The specialist postgraduate legal training is particularly relevant for those who are looking for higher-level roles within the legal profession, police, probation service, prison service and HM Revenue and Customs. Our Master of Laws will add to your credentials in an area in which you already practise or are proposing to work. The Law Department at Sunderland is well-respected and was rated as best in the UK for teaching excellence, according to The Sunday Times University Guide 2012. You will undertake two core modules: ‘Criminal Law: Theory and Doctrine’ and ‘Law, Society and the State’. You will also choose a further two options that match your particular career ambitions and intellectual interests. Your Masters dissertation is an opportunity to develop rigorous research skills and to explore a topic that you negotiate with your tutors. We provide expert supervision, drawing on our own research and the latest academic approaches and evidence base. Our teaching methods include weekly three-hour workshops. You will be expected to prepare thoroughly, respond to new ideas and contribute to vibrant and thought-provoking sessions.

This LL.M course equips you with advanced skills and knowledge in a specialised area of law. As a result you will have an important edge when applying for roles in the Crown Prosecution Service, police, and prison or probation services. Salaries of law graduates are among the highest of all graduates. You will also be better equipped for applying for training contracts or pupillages, if this is appropriate to your career stage. In addition a Masters degree will enhance opportunities in academic roles or further study towards a PhD.