LLM Healthcare Ethics and Law

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 .

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 Any offers not accepted by the deadline will be withdrawn.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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 .