2-Term Pathway - Pre-Master's in Social Sciences and Law - Continue to Master of Laws - Environment and Law

This program will prepare students for entry to a postgraduate degree in a wide range of subjects at Lancaster University, including law, design and a world top 10 linguistics program (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023).

This interdisciplinary Master's degree combines two highly-relevant and challenging areas of study - law and environment. The LLM Environment and Law is jointly delivered by the Law School and the Lancaster Environment Centre, enabling you to explore the environmental aspects of the law and the legal regulation of the environment.

The Law School is home to the Centre for International Law and Human Rights, the Centre for Crime, Law and Justice, the Centre for Law and Society, and the Centre for Child and Family Justice. The Lancaster Environment Centre, along with Rothamsted Research and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, is part of the Graduate School for the Environment. These influential centres underpin the postgraduate teaching and students will have access to the expertise of academics researching in the field of natural and social sciences, and legal and socio-legal issues.

The pathway for the LLM ensures a balanced duality: Law School modules, LEC modules, and a 15,000 word dissertation, enabling students to pursue their own interests whilst becoming practised at looking at issues from different perspectives.

The core modules are Perspectives on Environment and Development; Environmental Law or International Environmental Law; Research Methods in Law and the LLM Dissertation. The programme benefits from modules from the Lancaster Environment Centre which include, for example, field studies addressing the modules’ subject matter.

Students will study two further elective modules in each discipline, focusing on the legal, environmental and sustainability issues that most interest them, typically including (among many others): Chemical Risk Assessment, Climate Change and Society, Environmental Justice, Food Security, Agriculture and Climate, International Law, and the Law of the United Nations.

The dissertation is an independent, in-depth inquiry into a research topic of students's choosing. The topic will link to a key legal or environmental question or issue and may also directly relate to your professional/career interests. This is an opportunity to make a contribution to the academic community with new, original research and writing. A dissertation supervisor can provide students with support and introduce them to relevant research; their personal research interests will closely align with your chosen topic wherever possible.

The teaching approach is international in scope and comparative by nature, and students are actively encouraged to build a beneficial network of academics, peers and alumni during their time at Lancaster. All of this will help students to broaden their experience, deepen their understanding, and prepare for their next step.

The postgraduate LLM degree can open doors to a wide range of careers. Whilst on this degree students will have the chance to develop: the skills required to critically evaluate cutting-edge research; interdisciplinary skills; and, analytical and communications skills. All of which can be a real boost in any sector and are highly prized by employers both here in the UK and overseas. The LLM is also an ideal stepping stone to PhD study and academia.