Information Technology Law, LLM (Online Learning) The University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh is currently ranked 16th in the World in the QS World University Rankings 2022.

This programme focuses on the regulatory framework that governs information technology within international, European and domestic settings.

The programme is highly topical, exploring the second generation – and sometimes even third generation – of regulation that has evolved from the legal framework of the early 2000s. New developments in technology are also a key focus, as these force us to constantly review the very concept of information technology and appropriate legal responses.

Information technology regulation operates across jurisdictions, and cross-fertilisation of regulatory responses occurs at the interface between domestic, regional and international law. Our aim is to enable you to understand this cross-fertilisation, to be able to contextualise it and place yourself within it.

Online learning

Our online learning programmes are delivered entirely online via a virtual learning environment. Learning and teaching happen ‘asynchronously’. This means that you have the flexibility to log in at times and in places convenient to you, contribute your views and respond to others, and still maintain a sense of community with your fellow students across time zones.

By the end of your studies, you should emerge with an understanding of information technology law not just in its legal but also in its social, ethical, cultural and commercial contexts.

Entry Requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.

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

We will also consider candidates with a degree in a related discipline which includes relevant prior study.

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 C.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

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

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.
• 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 three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Programme structure

To be awarded LLM Information Technology Law, you must successfully complete six courses, four of which must be core courses, and a 10,000-word dissertation during your chosen duration of the study.

During your studies, you will also have the opportunity to study up to two modules from different subject areas such as medical law or international commercial law.

Information Technology Law courses

• EU Data Protection Law (20 credits)
• Forensic Computing and Electronic Evidence (20 credits)
• International and European Law of the Media (20 credits)
• Regulation of autonomous systems: the law of robotics (20 credits)
• Information: Control and Power (20 credits)

Optional courses - group 1

You can choose to study between 0 and 40 credits from the following courses:

• European Competition and Innovation (20 credits)
• Governance of Innovative Medicine (20 credits)
• Fundamentals in Bioethics (20 credits)
• EU Law (20 credits)
• Shaping Modern Healthcare (10 credits)
• Regulating Health and Social Care Professionals (10 credits)
• Communications Law (20 credits)
• Electronic Commerce Law (20 credits)
• Information Technology Law (20 credits)
• Principles of International Taxation (20 credits)
• Withdrawal from the EU and the Law (Brexit) (20 credits)
• European Health Law and Policy (20 credits)
• Law of Climate Change (20 credits)

Please note that Shaping Modern Healthcare and Regulating Health and Social Care Professionals are co-requisites and must both be taken in the semester that they run.

Optional courses - group 2

You may study 0 and 20 credits from the following courses:

• Contract Law in Europe (20 credits)
• Law and Ethics at the Start and End of Life (20 credits)
• Corporate Compliance: Case Studies in Law & Ethics (20 credits)
• Comparative & International Corporate Governance (20 credits)
• International Law, Human Rights & Corporate Accountability (20 credits)
• Dispute Resolution Methods (20 credits)
• The Fundamentals of Law and Medical Ethics (20 credits)
• Global Health: Law and Policy (20 credits)
• International Commercial Arbitration (20 credits)
• Banking and Financial Law: Case Studies (20 credits)
• Public Health Ethics (20 credits)
• International Oil & Gas Law (20 credits)
• Biotechnology, Bioethics and Society (20 credits)
• Intellectual Property and Human Rights (20 credits)

Please note that a course from this group can only be taken with the approval of your Programme Director.

The dissertation

Having successfully completed 120 credit points of courses within the LLM, you will be ready to move on to a single piece of independent and in-depth research. The 10,000-word dissertation allows you to focus on a preferred topic within the options available in the programme.

Title

Your dissertation title will be agreed upon with your supervisor during your final semester of taught study. Dissertation topics must fall within the scope of your programme and will relate to specific courses that you have taken at Edinburgh. Supervision continues throughout the research and writing of the dissertation.

Aim

Your dissertation must demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the relevant literature and an ability to engage in critical analysis. More credit will be given for originality and evidence of independent thinking, whether in terms of the material used or the manner in which it is presented.

Timing

The dissertation is written in the summer months (April to August) after the taught courses are successfully completed.

Graduates of our online distance learning programmes progress to a range of careers in Law and related legal fields, including work in local and international firms, government legal departments, other public institutions, international organisations and in academia.

The programmes are also an ideal platform for advanced research.