Postgraduate study
Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

European Law LLM

Awards: LLM

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: European Law

An in-depth knowledge and understanding of EU law is now more essential than ever for anyone considering a career in law, business, politics or policy within the UK, EU or beyond.

EU law is a complex and fascinating subject that weighs ever more heavily on policymaking in the UK, Europe and internationally. This programme is designed to equip you with the knowledge and understanding of European law required for any future legal career.

The world-leading scholars teaching on the LLM and the richness of the course offering are distinctive features of this programme. The European Law LLM in Edinburgh constitutes one of the best postgraduate taught choices for people interested in EU law. EU law remains particularly important for the UK too.

The UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU (Brexit) provided the opportunity for deep and creative rethinking of the future of European integration, of the EU’s relationship with the United Kingdom, and of the governance of the international scene at large. However, while we do address questions raised by Brexit as dimensions of EU law, we do not intend our programme to be driven by this theme – aiming instead to sustain Edinburgh University as an institution of choice for students who wish to study the law and institutions of the European Union in both breadth and depth.

At Edinburgh, we take an interdisciplinary approach. You will combine study of the law and legal systems of the EU with courses on both policy implications and applied economics. The involvement of legal practitioners and policymakers in our programme, as well as the high-profile lectures and activities hosted by the Europa Institute, will give you first-hand knowledge of what is happening in Europe right now.

You must complete 180 credits of study – 60 credits are taken in the compulsory dissertation and the remaining 120 credits are taken in taught courses. These courses will be led by members of the Law School academic community and those practising at the forefront of European Law decision making.

You are expected to prepare in advance by reading the required materials and by reflecting on the issues to be discussed, and your participation in classes will be assessed. For the dissertation you will have a supervisor from whom you can expect guidance and support, but the purpose of the dissertation is to allow you to independently design and conduct a piece of research and analysis.

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances or lack of demand for particular courses, we may not be able to run all courses as advertised come the start of the academic year.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
LLMEuropean Law1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2023/24
LLMEuropean Law2 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2023/24

By the end of this programme, students should have acquired a sophisticated understanding of the European Union's legal system and its law-making processes, and substantive knowledge of their chosen policy/course strands.

They will have explored differing approaches to the subject and developed a greater familiarity with research materials and methods.

The LLM in European Law is not only for law graduates who plan to develop a career in the field of EU law, but also for law students or practising lawyers looking to gain a competitive edge in the employment market more generally within law, business or policymaking. Many graduates develop dynamic careers working in Brussels, home of the European Commission.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in law or European Studies.

We may also consider a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a social science subject.

In evaluating your application for postgraduate study, greater emphasis may be placed upon results of prior learning in subjects relevant to the intended degree programme.

Entry to this programme is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.

Supporting your application

Relevant work experience is not required but may increase your chances of acceptance.

Relevant professional qualifications will be considered.

Preference will be given to those with grades above the minimum requirements due to strong competition for places on this programme.

Students from China

This degree is Band A.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 7.0 in writing and 6.5 in all other components. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 25 in writing and 23 in all other components.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 185 in writing and 176 in all other components.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 70 in writing and 62 in all other components.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
LLMEuropean Law1 YearFull-timeTuition fees
LLMEuropean Law2 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • Edinburgh Law School Postgraduate Office
  • Old College
  • South Bridge
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9YL
Programme start date Application deadline
9 September 2024 21 June 2024

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

Round Application deadline Places awarded by
1 09 November 2023 11 December 2023
2 04 January 2024 15 February 2024
3 01 March 2024 15 April 2024
4 26 April 2024 20 June 2024
5 21 June 2024 17 July 2024

Please note that the deadline for meeting the conditions of an offer is 18 August 2024.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

You must submit one reference with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • Edinburgh Law School Postgraduate Office
  • Old College
  • South Bridge
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9YL