Law - LLM Children's Rights and Family Law

at University College Cork

Applicants for the LLM (Children's Rights and Family Law) Degree also have the option of registering for a Postgraduate Diploma in Law (Children's Rights and Family Law). Students take 60 credits of taught masters’ modules from those on offer for the LLM (Children's Rights and Family Law). The Postgraduate Diploma can be completed over 9 months full-time or 18 months part-time. Those who wish to apply for the Diploma should contact lawpostgrad@ucc.ie for application details.
 

This shorter programme may be attractive to legal professionals and others who may prefer not to make an initial commitment to a full master’s programme. Graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma may further progress their studies by completing a 15,000-word research dissertation and graduating with a Masters in Law (LLM).   
 

Students take 90 credits as follows.
 

Core Modules

Students take core modules to the value of 80 credits as follows:

• LW6507 Comparative Family Property Law (5 credits)

• LW6546 Juvenile Justice (10 credits) 

• LW6549 International Children’s Rights (10 credits) 

• LW6563 Children's Rights Law in Practice (10 credits)

• LW6568 The Family and the Law (10 credits) 

• LW6569 LLM (Children's Rights and Family Law) Dissertation (30 credits) 
   

Plus one of the following:
 

• LW6614 Family Law Clinic (5 credits) or

• LW6615 Children's Rights Law Clinic (5 credits)
   

Note: The other clinic module not chosen here may be taken as an elective see List B below.

Elective Modules

Students take modules to the value of 10 credits from the list of elective modules set out below. 

• LW6584 International Refugee Law (5 credits)

• LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)

• LW6603 Legal Regulation of Cohabitation and Emerging Family Forms (5 credits) 

• LW6609 Mental Health Law (5 credits) 

• LW6614 Family Law Clinic (5 credits)

• LW6615 Children's Rights Law Clinic (5 credits)

To be accepted on this course, you must be approved by the School of Law.
 

You will also normally have: 

•  A Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours Law degree (NFQ, Level 8)

Or

•  Have such other relevant third level educational qualifications and/or professional experience as, in the opinion of the School of Law, qualifies the candidate under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to undertake the LLM (Children's Rights and Family Law) Degree.
   

If you are an overseas candidate, you are welcome to apply and your qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis as above. Non-EU applicants should contact the International Education Office by email at internationalpostgrad@ucc.ie for application details.
 

Minimum Requirements and Accepted English Language Tests & Examinations

The minimum English language entry requirements for admission onto a postgraduate programme at UCC are outlined below. These requirements are for postgraduate applicants whose first language is not English. If Gaeilge (Irish) is your first language these requirements do not apply to you.
 

There are a small number of programmes with a higher minimum English language entry requirement and we list these below under Programmes with a Higher Minimum English Language Requirement.

IELTS*    

• 6.5 Overall

• 6.0 Individual Skills (academic version)
   

TOEFL iBT    
 

• 90 Overall

• Listening 20

• Reading 19

• Speaking 21

• Writing 20

The EU fee for this course is €7,130;€3,630 (Year 1 Part-time); €3,630 (Year 2 Part-time).
 

The Non-EU fee for this course is €17,500.

As the only qualification of its kind in Ireland, graduates are uniquely qualified in the areas of child law and family law. As well as allowing legal professionals to specialise in these areas of legal practice, graduates of this degree are well equipped to work anywhere in the children’s sector – with government departments and agencies (in education, child protection, youth justice etc.), with non-governmental organisations (both nationally and internationally), or other bodies who work with children. Few statutory or children’s organisations have staff with legal expertise in the child and family law area and this is a significant gap in the sector.