Environment and Law

LLM

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years

Overview

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This interdisciplinary Master's degree combines two highly-relevant and challenging areas of study - law and environment. The LLM Environment and Law is jointly delivered by the Law School and the Lancaster Environment Centre, enabling you to explore the environmental aspects of the law and the legal regulation of the environment.

Our 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 our postgraduate teaching and you will have access to the expertise of academics researching in the field of natural and social sciences, and 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 you to pursue your own interests whilst becoming practised at looking at issues from different perspectives.

Your core modules are Perspectives on Environment and Development; Environmental Law or International Environmental Law; Research Methods in Law and the LLM Dissertation. The programme benefits from modules from the Lancaster Environment Centre which include, for example, field studies addressing the modules’ subject matter.

You will study two further elective modules in each discipline, focusing on the legal, environmental and sustainability issues that most interest you, typically including (among many others): Chemical Risk       Assessment, Climate Change and Society, Environmental Justice, Food Security, Agriculture and Climate, International Law, and the Law of the United Nations.

The dissertation is an independent, in-depth inquiry into a research topic of your choosing. The topic will link to a key legal or environmental question or issue and may also directly relate to your professional/career interests. This is your opportunity to make a contribution to the academic community with new, original research and writing. A dissertation supervisor can provide you with support and introduce you to relevant research; their personal research interests will closely align with your chosen topic wherever possible.

Our teaching approach is international in scope and comparative by nature, and we actively encourage you to build a beneficial network of academics, peers and alumni during your time with us. All of this will help you to broaden your experience, deepen your understanding, and prepare for your next step.

Your postgraduate LLM degree can open doors to a wide range of careers. Whilst on this degree you will have the chance to develop: the skills required to critically evaluate cutting-edge research; interdisciplinary skills; and, analytical and communications skills. All of which can be a real boost in any sector and are highly prized by employers both here in the UK and overseas. The LLM is also an ideal stepping stone to PhD study and academia.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Law or any other subject.

We will also consider applications on an individual basis if you have lower qualifications, or a qualification that is not included on our list of international qualifications, or experience in professional legal practice.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 5.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Optional

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home £11,960 £5,980
International £24,830 £12,415

General fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

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Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.