How long does the LLM in Criminal Law take?

The LLM in Criminal Law runs one year full-time or two years part-time. Online and distance modes of the LLM in Criminal Law follow the same weekly seminar and advocacy-workshop timetable.

How is the LLM in Criminal Law delivered?

You can study the LLM in Criminal Law on-campus in central London, fully online or by structured distance learning. All modes of the LLM in Criminal Law share the same seminar structure and dissertation supervision.

Is the LLM in Criminal Law recognised in the UK?

Yes. The LLM in Criminal Law is a UK Level 7 award aligned with BSB, SRA and ICCA advocacy standards, and is recognised across chambers, defence firms and CPS-adjacent recruitment.

What are the entry requirements for the LLM in Criminal Law?

You need a UK Bachelor's degree at 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) for the LLM in Criminal Law. Portfolio applicants with five or more years of senior criminal-legal experience are considered for the LLM in Criminal Law on portfolio review.

What are the fees and funding options for the LLM in Criminal Law?

Fees vary by residency and study mode. LSLPE publishes a full fee sheet at application and offers structured instalment plans and early-application discounts for the LLM in Criminal Law; contact admissions for a personalised quotation.

LLM in Criminal Law | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The LLM in Criminal Law at LSLPE is a one-year full-time (or two-year part-time) senior-track Master's programme delivered on-campus, online or by distance learning. The syllabus covers substantive criminal offences under the Theft Act, Fraud Act, Sexual Offences Act and Offences Against the Person Act, alongside procedure under the Criminal Procedure Rules, sentencing and disclosure, and is aligned with Bar Standards Board, Crown Prosecution Service and Inns of Court College of Advocacy expectations. This programme is a strong foundation for further routes through the SQE and the Bar and for criminal-practice progression.

By graduation you will have drafted a prosecution case theory, produced a defence statement and advice on plea, run advocacy in mock trial, and completed a supervised dissertation defended in oral viva.

Key Features

Case sessions on Woollin, Jogee, Ghosh/Ivey and modern Supreme Court criminal-law authority.
Alignment with Bar Standards Board (BSB), Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) expectations.
Weekly advocacy and drafting workshops on charging, disclosure and sentencing.
Guest sessions from Crown Prosecution Service alumni and criminal-defence practitioners.
Supervised dissertation on a live criminal file, defended in oral viva.
Three parallel study modes so serving criminal lawyers and progressor students share the cohort.

What You Will Learn

Framing mens rea and actus reus arguments on complex cases.
Applying the Criminal Procedure Rules to disclosure, applications and interlocutory issues.
Handling homicide, sexual-offences, dishonesty and violence-against-the-person files.
Drafting a prosecution case theory and a defence statement.
Advising on plea, sentencing and post-conviction options.
Handling appeals through the Court of Appeal Criminal Division.
Advocating in mock trial to the standard expected of the Inns of Court advocacy training.
Defending a dissertation in an oral viva in front of a mixed academic and practitioner panel.

Who This Course Is For

Solicitors and barristers moving into a criminal practice group.
Crown Prosecution Service alumni and criminal-defence practitioners.
Public-authority lawyers with criminal-adjacent portfolios.
International lawyers moving into English-law criminal work.
Portfolio-route applicants with 5+ years of senior criminal-legal experience.

Career Pathways

Barrister in a criminal set (post-Bar route)
Solicitor in a criminal firm (post-SQE)
Public Prosecutor
In-house Counsel in a regulator with criminal enforcement
Legal Adviser at a criminal justice NGO
Compliance Officer with a criminal-liability remit
Judicial Clerk (post-qualification)
Legal Researcher in a criminal-defence set

The LSLPE careers service curates introductions across criminal chambers, criminal-defence firms, the Crown Prosecution Service and criminal-justice NGOs, and refreshes curriculum alignment annually against Bar Standards Board, Political Studies Association and Royal Economic Society guidance.

Entry Requirements

A UK Bachelor's degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent international qualification in law or a closely related discipline.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Applicants without a Bachelor's degree but with 5+ years of senior professional experience in criminal law or criminal justice are considered on portfolio.
One academic and one professional reference.
A 500-word research proposal or professional practice statement identifying your proposed dissertation area in criminal law.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE is a specialist division of Harold International College of London teaching in small, tutor-visible cohorts. Central London places the Old Bailey, the Royal Courts of Justice, the Inns of Court and criminal defence sets within a short tube ride of every seminar room, which matters when the criminal judgments you will read are handed down a few streets away.

Every intake, on-campus or remote, joins the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support. Seminars are run in the case-room tradition, evidence-led and argued in public, and the careers service connects students with employers across criminal chambers, defence firms and criminal-justice NGOs.

Apply for LLM in Criminal Law

Applications for the LLM in Criminal Law are open now, with intakes calibrated to the UK academic year and rolling admissions for online and distance cohorts. Enrol on an LSLPE Master's programme and complete a supervised dissertation on a live criminal file. Enrol Now