
Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Laws (LLM)
- Duration
- 1 year (full-time)
- Entry requirements
-
The LLM applicants must hold a minimum Upper Second class honours degree, or the overseas equivalent, in law or in a relevant subject. Those applicants who do not satisfy the entry requirements for direct entry onto our LLM course may wish to be considered for entry onto the Postgraduate Diploma course.
In exceptional circumstances candidates who do not have first degree, but who can demonstrate professional competence, may be admitted on the Postgraduate Diploma course.
Candidates without a first degree may register initially for the Postgraduate Diploma and be considered for transfer to the LLM. A decision as to whether transfer can take place will be made once marks for all taught components are available. Transfer is dependent upon the student reaching Master's level in the taught modules.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
---|---|---|---|---|
LLM | Y | Y | N | Y |
Course overview
- Develop your knowledge of medical law, and how medical law is shaped by ethical arguments and concerns.
- Take a course that is both flexible and interdisciplinary, and comes with a solid legal component.
- Apply bioethical and legal theory to real-world scenarios.
Open days
The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to find out more about our facilities and courses.
For more information, see open days .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2021, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
LLM (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £10,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £20,500 -
LLM (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £5,250
International, including EU, students (per annum): £10,250 -
LLM (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): £4,750 per annum
International, including EU, students (per annum): £9,500 per annum
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
- Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Plan (CSFP) General Scholarship
- School of Social Sciences - Manchester Alumni Scholarship Scheme - 2021 entry
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Social Sciences
- Contact name
- Postgraduate Taught Admissions Team
- healthcare-ethics@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/law/
- School/Faculty
-
See: School Subjects
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
The LLM applicants must hold a minimum Upper Second class honours degree, or the overseas equivalent, in law or in a relevant subject. Those applicants who do not satisfy the entry requirements for direct entry onto our LLM course may wish to be considered for entry onto the Postgraduate Diploma course.
In exceptional circumstances candidates who do not have first degree, but who can demonstrate professional competence, may be admitted on the Postgraduate Diploma course.
Candidates without a first degree may register initially for the Postgraduate Diploma and be considered for transfer to the LLM. A decision as to whether transfer can take place will be made once marks for all taught components are available. Transfer is dependent upon the student reaching Master's level in the taught modules.
English language
- IELTS - overall score of 7, including 7 in writing with no further component score below 6.5;
- TOEFL IBT 103 with 28 in writing and no further score below 25 in each section. TOEFL code for Manchester is 0757.
- Pearson - overall 73 with 73 in writing and no further score below 66
- Other English tests are also considered. Please contact us for further information - pg-soss@manchester.ac.uk
Scores are valid for 2 years.
Please note that CAS statements are issued only when all conditions of the offer have been satisfied, PDF copy of passport received and the offer accepted.
Applicants from certain countries may be exempt from having to provide an IELTS or TOEFL score. For further advice please email pg-soss@manchester.ac.uk
Pre-Sessional English Courses
If you are eligible to do a pre-sessional English course (either 6 weeks or 10 weeks, depending on your English score), you will need to successfully complete the course at the required level before you are permitted to register on your academic course.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country.
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
Due to high demand for this course, we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year, as follows:
- 1 November (decision by 8 December, accept offer by 15 January);
- 7 January (decision by 14 February, accept offer by 16 March);
- 2 March (decision by 8 April, accept offer by 8 May);
- 4 May (decision by 1 June, accept offer by 1 July).
If we make you an offer, you will have four weeks to accept. Any offers not accepted by the deadline will be withdrawn.
All conditional offer-holders will have until 1 August to satisfy the conditions of their offer.
You need to ensure that you submit your supporting documents with your online application as it may delay us processing your application. While we aim to give respond by the decision date, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next date.
We can accept your application before you complete your undergraduate course, submit your latest transcripts with your online application. Please note:
- All places are subject to availability, some courses may be closed by the later dates, so apply early in the cycle.
- Meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer.
- If you are a current University of Manchester undergraduate student, you may be eligible to apply via the 'Fast-Track' scheme, email pg-soss@manchester.ac.uk for more information.
- International applicants who will require a visa to study in the UK, can find visa information online.
How your application is considered
All applicants must submit:
- an online application form;
- supporting statement;
- transcripts of degree;
- two references.
Applications will not be considered if documents are missing.
Re-applications
Transfers
The University of Manchester Law School does not accept transfer students.
Course details
Course description
The LLM in Healthcare Ethics and Law provides high-quality education in healthcare ethics and healthcare law. There is an emphasis on the application of bioethical and legal theory to real-world scenarios, catering to the practical needs of healthcare and legal professionals and those in related fields.
You will study a wide variety of ethical and legal subjects including:
- autonomy;
- consent;
- refusal of treatment;
- confidentiality;
- the moral status of the foetus;
- resource allocation;
- genetic testing;
- HIV testing;
- medical malpractice;
- clinical negligence;
- organ and tissue transplantation;
- fertility treatment;
- genetic manipulation;
- research ethics;
- stem cell research;
- euthanasia.
This course requires the study of both ethics and law, but with a bias towards law in the taught units. On the distance learning course, all options taken must be law-based. On the campus-based course, the majority of options should be law-based.
Aims
This course will allow you to develop an expert knowledge and understanding of bioethical and medico-legal theories, and the skills needed to apply them to real world scenarios in a diverse range of contexts.
You will also develop the ethical and medico-legal knowledge and research skills required for writing a master's level dissertation, and will be well prepared for further research if you so desire.
Teaching and learning
Teaching tends to defy the traditional boundaries associated with lectures and seminars.
Generally, each class in a course unit has a duration of two or three hours per week, and is split roughly between a formal, didactic period and a structured discussion period (most often based on the so-called, challenge-response model).
Nevertheless, each class is considered a seminar or lecture, and attendance of all classes of a course unit for which you are enrolled is compulsory. For course units of 15 credit value, there will generally be 15 hours of face-to-face teaching throughout the semester in which the unit is delivered, and twice that amount for 30 credit units.
Coursework and assessment
Assessment of all taught course units (to a total of 120 credits) is assessed by coursework in the form of 4,000 word essays per 15 credit course unit and up to 6,000 words for the two 30 credit core course units.
In addition, to complete the LLM, you must submit a 10,000-12,000 word dissertation by independent research (60 credits); no dissertation is required for the PGDip or PGCert. Part-time students undertake a supervised dissertation in the summer months of Year 2. Please note that if you are on the part-time route, you can extend your registration for an extra three months to submit your dissertations in December of Year 2, instead of September (you will be advised of the exact date in Year 2).
If you do not successfully complete the MA, you may be considered for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma.
If you do not successfully complete the Postgraduate Diploma, you may be considered for the award of the Postgraduate Certificate.
The awards of the MA or Postgraduate Diploma are classified according to pass, merit and distinction. The Postgraduate Certificate is awarded unclassified.
Course unit details
You will be required to complete 180 credits:
- 120 credits comprised of taught course units (each of 15 or 30 credit value);
- and an independent research element worth 60 credits. This will be a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation, which is undertaken over the summer months of the course. The dissertation should be predominantly law-based.
On the full time course, the 120 taught credits can be split in one of two ways:
- 60 credits in each of the two semesters;
- or 75 credits in semester one and 45 credits in semester two.
If you are registered on the LLM Healthcare Ethics and Law course, you would need to select a majority of your optional course units from the law list (Mental Health Law and Policy; Medicine, Law and Society; Children, Medicine and the Law). Global Health Law and Bioethics can count as an ethics or law course.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Philosophical Bioethics | CSEP60201 | 30 | Mandatory |
Medico-Legal Problems | CSEP60211 | 30 | Mandatory |
Mental Health Law and Policy | CSEP60102 | 15 | Optional |
Ethics & Genetics and Genomics | CSEP60192 | 15 | Optional |
Global Health Law and Bioethics | CSEP60222 | 15 | Optional |
Research Ethics | CSEP60312 | 15 | Optional |
Medicine, Law and Society | CSEP60962 | 15 | Optional |
Children, Medicine and the Law | CSEP60972 | 15 | Optional |
Scholarships and bursaries
The School is offering a number of awards for students applying for master's study. To find out more please visit our master's funding opportunity search page .
Facilities
At The University of Manchester Law School, you are supported by the first-class resources you would expect of a top law school.
In addition to the networked study spaces at the Williamson Building, you can access a specialist moot courtroom, enabling future legal minds to hone your debating skills in a realistic court setting.
You also have access to The University of Manchester Library , which houses a substantial collection of law books and periodicals, as well as texts to support you.
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Successful graduates are able to progress within a wide variety of roles in the Medical, Legal and Ethical fields.
Graduates from previous years have, for example, proceeded to specialise in Medico-Legal practice and academic careers, and the degrees have enhanced the careers of health care professionals.
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .