work effectively under fixed deadlines.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

By the end of the programme the students will:

Programme structure and features

The full-time option for the LLM in Medical Law and Ethics is a 12-month programme commencing in mid-September annually. Students are required to complete a total of six modules (120 credit points) over two semesters. The dissertation (60 credit points) is completed over the summer months, subject to attaining the required module passes during semester time.

Part-time studies are possible over 20, 24, 32 and 36 months.

The 20-month programme is only available to students wishing to commence studies in January. Students are required to complete a total of six modules (120 credit points) over three semesters and must complete at least one module in every semester. The dissertation (60 credit points) is completed over the summer months in the student’s second year of enrolment, subject to attaining the required module passes during semester time.

The 24-month programme is only available to students wishing to commence studies in September. Students are required to complete a minimum of one module (20 credit points) per semester and must complete a total of six modules over four semesters (120 credit points). The dissertation (60 credit points) is completed over the summer months in the student’s second year of enrolment, subject to attaining the required module passes during semester time.

The 32-month programme is only available to students wishing to commence studies in January. Students are required to complete a minimum of one module (20 credit points) per semester and must complete a total of six modules over five semesters (120 credit points). The dissertation (60 credit points) is completed over the summer months in the student’s third year of enrolment, subject to attaining the required module passes during semester time.

The 36-month programme is only available to students wishing to commence studies in September. Students are required to complete one module (20 credit points) per semester - a total of six modules over six semesters (120 credit points). The dissertation (60 credit points) is completed over the summer months in the student’s third year of enrolment, subject to attaining the required module passes during semester time.

LLM Medical Law and Ethics students must complete the four core Medical Law and Ethics modules over their chosen period of study:

During their period of study students must also complete two modules from the list below:

Degree Programme Table:

Exit awards / progression 

Progression to the dissertation and award of the LLM in Medical Law and Ethics degree will be decided, in line with University Taught Postgraduate Assessment Regulations and other guidance, 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:

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:

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

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Our distance learning programmes are delivered via eSCRIPT - our flexible online learning environment developed by the University. eSCRIPT is accessible from any computer via the internet. A fast connection is an advantage, but students do not need any special equipment, applications or plug-ins.

Learning and teaching within eSCRIPT happen 'asynchronously' and the classroom is accessible 24/7. This means that students have the flexibility to log in at any time and study at times and in places convenient to them.

In a typical week on our distance learning programmes, students will be expected to:

• read about a particular subject;

• reflect on the questions and issues raised;

• post their responses and comments in online discussions;

• read and respond to contributions from fellow students and their tutor.

Extensive and authoritative learning materials are provided within eScript. These are highly up-to-date and topical, and generally relate directly to academics’ fields of research activity.

Online discussion is central to our distance learning programmes, but we regularly offer a variety of other learning activities to accommodate and reinforce different learning styles. Examples include: multiple-choice quizzes; voting in an online debate; annotating short sections of text; role play activities; and more.

Our academic tutors are all experts in the fields they are teaching. They have the in-depth knowledge and understanding of their discipline, but they are also experienced teachers - in the online environment and on campus.

Students will meet tutors regularly in eSCRIPT, where they will be stimulating discussion, answering questions, offering feedback, and helping to weave individual contributions into coherent new directions. Sometimes their role may actually mean staying out of the discussion - to allow space for students to develop their own ideas.

From time to time, we also involve specialist guest tutors, who come in alongside the regular tutors to lead a focused discussion on a particular topic.

Facilities

Online distance learning students are accorded with full rights as students of the University of Edinburgh, which grants access to a vast range of online resources - amongst the most common legal databases used during the programme would be LexisNexis, Westlaw and HeinOnline.

Certain courses on the LLM programmes are accompanied by a text book which is provided to students as part of their programme fee.

Students have access to a range of learning resources, specially developed to meet the needs of those entering our programmes without any background in legal study, or those who may be returning to legal study after a prolonged break. These specialist support materials will extend and refresh students’ knowledge and understanding of the Western legal tradition. They also provide a firm foundation for students to develop essential skills in legal research methods and resources.

An extensive resource bank of podcast lectures in relevant subject areas is also maintained, specifically for students.

Assessment methods and strategies

To successfully complete the online distance learning LLM students are required to complete a total of 6 courses (120 credits) and complete a dissertation (60 credit points) over their chosen period of study.

Modules offered within the LLM programmes follow a consistent assessment structure. Each module has a requirement to write an essay (60%); participate in online discussion and activities (20%); and complete a coursework assignment (20%).

This structure offers students a variety of assessment forms, and assignments tailored to the specific learning outcomes of each module. Students can pursue relevant research interests they may bring to the programme, with the facility to devise their own essay title in agreement with their tutor.

The dissertation offers students an opportunity to conduct extensive research and analysis, and write in the subject of their LLM. The dissertation title is agreed with the student’s supervisor during their final semester of taught study. Supervision continues throughout the research and writing of the dissertation.

Students provide feedback on global programme matters and on each specific module they take, at the end of every semester they are on-programme. This feedback is used to monitor the effectiveness of our teaching, learning and assessment strategies, and to develop innovative new methods.

Career opportunities

One of the key strengths of the LLM programmes by online distance learning is the diversity of the student cohort. Students join from all over the world, and they bring a wide range of professional experience. The programme is an opportunity to engage with each other as well as with the subject matter, and to learn about the practical application of the law in different jurisdictions as well as debate the fundamental principles and theories.

The majority of our students are mid-career, and they often work across international boundaries. Many will already be established in their career, but wish to use the programme to consolidate skills and knowledge accumulated over time.

Graduates of our online distance learning programmes progress to a range of careers in law and related legal fields, including work in local and international firms, government legal departments, other public institutions, international organisations and in academia. The programmes are also an ideal platform for advanced research.

For some graduates, successful completion of the programme will lead to a promotion within their current positions. Others aim to develop a new professional direction altogether. The programme aims to support students in whichever outcome they aspire to, through developing their knowledge and understanding of the law, but also through acquiring transferable skills and, not least, the experience of engaging with leading academics in the field and with fellow students.

The profile of online distance learning LLM students, and their needs for career guidance, are recognised by the University careers service, which offers information resources relevant to international and non-Law careers, and the opportunity to arrange individual consultations with students who are based remotely.

Other items

Fee: international premium LLM fee (£14,400 in 2012/13)

Programme Director: Professor Graeme Laurie (T: 0131 650 2020; E: graeme.laurie@ed.ac.uk)