Criminal Law

The Criminal Law LLM degree of the American University of London allows students to develop their interests in many of the major areas of law. It also provides opportunities to study important specialised areas beyond the scope of the undergraduate degree.

Although the prescribed period of study after registration is one year, the demands of external study are rigorous and most students take up to two years to prepare for the examination. The University does not impose a minimum or a maximum statutory duration period. Degree is awarded on the successful completion of your program.

A good candidate for the Criminal Law LLM degree would be someone who needs the qualification for business, government, industry or academic advancement purposes. LLM programs are open to applicants with a bachelor’s degree or the recognised equivalent. All Master’s candidates complete coursework to develop skills in effective research methodology, problem solving and comprehension of advanced principles. Demonstration of professional writing ability appropriate to the discipline is also required.

The Master’s Degree in Criminal Law is earned by candidates who, through directed coursework study, demonstrate a mastery of the discipline and advanced capabilities in marshalling information and communicating significant information on some aspect of the discipline.

The Doctorate in Criminal Law degree (LLD/PhD) is earned by candidates who complete advanced level coursework and demonstrate theoretical competence leading to a dissertation, which the faculty recognizes as a contribution to the literature of the discipline. The dissertation is an independently developed study intended to make the candidate’s specialized knowledge available to his or her profession. It consists of three major components: the analytical exposition, the critical context, and the integrative conclusion. For AUOL, the disclosure of both the context of the study and the fulfilment of the student’s purpose are the direct responsibility of the degree candidate. The school’s Graduate Dissertation Committee will supervise the progress of the dissertation.