LLM Professional Legal Practice
ApplyKey facts
- Start date: January and September
- Application deadline: August
- Study mode and duration: 12 months by online learning
Study with us
- research based ‘top up’ to allow Diploma of Professional Legal Practice graduates to upgrade to an LLM
- eligible graduates will be able to focus on a particular area of law and legal practice by way of an extended, 15,000 word dissertation
- programme is offered by online learning allowing flexibility for students
Strathclyde Law School Information Session
Tuesday 3 June 2025
Join our information session to find out more about our LLM & MSc Law programmes.
Why this course?
This course is designed specifically for graduates with both a qualifying law degree and a Diploma in Legal Practice/Professional Legal Practice. It operates as a research based ‘top-up’ for Diploma graduates. It allows graduates of the Diploma to build on their previous study and focus on a particular area of law and legal practice by way of an extended, 15,000 word dissertation.
The aim of this course is to offer suitably qualified graduates the opportunity to gain enhanced legal research skills as well as to engage in in-depth study of your chosen area of interest. Whether you've already commenced your legal career and want to undertake a research project on something relevant to your professional practice, or you're just starting out in your career and want to undertake research in a particular area with a view to developing your understanding and enhancing your employment prospects, this course will provide you with the skills and relevant supervision to write a Masters’ level dissertation. This will allow you to demonstrate distinctiveness over others by enhancing your skill-set and knowledge of your chosen area of study.
Interested in postgraduate study?
At the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, our friendly and knowledgeable team will be available to provide you with all the information you need to kick-start your postgraduate journey at the University of Strathclyde. Register for upcoming events below:
What you'll study
The course is available on a flexible, online learning basis and is usually taken over 12 months.
Subject to an assessment of your qualifications, you’ll normally receive credit for approved prior learning (from your Diploma studies) which will count towards the LLM.
You’ll complete a compulsory 15,000 word dissertation on your chosen area of interest.
Facilities
Our library has a wide range of law reports, legislation, serials and monographs.
You’ll also have access to a wide range of electronic information sources which can be accessed from home, including all the major legal databases.
Dissertation
This is a research-based ‘top up’ module designed to allow graduates of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice to upgrade to an LLM. To complete the module, students will have to undertake a 15,000 word dissertation on a topic that is relevant to their professional practice, career, and/or employment prospects. Students will be allocated a supervisor and will receive training in research methods.
Learning & teaching
Research methods training will be delivered to students through seminars. This training is designed to equip students with the research skills they need to undertake their dissertation. This training will focus on: how to articulate a research question and construct a viable research project; how to develop an appropriate methodology; and how to plan and develop an extensive piece of independent research.
Students will also be allocated a dedicated supervisor, who will be a member of Strathclyde staff, to support them through their studies. They will have the option of face to face interaction with their supervisor on campus. Alternatively, they can undertake the LLM remotely to suit their particular needs and circumstances. Supervision is provided by highly experienced core staff with significant expertise in a wide range of legal practice issues.
Assessment
Assessment is based on students’ performance in the Dissertation module.
Entry requirements
| Academic requirements | First- or upper second-class LLB Honours degree and a qualifying Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice/Professional Legal Practice from a Scottish university. Your Diploma will normally have been obtained in the last five years. Older qualifications are not a bar to entry but will instead be reviewed on a case by case basis. Where demand for places exceeds availability, performance of applicants during their studies (i.e. generally the relative performance of applicants in specified LLB classes and over the duration of their Diploma studies) will be taken into consideration. |
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Our LLM in Professional Practice allows students to undertake study into an area of interest as relates to the legal profession. Students will develop their own research skills and in so doing make their own contribution to developing literature in their area of study.
Course Leader
Chat to a student ambassador
If you want to know more about what it’s like to be a Humanities & Social Sciences student at the University of Strathclyde, a selection of our current students are here to help!
Our Unibuddy ambassadors can answer all the questions you might have about courses and studying at Strathclyde, along with offering insight into their experiences of life in Glasgow and Scotland.
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.
| Scotland | £5,500 |
|---|---|
| England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £5,500 |
| Republic of Ireland |
If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process. |
| International | £5,500 |
Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.
| Scotland | £6,080 |
|---|---|
| England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £6,080 |
| Republic of Ireland |
If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process. |
| International | £6,080 |
Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
Apply
Start date: Sep 2025
Professional Legal Practice
Contact us
Prospective student enquiries
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