Master of Laws – LLM
Wellington, New Zealand
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Feb 2025
TUITION FEES
NZD 37,400 / per course
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
Broaden your legal knowledge and enhance your career with specialist study in postgraduate Law.
Take your passion for law to the next level with advanced study and research. Be at the centre of debate, analysis and dialogue about law and legal policy issues in New Zealand.
Full-time or part-time, your study will be relevant, accessible and intellectually rewarding—research an area of law that interests you or tailor a course of study that suits your career goals.
Flexible study
Designed to be flexible, the Master of Laws offers courses in different formats. Some courses meet weekly, others are taught in a more compact format.
Block courses are taught in a concentrated manner over one week, and intensive courses are broken into chunks of eight to twelve hours. They are often taught over two-to-three consecutive evenings or in Friday afternoon and Saturday sessions, with a break of two-to-three weeks between sessions.
Research and supervision
No matter how you choose to study for your Master of Laws there will be an element of research required. Take advantage of exciting research opportunities at New Zealand's leading centre of academic legal research.
And if you're planning on doing a Master's by thesis, or a PhD, you'll have the opportunity to be supervised in a wide range of subject areas by New Zealand's best legal scholars.
Workload and duration
The Master of Laws can be completed in one year of full-time study, or up to three years part-time.
If you are studying full-time, you can expect a workload of 40-45 hours a week for much of the year. Part-time students doing two courses per trimester must do around 20–23 hours of work a week. Make sure you take this into account if you are working.
You can estimate your workload by adding up the number of points you'll be doing. One point is roughly equal to 10–12 hours work.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
There are several scholarships available that LLM students can apply for.
The Victoria University of Wellington Master’s by Thesis Scholarship offers a $15,000 stipend and a fee waiver equivalent to domestic fees. Applications close on 1 November.
If you are from the South Pacific and hold a first-class academic degree, you can apply for the Angelo South Pacific Postgraduate Educational Scholarship. Applications close on 1 October.
All international students can apply for the Faculty of Law's LLM Fee Scholarship which contributes $5,000 towards fees.
All LLM students who are doing an LLM thesis in the area of Privacy Law can apply for the Master's Scholarship for LLM (Law of Privacy) which covers living expenses and tuition fees up to a set limit.
Curriculum
You'll take one core course-Advanced Legal Study LAWS 581 worth 10 points-and make up the rest of your 120 points from a choice of other 500-level LAWS courses. Up to 40 points can be replaced by equivalent courses from another faculty or another university.
500-level LAWS courses differ from year to year and are either taught in block format, intensive format or seminars. Look at the course timetable to see when the intensive and block courses are offered. The seminar courses are mainly led by you and the other students who will prepare papers in advance.
Internship
International students can also choose to do a 20-point one-trimester internship. You'll work with a community, government or private sector organisation under the joint supervision of a Faculty member and an outside professional. Assessment is based on the work you produce, a journal and your performance at fortnightly seminars.
Alternative courses
All postgraduate LAWS courses are limited entry, so if you're opting for a Master's that involves coursework you'll need to choose the alternative courses you'd like to take if your first choices are not available.
Ethics guidelines
If your research involves human subjects, or human tissue or affects people’s privacy, rights and freedoms, it will be subject to Human Ethics Committee Guidelines. You'll need to seek approval to protect both yourself and your subjects.