Master of Laws (Structured – 7801) / (Thesis – 7821)

H.47  ADMISSION

Unless Senate decides otherwise, a student shall be required to meet the following criteria to be enrolled for the Master of Laws Degree – LLM (as indicated in H.52.1):

• an applicant must be in possession of a Bachelor of Laws Degree obtained from a South African University or have obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Law or have obtained another qualification which in the opinion of the Senate is of an equivalent standard (See also Rule 2.1.4)

• an applicant may be required to submit evidence of his/her ability in the proposed field of study, as well as his/her research ability, if the Faculty requires

• an applicant must fulfil such further minimum requirements as the Faculty Board may determine from time to

• a foreign/international applicant shall be required to submit evidence of his/her English proficiency even if English was his/her language of

Minimum Scores

• IELTS 6.5 (with 6.0 in each section)
• TOEFL 600 (with 55 in each section and 4.0 in TWE)
• TOEFL IBT 100 (with at least 20 in each section)
• A degree from a foreign English medium university, with appropriate motivation, may be accepted in some

H.48  SELECTION

Final selection shall be based on an applicant meeting the criteria as determined by the Faculty.

H.49  DURATION

Unless Senate decides otherwise, the duration of the programme shall be one year full-time or two years part-time, with a maximum period of study of three years.

H.50  CURRICULUM

The Master’s of Laws programme is offered in the following areas of specialisation:

• Comparative Constitutional Law
• Comparative Labour Law
• Criminal Justice
• Disability Law (not offered in 2023)
• Environment Law
• Human Rights Protection
• Law, State and Multi-level Government
• Mercantile Law
• Transnational Criminal Justice

A student registered for the LLM Degree in the Faculty of Law may follow any of the following Modes:

• MODE I: Four Modules and a Research Paper
• MODE II: Two Modules and a Mini-Thesis
• MODE III: Full-Thesis

 

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H.50.3 MODE I: Four Modules and a Research Paper (7801)

H.52.3.1 Comparative Constitutional Law

• Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | CLL805 | 60 Credits
• Comparative Constitutional Law 811 | CCL811 | 30 Credits
• Constitutional Design in Divided Societies 811 | CDS811 | 30 Credits
• Constitutional Rights Interpretation 800 | CIN800 | 30 Credits
• Constitutional Law, Politics and Theory 811 | CIN811 | 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.3.2 Comparative Labour Law

• Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | LAB805 | 60 Credits
• Research Paper 806 (2nd Enrolment) | LAB806
• Electives (select four modules):
  • Competition Law and Work 812 | CPT812 | 30 Credits
  • Disability Law and the Workplace 812 | DLP812 | 30 Credits
  • Dispute Resolution 811 | DPR811 | 30 Credits
  • The Extension of Social Protection 811 | ESP811 | 30 Credits
  • Labour Law in the New Global Market 811 | LAB811 | 30 Credits
  • Law of Unfair Dismissal 812 | LAB812 | 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.3.3 Criminal Justice

• Group 1 (Transnational Criminal Justice)
  • Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | TCJ805 | 60 Credits
  • Research Paper 806 (2nd Enrolment) | TCJ806
  • International Anti-Corruption Law 812 | IAL812 | 30 Credits
  • International Criminal Law 811 | IHR811 | 30 Credits
  • International Anti-Money Laundering Law 811 | OML811 | 30 Credits
  • Transitional Justice 812 | IHR812 | 30 Credits
• Group 2
  • Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | TCJ805 | 60 Credits
  • Anti-Corruption Law 811 | ACL811 | 30 Credits
  • Constitutional Rights and Criminal Justice 812 | CLL812 | 30 Credits
  • Anti-Money Laundering Law 811 | AML811 | 30 Credits
  • Punishment and Sentencing 812 | LPS812 | 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.3.4 Environment Law

• • Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | IEL805 | 60 Credits
  • Research Paper 806 (2nd Enrolment) | IEL806
  • International Environmental Law 811 | IEL811 | 30 Credits
  • Advanced Environmental Law 812 | IEL812 | 30 Credits
  • Climate Law and Governance 818 | CLL818 | 30 Credits
  • Constitutional Law and Nature 819 | CLL819 | 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.3.5 Human Rights Protection

• Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | IHR805 | 60 Credits
• Research Paper 806 (2nd Enrolment) | IHR806
• International Protection of Human Rights Law 814 | IHR814 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 90 Credits
• Electives (select three modules):
  • Gender Equality and Women’s Rights 815 | CLL815 | 30 Credits
  • Legal and Cultural Pluralism 816 | CLL816 | 30 Credits
  • Children’s Rights 817 | CLL817 | 30 Credits
  • International Family Law 811 | FAM811 | 30 Credits
  • International Humanitarian Law 815 (not offered in 2023) | IHR815 | 30 Credits
  • Global Human Rights Issues 816 | IHR816 | 30 Credits
  • Islamic Law and Jurisprudence 811 | PRL811 | 30 Credits
  • Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 811 | SER811 | 30 Credits
  • Constitutional Property Law 811 | CPL811 | 30 Credits
  • Land Reform and Housing Law 812 | CPL812 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 90 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.3.6 Mercantile Law

• Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | MER805 | 60 Credits
• Sub-total: 60 Credits
• Electives (select four modules):
  • Corporate Governance and Remedies 811 | COR811 | 30 Credits
  • Corporate Financial Regulation 812 | COR812 | 30 Credits
  • Corporate Insolvency Law 813 (not offered in 2023) | COR813 | 30 Credits
  • Competition Law and Regulation 811 | CPT811 | 30 Credits
  • Mergers and Acquisitions 813 | CPT813 | 30 Credits
  • Competition and Information Law 814 | CPT814 | 30 Credits
  • Comparative Regional Integration and Development 813 | IHR813 | 30 Credits
  • International Trade 811 | ITB811 | 30 Credits
  • International Taxation Law 811 | ITT811 | 30 Credits
  • Dispute Settlement in International Transactions 811 | SIT811 | 30 Credits
  • Tax Administration 812 | TLA812 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 120 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.3.7 Law, State and Multi-level Government

• Research Paper 805 (1st Enrolment) | MLG805 | 60 Credits
• Research Paper 806 (2nd Enrolment) | MLG806
• Multi-level Governance 814 | CLL814 | 30 Credits
• Rule of Law and Good Governance 811 | LGG811 | 30 Credits
• Local Government 812 | LGL812 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 150 Credits
• Electives (select one module):
  • Constitutional Law Practice 811 (full-time only) | CLL811 | 30 Credits
  • Constitutional Design in Divided Societies 811 | CDS811 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

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H.50.4 MODE II: Two Modules and a Mini-Thesis (7801)

H.52.4.1 Comparative Constitutional Law

• Mini-Thesis 803 (1st Enrolment) | CLL803 | 120 Credits
• Mini-Thesis 804 (2nd Enrolment) | CLL804
• Comparative Constitutional Law 811 | CCL811 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 150 Credits
• Electives (select one module):
  • Constitutional Design in Divided Societies 811 | CDS811 | 30 Credits
  • Constitutional Law, Politics and Theory 811 | CIN811 | 30 Credits
  • Constitutional Rights Interpretation 800 | CIN800 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.4.2 Comparative Labour Law

• Mini-Thesis 803 (1st Enrolment)
• Mini-Thesis 804 (2nd Enrolment) | LAB803 LAB804 | 120 Credits
• Sub-total: 120 Credits
• Electives (select two modules):
  • Competition Law and Work 812 | CPT812 | 30 Credits
  • Disability Law and the Workplace 812 | DLP812 | 30 Credits
  • Dispute Resolution 811 | DPR811 | 30 Credits
  • Law of Unfair Dismissal 812 | LAB812 | 30 Credits
  • Labour Law in the New Global Market 811 | LAB811 | 30 Credits
  • The Extension of Social Protection 811 | ESP811 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 60 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180

H.52.4.3 Criminal Justice

• Mini-Thesis 803 (1st Enrolment) | CLL803 | 120 Credits
• Mini-Thesis 804 (2nd Enrolment) | CLL804
• Anti-Corruption Law 811 | ACL811 | 30 Credits
• Anti-Money Laundering Law 811 | AML811 | 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180 Credits

H.52.4.4 Disability Law (not offered in 2023)

• Mini-Thesis 803 (1st Enrolment) | DSL803 | 120 Credits
• Mini-Thesis 804 (2nd Enrolment) | DSL804
• Introduction to Disability Law and Policy 811 | DLP811 | 30 Credits
• UN Disability Convention and Optional Protocol 812 | DPC812 | 30 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180 Credits

H.52.4.5 Environment Law

• Mini-Thesis 803 (1st Enrolment) | IEL803 | 120 Credits
• International Trade 811 | ITB811 | 30 Credits
• International Taxation Law 811 | ITT811 | 30 Credits
• Dispute Settlement in International Transactions 811 | SIT811 | 30 Credits
• Tax Administration 812 | TLA812 | 30 Credits
• Competition Law and Regulation 811 | CPT811 | 30 Credits
• Mergers and Acquisitions 813 | CPT813 | 30 Credits
• Corporate Financial Regulation 812 | COR812 | 30 Credits
• Corporate Insolvency Law 813 (not offered in 2023) | COR813 | 30 Credits
• Sub-total: 60 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180 Credits

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H.52.5 Mode III: Full-Thesis

H.52.5.1 LLM without specialization (7822)

• Subject to Rule H.49.3, a student can complete the LLM (Thesis) in any topic approved by the Faculty.
• LLM (Thesis) | 180 Credits

H.52.5.2 LLM with specialization (7821)

• Subject to Rule H.49.3, a student can complete the following specialized LLM program by full thesis:
• Comparative Constitutional Law | Module Code: CLL801/802 | 180 Credits
• Disability Law (not offered in 2023) | Module Code: DSL801/802 | 180 Credits
• Environment Law | Module Code: IEL801/802 | 180 Credits
• Human Rights Protection | Module Code: IHR801/802 | 180 Credits
• Comparative Labour Law | Module Code: LAB801/802 | 180 Credits
• Mercantile Law | Module Code: MER801/802 | 180 Credits
• Law, State and Multi-level Government | Module Code: MLG801/802 | 180 Credits
• Transnational Criminal Justice | Module Code: TCJ801/802 | 180 Credits

FINAL TOTAL: 180 Credits

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H.51  ASSESSMENT

• Assessment is governed by Rule A.5 as stipulated in the University Calendar: General Information Part 1.
• Unless the Faculty Board otherwise decides, a student, in respect of modules enrolled for at this University, must:
• submit at least one research essay of approximately 5 000  words  for  every  module or equivalent form of assessment of the student’s research ability (which shall be submitted for assessment at least two calendar weeks before the dates scheduled for the examination referred to in Rule H.53.2.2), and
• it for an examination or final assessment in each module, the format of which shall be determined by the relevant academic
• In respect of modules enrolled for at another university or Practical Legal School, a student must comply with the assessment requirements of that university or Practical Legal School.

H.52  PROGRESSION RULES

Registration for the following year of study shall be recommended by the supervisor if in his/her opinion adequate progress has been made during the current year (See Rule A.3.3).

H.53  RENEWAL OF REGISTRATION

Renewal of registration shall be governed by Rule A.4, as stipulated in the University Calendar: General Information Part 1 or as provided for in the faculty rules as contained in this Calendar.

H.54  SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROGRAMME

MODE I

• At least two modules listed in Rule H.52.3 must be chosen from this
• The two further modules may be chosen from the modules offered by any of the universities listed below, provided that the choice is approved by the relevant academic

List of Universities:

• University of the Western Cape;
• University of Stellenbosch;
• University of Cape Town;
• University of Humboldt zu Berlin;
• University of Là Réunion;
• University of Utrecht;
• University of Leiden;
• Howard University;
• University of Missouri;
• Paul Cezanne University (previously University of Aix-Marseilles III); or
• any other Faculty or School of Law with which the University of the Western Cape has an exchange or co-operation

A student may choose as one of the two modules referred to in Rule H.56.1.2 above the full-time Practical Legal Training course offered by the Law Society of South Africa at any of the venues where it is

H.56.1.4   Research Paper

• A student must present a research paper of approximately 18 000 words which demonstrates his/her ability to conduct independent research and which is in a format suitable for
• The topic of the research paper must be chosen by the student in consultation with and with the approval of the supervisor
• Unless extension of time has been granted by the Faculty Board, the research paper must be submitted for assessment within three calendar months after the student has completed the last assessment in the four modules for which s/he has enrolled.
• No student may present a research paper for assessment unless s/he has successfully completed at least half of the modules required for the completion of the  Faculty
• A student may not be readmitted to the programme if s/he has not presented his/her research paper for assessment within two years after completion of the coursework, unless an extension has been granted by
• A student must, for the purposes of assessment, submit two provisional copies of his/her research paper. The research paper must, as a rule, be typed in double spacing and shall be satisfactorily bound. After approval of the research paper and before the degree is conferred at least one further unbound copy of the research paper, shall be furnished. A summary of the research paper, not exceeding 5 000 words, is also required.
• Together with the submission of a student’s research proposal to the Law Higher Degrees Committee, the student must present evidence of participation in research methodology training as determined by the  Faculty

A student who has obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Law may register for the following:

• Two modules other than the modules taken for the diploma, and a research
• The two modules may be chosen from the modules offered by any of the universities listed in H.56.1.2, provided that the choice is approved by the relevant academic department.
• Choose as one of the two modules referred to in Rule 56.1.5.2 above the full-time Practical Legal Training Course offered by the Law Society of South Africa at any of the venues where it is offered.

H.54.2   MODE II

• Modules must be chosen from the modules offered by the University (See the Curriculum at H.52.4), provided further that the choice is approved by the relevant academic

H.56.2.2   Mini-Thesis

• A student must present a mini-thesis consisting of approximately 30 000 words which must be a satisfactory contribution to the knowledge of the
• The topic of the mini-thesis must be chosen by the student in consultation with and with the approval of the supervisor
• The mini-thesis must be presented within twelve months after the end of the academic year in which the student completes his/her coursework unless the Faculty Board, for valid reasons approves a longer period of
• A student may not be readmitted to the programme without permission of Senate if, three years after the completion of the coursework, s/he has not submitted his/her mini-thesis.
• For the purposes of assessment, a student must submit two provisional copies of his/her mini-thesis. The mini-thesis must, as a rule, be typed in double spacing and shall be satisfactorily After approval of the mini-thesis and before the degree is conferred, at least one further unbound copy of the mini-thesis shall be furnished. A summary of the mini-thesis, not exceeding 5 000 words, is also required.
• Together with the submission of the candidate’s research proposal to the Law Higher Degrees Committee, the candidate must present evidence of participation in research methodology training as determined by the Faculty

H.54.3   MODE III

• A student registered for the LLM (Thesis) programme undertakes supervised programmes of research of not less than one year’s duration and must submit a thesis which usually shall not exceed 50 000 words in length for
• The title of the thesis together with the application for admission to the study for the degree, shall be submitted by him/her to Senate for its approval.
• The title of the thesis shall be approved for a period of three years, after which period the student may apply for an
• A student shall research and write his/her thesis under the guidance of a supervisor approved by Senate. The Senate may appoint a supervisor or co- supervisor from outside the  Faculty
• The thesis shall be a satisfactory contribution to knowledge on a subject of legal interest.
• The student may be required to submit, together with his/her thesis, a copy of every mini-thesis or thesis previously submitted by him/her for another degree, whether it was accepted or
• Except with permission from Senate, no thesis shall be submitted unless it is accompanied by a written declaration from the supervisor and co-supervisor (if appointed) in which permission is granted for the assessment of the thesis. Such declaration shall not necessarily imply that the thesis is considered to be
• The thesis shall be submitted not later than the dates stipulated in the University Calendar.
• No thesis which has previously been submitted for a degree at another university shall be accepted, but material taken from publications of the student may be incorporated
• Together with the submission of the candidate’s research proposal to the Law Higher Degrees Committee, the candidate must present evidence of participation in research methodology training as determined by the  Faculty