3-Term Pathway - Pre-Master's in Social Sciences and Law - Continue to Master of Laws - Human Rights and the Environment

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).

The LLM Human Rights and the Environment examines the political, legal and human rights issues that shape and inform environmental protection and regulation. Jointly delivered by the Law School and the Lancaster Environment Centre, it enables students to explore the environmental aspects of the law and the legal regulation of the environment in the context of human rights.

Lancaster University's 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 postgraduate teaching and students will have access to the expertise of academics researching in the field natural and social sciences, 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 practiced at looking at issues from different perspectives.

The core modules are Perspectives on Environment and Development; Environmental Law or International Environmental Law; the LLM Dissertation;  International Human Rights Law; and Research Methods in Law. Students will study a further elective module in Law and one from the Lancaster Environment Centre. There is a breadth of options available and students can focus on the human rights, legal, environmental and sustainability issues that most interest them. Elective modules typically include: Chemical Risk Assessment, Climate Change and Society, Environmental Justice, International Law, Current Issues in European Union Law, and the Law of the United Nastions, Rights of Peoples, and The Right to Adequate Food as a Human Right.

The dissertation is an independent, in-depth inquiry into a research topic of the student's choosing. The topic will link to a key legal or environmental question or issue and may also directly relate to the student's professional/career interests. This is an excellent 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 the chosen topic wherever possible.