1. Front Cover

2. Queen Mary's Mission Statement

Queen Mary’s Mission Statement

The mission of Queen Mary, University of London is:

To create a truly inclusive environment, building on our cherished cultural diversity, where students and staff flourish, reach their full potential and are proud to be part of the University. Dedicated to the public good, we will generate new knowledge, challenge existing knowledge, and engage locally, nationally and internationally to create a better world.

QMUL Charter

The QMUL Charter contains a list of expectations for both staff and students to help create a community which is mutually supportive and works to further knowledge creation and dissemination. Click here to read the Queen Mary Charter

About the School of Law

Queen Mary, part of the prestigious University of London, is one of the top UK research universities and a member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities.

In 2025 we will celebrate 60 years of law at Queen Mary University of London.

The School of Law has as its central focus the role of law and its institutions in contemporary international society and it is divided into two organisational units: the Department of Law and the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS).

The Department of Law covers the full spectrum of legal studies and is based at the University's Mile End campus.

The Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) specialises in the knowledge and skills in commercial law that can be placed at the service of government, public bodies, overseas institutions, the legal profession, industry and commerce. CCLS is based in the postgraduate law centre at the Lincoln's Inn Fields campus.

In 2024, we were ranked 7th best university in the UK and 38th in the world for Law by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.

Postgraduate Study at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS)

Queen Mary, part of the prestigious University of London, is one of the top 15 UK research universities for law and a member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities.

The School of Law is comprised of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) and the Department of Law. The School has more than 90 faculty members, either teaching at postgraduate level or offering PhD supervision, whom are leading experts in almost all areas of law and advise and act as consultants to national and international governments, the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Commission, NGOs, legal regulatory authorities and businesses. Our staff have a long established reputation for providing high-quality teaching and internationally renowned research, with invaluable contributions from respected practitioners and industry experts.

Programmes

The Centre for Commercial Law Studies offers a wide range of postgraduate programmes including:

Certificate in Trade Mark Law and Practice, MSc Management of Intellectual Property, Diploma (General), Diploma in International Dispute Resolution (arbitration and mediation), LLM in Law and Economics, MSc Law and Finance, LLM/MSc Regulation and Compliance and the LLM in Paris. As well as distance learning options including Certificate, Diploma and LLM in Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law and Diploma in International Dispute Resolution Arbitration or Mediation.

The London-based PGT programmes is jointly offered by CCLS and the Department of Law and is the largest in the UK, with a wide range of modules, offering students a broad and liberal learning experience. Our diverse student body comes from more than 90 jurisdictions, which creates a lively, supportive and intellectually stimulating environment in which to study and research.

PhD in Law programme is offered jointly by the CCLS and Department of Law. Global - Distance Learning and Studying in Paris

If you are unable to attend classes in London, the Centre for Commercial Law Studies offers distance learning courses Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law and Arbitration and Mediation. In addition, you have the option to follow one of our CCLS led LLM programmes in Paris, providing in-depth immersion in commercial law from both comparative and international perspectives, within a common law framework.

Offered in block teaching and evening modes, the course is taught at the University of London Institute in Paris (ULIP) in central Paris, led by CCLS staff, with the generous support of leading practitioners and academics based in France.

3. Welcome

Welcome to the School of Law, Postgraduate Law Programmes

Congratulations on becoming a student at the School of Law! You have joined one of the leading postgraduate law programmes in the world. Our teaching is research-led, with a well-established reputation for innovative work in social justice and commercial law. 

We offer our students an excellent education experience in a variety of areas of law, one that is uniquely shaped by our experience of applying law in practice. We have over 30 different Programmes for you to choose from, underpinned by over 160 individual modules.

We also offer a wealth of extracurricular opportunities, from legal advising to mentoring, internships, networking and career guidance, and we strongly advise you to take advantage of these opportunities.

We hope you have the best of years with us and are confident that you will excel in your studies and will make friendships and memories that remain with you forever.  

Work hard and enjoy the year to come!

Professor Ioannis Kokkoris

Director of Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS)

Professor of Competition Law and Economics

Michael Harker

Professor of Law and Head of the 

Department of Law

3.1. Your Handbook

This handbook should be used together with the Academic Regulations and http://arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/.

This handbook provides information specific to the School of Law - Centre for Commercial Law Studies, while https://www.qmul.ac.uk/student-handbook/ gives information common to all students at Queen Mary. The Academic Regulations provide detailed information on progression, award and classification requirements.

Nothing in this handbook overrides the Academic Regulations, which always take precedence.

The Academic Regulations are available online at: http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy/

This handbook is available in large print format. If you would like a large print copy or other requirements for this handbook, please contact Student Support and Engagement Team, PG Law Office - LIF3.5, Holborn, pglaw-support@qmul.ac.uk 

Disclaimer:

The information in this handbook is correct as of September 2024. In the unlikely event of substantial amendments to the material, the School of Law - Centre for Commercial Law Studies will inform you of the changes via the PG Law Noticeboard, QM+ - Announcements.

Queen Mary cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of information given in third party publications or websites referred to in this handbook.

4. Departmental Location and Contact Details

Department Location and contact details

Centre for Commercial Law Studies

School of Law

Queen Mary, University of London

67-69 Lincoln's Inn Fields

London WC2A3JB

+44 (0) 7882 8100

Department website: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/ccls/ 

Administration

All PG Law Programmes are administered from the Lincoln's Inn Fields building (LIF).

Teaching and Learning Team will be pleased to assist you with any questions or problems during your year at QMUL.

General information and facilities

The Centre for Commercial Law Studies occupies the lower ground, ground and five upper floors of the property situated on the northwest corner of Lincoln’s Inn Fields at the junction of Remnant Street and Gate Street.

LIF Building - Opening Hours

We are open Monday to Friday from 8.45am until 9.00pm. Please note that after 4:00pm PG Law Office staff will not be available. Students are required to always have their ID passes with them when on QMUL premises.

Academic staff - office hours

Apart from the time spent in class, most of the academic teaching staff will offer regular times when they will be available for students. For the majority this may be for one hour prior or after class, but this may vary. Some may offer additional times by appointment. You should check this with the academic concerned - all email and phone contacts for staff are available on the School of Law / QMUL website.

Academic staff offices are located at LIF or in the Department of Law Building, Mile End.

Student study area

Situated in the lower ground floor of CCLS is the WI-FI enabled computer area with PCs for student use and access to printing and photocopying facilities.

This facility will be available from 09:00am – 09:00pm Monday to Friday.

Student Common Room

There is a small common room (LG.3) located in the Lower Ground Floor level of the building.

Multi-faith Room

We have a multi-faith prayer/contemplation room in the Lower Ground Floor level of LIF. The Reception staff also have information on multi-faith prayer facilities in the local area.

5. Use of Queen Mary ID Card

New students will be invited to collect a Queen Mary photo-identity (ID) card upon full or temporary enrolment. Guidance on where and when to collect your card can be be found here: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/newstudents/enrolment/student-id/. This card is very important, and must be carried at all times on campus. If you do not produce this card upon request and satisfy staff that it is your card through comparison of your face and the photograph, you may be removed from the building, or from campus. Misuse of your card will normally lead to an investigation under the Code of Student Discipline (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/misconduct/)

The card shows your student number. You must take your card into all face-to-face examinations, and display it on your desk for inspection. You will also need to copy the student number onto your paper.

The card also serves as your library card, and as an access card for certain buildings and equipment (such as printers and photocopiers). Many buildings have security points at which you must show your card, and others require you to scan your card to release the doors.

You may also be required to present your card to confirm your attendance (e.g you may need to touch your card on a reader in a lecture theatre).

It is vital that you keep your card safe and with you at all times on campus. If you lose your card, or if your card is stolen, you should obtain a replacement from the Student Enquiry Centre (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/student-card/index.html). A fee is charged to replace lost ID Cards.

5.1. Communications

QMUL will communicate with you in a variety of ways. Formal correspondence will be sent to you by letter, and it is important that you keep Queen Mary up to date with your personal details and address, you can do this online via the MySIS record system: 

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/mysis-record/index.html

However, it is most common for the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, QM and the Students Union to contact you by e-mail. You are assigned a university e-mail address when you enrol, and you are responsible for checking this account on a daily basis. All major notifications and updates will be sent to you by email first.

We will ALWAYS use your QMUL allocated email address to contact you. It is NOT possible to use a personal email address for this purpose. You may re­direct your QM email to a personal email account. Details on how to redirect email can be found when you log in.

You can access your email account by logging on to a QM computer, or, if you are not on campus, at: www.my.qmul.ac.uk  

If you are unsure of your computer username and password, please contact IT Services email: its-helpdesk@qmul.ac.uk  Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8888.

We CANNOT take responsibility for you missing vital information if you have not checked your QM account.

You can also opt to have all emails forwarded to your QM email account form your personal email account. 

As with any communications we cannot guarantee that last minute cancellations of lectures or tutorials will reach you in time.

Email Best Practice and Etiquette

Note the following guidelines for effective communication:

• All email communications must take place using the QMUL email system (you must use your QMUL email address).
• You must be sure to include your full name and student id number in every message.
• You should check your QMUL email every working day (please note Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays are not working days) during the teaching and examination terms.
• Emails should be written in a suitable and polite register and should not use slang or informal abbreviations.
• The subject line should be completed.
• The email must be addressed to someone i.e. your tutor and must be signed off with an appropriate closing phrase.
• You must not send blank emails.
• You should only email one email address, if you must copy in another person or department for information only make sure that it is relevant but in all cases, the person or department you require action from should be in the ‘To’ line and anyone else in the ‘CC’ line. Copying in lots of different department may mean you do not get a response.

We can respond more quickly to your emails if you create an email signature in outlook containing your name, student ID and programme of study. This helps us look up your information more efficiently and enables us to act on or to forward your enquiry to the most relevant person. Information about how to do this can be found here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-and-add-an-email-signature-in-outlook-on-the-web-5ff9dcfd-d3f1-447b-b2e9-39f91b074ea3

Please note that your email account will expire around two months after graduation so please ensure that you back up any essential information for detail about email please see this page https://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/support/faqs/

6. Administration Contacts

Roles and Emails for Teaching and Learning Service teams

The Teaching and Learning Services Team are based in the Postgraduate Office, LIF 3.5, Holborn campus. Staff are available to help you with general enquiries Monday to Friday, 10:00 - 16:00 hrs (not including bank holidays).  You may either drop into the office or contact the relevant team via the email below to book an appointment. To avoid disappointment, please email the relevant team you wish to meet with in order to ensure that will be able to meet with you.

6.1. Programme of Study: Academic Directors

Programme of Study: Academic Director

You can find the contact email here: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/people/academic-staff/

7. Key Dates

The dates in this table are for all full time and part time programmes.

Other key Queen Mary dates are available on the ARCS homepage (www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk) and here: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/about/calendar/

Semester Dates

Teaching and Assessment Key Dates

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

Examination Board Dates

Study Skill Sessions

Student Voice Committees (may be subject to change)

8. Module Selection

Online module selection and approval process

8.1. Change of Programme

There may be an opportunity to change modules before the start a of semester, however, students will be expected to provide a valid reason for a change request and the change does not have be permitted.  Students should keep a check on the PG Law noticeboard, QM+ for an announcement of this process. 

You are encouraged to register for your modules as soon as possible as popular modules may quickly fill up. 

Students may be permitted to change programmes in the first two weeks of the academic year.  There may be restrictions as to whether this is permissible if students fail to meet the entry criteria or have failed to undertake core and compulsory modules.  Postgraduate students are not usually permitted to transfer from a full-time to a part-time or variable mode programme after the end of November. Some changes will continue to be permitted at later points in the academic year, for example where students wish to transfer onto or off of a programme that includes a period in industry/overseas.

Click here for further information: Change of programme  Completed forms should be emailed to: pglaw-progadmin@qmul.ac.uk

9. Critical Thinking and Writing

The Queen Mary Critical Thinking and Writing course (CTWL) is a specialised series of classes with the exclusive aim of improving the accuracy and quality of PG Law students’ writing and research in Law. CTWL classes also lay the foundations for more meaningful participation in seminars and help students approach their exams and dissertations with added confidence and heightened chances of success.

A Pathway to Success for all PG Law Students

Academic writing within a specific discipline at postgraduate level is a skill that needs acquiring as student assessment is carried out in the form of exams, essays and dissertation writing. Bearing PG Law students’ needs in mind, the Language Centre, in collaboration with the PG School of Law, has designed two modules alongside a series of supplementary sessions to help students improve their research and writing skills, and provide them with the confidence necessary to succeed in their studies.

The purpose of Critical Thinking and Writing in Law is three-fold:

1. to help students who have been accepted on a conditional offer meet their language requirement (see section 1 below).

2. to give students opportunities to deepen their understanding of the learning strategies required at postgraduate study.

3. CTWL aspires to guide and assist students through the different stages of the writing process of their essays and dissertations.

In order to achieve these three goals, the programme offers two ten-week modules, together with some one-off sessions to assist students with the writing of their proposals as well as sessions to help students approach their exams.

9.1. Students with In-Sessional Language Conditions 

CTWL in Teaching Period Semester 1 introduces students (who arrive at QMUL with a conditional offer) to the skills that will be expected from them at Postgraduate level in the context of UK higher education. A range of legal texts (such as statutes, cases, and journals) will be analysed from a linguistic perspective and focus will be placed on raising students’ awareness of structure and argumentation in English. This is conducted with the express requirements and standards of the postgraduate law programme in mind. Additionally, students are introduced to research methodology in law and associated skills that can serve their needs throughout their programme of study.

NOTE: Please ensure that you carefully read all conditions contained in your offer of study as notified via the student web portal as any students’ claims that they were unaware of this condition to attend the In-sessional programme will not be accepted. It is important, therefore, that you refer carefully to your offer of study letter so that you are certain of your status.

All students who have attended the Pre-Sessional English Programme at QMUL prior to joining a PG Law programme carry an automatic In-sessional condition.

Students who have been accepted with an In-sessional condition only are required to complete Teaching Period One of the CTWL In- sessional programme: the condition is satisfied by attending at least 80% of Teaching Period one’s classes.

Students, who have been accepted on to a PG Law programme, but did not satisfy the 7.0 IELTS writing requirement, are also expected to attend the CTW module. The attendance and participation of these students is very carefully monitored by the PG Law Office.

The handbook for the CTW programme will be available on QMplus Noticeboard. Please consult this QMPlus page for registration details, dates and the weekly topics covered in this module. This compulsory (for students with a conditional offer) ten-week module will introduce students to the skills that will be expected from them at PG Law level.

Additionally, it helps them meet their language requirements. Our records indicate a strong correlation between regular CTWL attendance and high LLM attainment.

Accordingly, attendance of this module is monitored assiduously, and non-attendees will be notified to the PG Law Office. A short, individual report will provide details of student attendance as well as broader information relating to class performance and participation at the end of both teaching periods.

9.2. Course Content

CTWL for all students

As stated, CTWL is mandatory for students arriving with a condition. However, the Programme is open to all PG Law students irrespective of their entry status. This extends to native English speakers who have been regular attenders of this Programme over the years.

Semester 1 - EAL4791 CTW: Literacy Development

Reading is a central focus of the first half of this ten-week module as students are obliged to read extensively around their module topics. The module at this stage is designed to help them do this constructively as well as to develop knowledge and awareness of the layout, organisation and sequence of a variety of legal texts. The importance of reading extensively and selecting potentially useful material for their respective needs with greater efficiency, speed and confidence, is also addressed. The second part of the module is concerned with the requirements of exam writing and the preparation of a proposal for their dissertation. Both Teaching Periods provide students with an opportunity to write and receive feedback on their work.

Semester 1 - Dissertation Proposal Writing

As PG Law students are required to write and submit their dissertation proposals by the end of November/early December, the Language Centre offers a one-off supplementary session to all students in November to cover this requirement. The session addresses the components, approach and style of what is conventionally required for the QM proposal. Exact date/s and time/s will be available in the CTW section of the QMplus Dissertation Support Noticeboard.

CTW in Teaching Period Semester 2 is also available to ALL students. The overriding purpose in Teaching Period Semester 2 is on the development and honing of writing for the dissertation. Students will be given the opportunity to learn and practice the skills needed to allow them to progress effectively and independently throughout this final, taught- stage of the programme being studied.

Semester 2 EAL4792 CTWL: Dissertation Writing

Almost all PG law students are required to write a dissertation as well as submit coursework essays. Writing papers of this length accurately, while adhering to the formality and style required by Queen Mary, is a challenging undertaking for both foreign and English-speaking students alike. Accordingly, this ten- week module addresses some of the areas of dissertation writing that have regularly been a source of student difficulty in previous years. Students are provided with the opportunity to work through the process of planning and structuring their dissertations and apply academic writing skills for law that were developed in Teaching Period One. For Dissertation writing classes students attend one 2-hour class per week for 10 weeks between February and April.

N.B. Students not writing a dissertation are welcome to attend these classes in Semester 2. It is very much expected that they can derive benefit from them that can be put towards other LLM writing requirements.

Registering for CTWL Modules

Registration for the CTWL module in Semester Teaching Period will open on 23 September 2024. Classes, however, will begin in the week beginning 30 September 2024.

To register for these CTWL modules please use the In-sessional Course Bookings task available on MySIS - the online view of SIS, Queen Mary's Student Information System available at: https://mysis.qmul.ac.uk/ A list of all classes of EAL4791 (CTW: Literacy Development) with times and teaching locations will be available on MySIS for students to choose according to when they are free. Students are advised to enrol early as certain time slots can fill up very quickly. Class sizes are limited to 20-25 students and enrolment works on a first come first served basis.

Registration for semester 2 opens in mid December 2024. CTWL classes will resume after the exam period in late January 2025.

9.3. Contact: School Of Languages, Linguistics And Film (SLLF)

This programme is NOT administered nor run by the School of Law. Therefore, any questions or queries need to be addressed directly with the School of the Arts (STA):

Critical Thinking & Writing for Law Contacts

For more information, please contact the team via the email address below: Administrative queries:

Email: sta-education@qmul.ac.uk

Academic queries:

Nicholas Lloyd, Critical Thinking and Writing in Law, Module Convenor Tel: 020 7882 2840

Email: n.h.lloyd@qmul.ac.uk

10. Assessment

10.1. Module Assessment Types

Online exams

You must download, complete and upload your answers within the specified time period below. Late submissions are NOT permitted.

15 credit modules

The exam duration for a 15 credit module is 3 hours and 30 minutes, including a 30-minute submission window. The maximum word limit is 2,500 words.

30 credit modules

The exam duration for a 30 credit module is 5 hours, including a 30 minute submission window. The maximum word limit is 3700 words.

On-Campus Examinations

On-Campus Examinations will take place in person on campus and will be handwritten examinations in an invigilated examination hall.

15 credit modules

The exam duration is 2 hours 15 minutes. This includes 15 minutes of reading time.

30 credit modules

The exam duration is 3 hours 15 minutes. This includes 15 minutes of reading time.

Final Assessment Exercise (FAE)

An FAE is a form of exam where students can provide more depth to their work.

FAEs are available for 24 hours from the time of release. You must download, complete, and upload your answers within this period. 

Word limits and timings may vary by module, so you should check with the module convenor for specific format details. 

Late submissions are NOT permitted for FAEs.

Essays

Some modules are assessed in full or in part, by essays. Essays are always linked to a specific taught module where you will be attending lectures.

Essay submission dates can be found in the Key Dates section of the Handbook. If a module has more than one essay component, the module convenor will indicate if the submission dates for these essays differ from the standard deadlines provided in the Key Dates section .

Class presentations/Oral assessment

Some modules include a class presentation or oral component as part of the assessment. If applicable, this will be thoroughly explained and managed within your class.Oral presentation dates are treated as examination dates; therefore, students are expected to attend in person or online on the specified date. The module convenor will provide you with the date and time for your presentation.

Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating circumstances may apply for non-attendance– please refer to Extenuating Circumstances section for further information if appropriate.

Please refer to the full Academic Regulations at the following link: Queen Mary University of London Academic Regulations 2024-25

10.2. Submission of Assessments (Course essay/FAE/Online Exam/Dissertation)

10.3. Notification of Exam Dates

10.4. Past Exam Papers

If you have any questions about the exam paper format prior to sitting them, you should refer them to either the teaching academic concerned or to your Programme of Study: Academic Director

10.5. Examination Access Arrangements

Students with disabilities, specific learning differences like dyslexia and short-term conditions (e.g. broken limbs, pregnancy) can apply to the Disability and Dyslexia Service for Examination Access Arrangements (EAA's).

The role of the Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS) is to agree appropriate arrangements with the student. This is part of QMULs legal responsibility to offer its disabled students ‘reasonable adjustments’, as outlined in the Equality Act (2010).

All applications for examination access arrangements must be accompanied by medical evidence in the case of a disability or a diagnostic report in the case of a student with a specific learning difference such as dyslexia. This evidence must be in the English language and should be dated no more than two years prior to the date on the student’s application for examination access arrangements in the case of medical evidence or after the student’s sixteenth birthday in the case of students with specific learning differences.

To apply for exam access arrangements students should complete the application form (available via MySIS) by the deadline stated on the EAA website. This is the latest date by which DDS can guarantee that exam access arrangements can be implemented for the end of Teaching Period/year examinations.

Applications can be made after this date, but it is possible that they will not be in place until the following academic year.

Please see website for deadline for Applying for Examination Access Arrangements 

10.6. Re-sit regulations

10.7. Resit Procedures

10.8. Course Essay

10.9. Final Assessment Exercise and Online Examination

Formatting

There is no official style guide. While there are no specific requirements regarding format or font size, we recommend using a 12-point font in a common style, double-spacing the main text, and using margins of at least 2 cm. Citations are required for these assessments. These can be inline citations or footnotes. Footnotes should be no smaller than 10 points, normally in the same font as the main text.

Title page

Top sheet should include the following information only:

·       Module number (i.e. SOLMxxx)

·       Module Title

·       Final Word count

·       Student ID number (this is not username lcxxx, check your MySiS or Student I.D card)

10.10. Dissertation

Updated 5 November 2024

Word count

You can go 10% +/- the word limit without penalty, markers will not mark anything that is beyond 10% of the word count.

Every word submitted is counted, with the only exception of the bibliography.

Examples of items which are included in the word count are:

• table of contents
• appendices
• footnotes
• endnotes
• wording under a diagram
• abstract
• words in graphs
• tables and diagrams.

This is not an exclusive list, consequently you should keep in mind that all words count- use them wisely.

Whilst we appreciate it is difficult to reach exactly the required word count, you should aim to reach as close to this as possible without going over. 

At Masters Level, we would expect students to be able to edit their own work to produce an essay within the maximum word count.

There is no minimum word count.  However, dissertations that are considerably shorter than the maximum word count may fail to fully address the topic and will be marked accordingly.

Title page

Your submitted dissertation should have a top sheet which should include the following information only:

• Student I.D number (this is not username lcxxx, check your MySiS or Student I.D card)
• Dissertation title 
• Supervisor's name 
• Final Word Count 

Formatting

There is no official style guide for the dissertation.  However, although there are no specific requirements regarding format or font size, we recommend you use a 12 point font in a common font style, double space the main text and use margins of at least 2 cm.  Footnotes should be no smaller than 10 point, normally in the same font as the main text.

Your name should not appear anywhere on your dissertation.  There are no further rules with regards to the title page; you may use colour or graphics if you wish.

11. Plagiarism and Referencing

In line with its core values, Queen Mary expects that students will act with integrity and to the highest ethical standards in all matters related to their studies. It is therefore incumbent on students to avoid engaging in academic misconduct.

Academic misconduct includes any activity that undermines the integrity of a formative or summative assessment or attempts to gain undue advantage in a formative or summative assessment. Academic misconduct includes, among other things, plagiarism, including self-plagiarism; falsification or fraudulent reporting of any aspect of an assessment, including source material; collusion; the use or attempted use of a third party, including a ghost-writing service, for the completion of any part of an assessment; and the impersonation of another student in an assessment or the employment of an impersonator in an assessment.

‘Plagiarism’ is presenting someone else’s work as your own, irrespective of intention. Close paraphrasing; copying from the work of another person, including another student; using the ideas of another person without proper acknowledgement; and repeating work that you have previously submitted – at Queen Mary or at another institution – without properly referencing yourself (known as ‘self-plagiarism’) also constitute plagiarism.

‘Collusion’ is any illegitimate cooperation between students in the preparation or production of submitted work, irrespective of intention. Unless such joint work is explicitly permitted by the relevant assessment guidance, students are obliged to ensure that any work submitted for individual assessment is entirely their own. Legitimate academic cooperation between students, such as study groups, is not considered to be collusion.

In the absence of module-specific instructions to the contrary, students may use generative artificial intelligence programmes only in the same way as they would use ordinary internet searches, i.e., as a research tool. Unless explicitly permitted, students may not incorporate text generated by artificial intelligence programmes in assessments. If explicitly permitted to do so, the text must be referenced, and students must save both their original prompts and the machine-generated output to support the reference and make the prompts and output available to the module convenor upon request for verification purposes. Any use or attempted use of generative artificial intelligence for assessed work that violates these principles will be treated as an assessment offence, specifically as the use of a ghost-writing service.

Academic misconduct is a serious offence, and students suspected of academic misconduct will be subject to investigation. For students found guilty of academic misconduct, the possible penalties include a formal reprimand, failing the module, the module mark being capped at the minimum pass mark, suspension from the programme or expulsion from Queen Mary.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it. The recommendations below can help you in avoiding plagiarism.

• Be sure to record your sources when taking notes, and to cite these if you use ideas or, especially, quotations from the original source. Be particularly careful if you are cutting and pasting information between two documents, and ensure that references are not lost in the process.
• Be sensible in referencing ideas – commonly held views that are generally accepted do not always require acknowledgment to particular sources. However, it is best to be safe to avoid plagiarism.
• Be particularly careful with quotations and paraphrasing. Quotations need to be recorded accurately, and references are required when paraphrasing someone else’s ideas.
• Be aware that technology, such as Turnitin, is now available at Queen Mary and elsewhere that can automatically identify possible plagiarism.
• Ensure that all works used are referenced appropriately in the text of your work and fully credited in your bibliography.
• If in doubt, ask for further guidance from your module convenor, LLM Programme of Study Academic or PG law tutors (pglaw-tutors@qmul.ac.uk)
• There is an Academic Integrity Module, QM+ to assist you in understanding and avoiding plagiarism. (Completed by 8 November).

For further information on the policy click here: Academic Misconduct 2024-25

11.1. How Turnitin works

Turnitin is a web-based system used by most universities in the UK to identify possible instances of plagiarism. This statement describes how Turnitin is used within the School and the data it creates about your work.

A Turnitin assignment is set up by a member of staff on QMplus.  You then access this assignment online and upload your work before the due date. Turnitin will analyse the submitted work to identify text matches with other sources and will compare the work against:

• the current and archived web;
• previously submitted work;
• books and journals.

11.2. For each piece of submitted work Turnitin provides two things

• A similarity index, which indicates the percentage of the submitted paper that Turnitin has identified as matching other sources.
• An originality report, which shows each of these matches in more detail, including the source(s) that Turnitin has found.

11.3. How Turnitin is used within the school

Turnitin is used on the majority of post-graduate assignments that contribute towards your final grade. Turnitin will not normally be used on the following assignments:

• formative assignments
• on campus exams
• short assignments (under 500 words)
• contributions to online discussions
• exercises submitted on paper
• exams
• computer programs

For those assignments where Turnitin is used, all submissions to that assignment will be submitted to Turnitin.

11.4. How we use the information provided by Turnitin

Only academic staff will make a judgement on whether plagiarism has occurred in a piece of work. An academic may interpret the originality report to help but Turnitin itself does not make this judgement.

We do not use a threshold percentage to identify whether plagiarism has occurred and may review any originality report in detail.

Turnitin will highlight matching text such as references, quotations, common phrases and data tables within work that has no plagiarism issues at all. Those interpreting Turnitin reports will discount such matches and so initial percentages are often irrelevant.

11.5. How you can use the information provided by Turnitin

There will be an opportunity for you to see a Turnitin report on your work before Turnitin is used on your assessed work. You will have access through the Draft Submission Page.

No other student will be able to see an originality report on your work.

To help you understand what the report is telling you, please ensure you have followed the guidance on the E-Learning Unit’s website:

(http://www.elearning.capd.qmul.ac.uk/guide/interpreting-your-originality-report/

If you have a question about your originality report that is not answered by the material linked to the above, please direct these to pglaw-assessments@qmul.ac.uk

11.6. Other things you should know

• Turnitin stores a copy of most work submitted to it in its repository. This does not affect the ownership of or any copyright in the original work.
• Staff may configure a Turnitin assignment such that copies of submissions are not stored in its database. This will be done for the draft submission point.
• Staff on your course will ensure that no commercially or otherwise sensitive documents are stored in Turnitin’s repository.
• You cannot opt out of having your work scanned by Turnitin, but if you believe that your work should be deleted after it is scanned you should contact pglaw-assessments@qmul.ac.uk

12. Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating circumstances are defined by Queen Mary University of London as:

"Circumstances that are outside a student’s control and which may have a negative impact on a student’s ability to undertake or complete any assessment so as to cast doubt the likely validity of the assessment as a measure of the student’s achievement."

If you find yourself in this situation, you suggest that you think about applying for an Extenuating Circumstances (EC) claim. 

Extenuating circumstances are usually personal or health problems. Health problems include your emotional wellbeing and mental health, as well as your physical health. Extenuating circumstances do not include computer problems, misreading your exam timetable, planned holidays or events, or local transport delays.

Further guidance on what is considered valid extenuating circumstances is available here: Extenuating Circumstances: a guide for students

Reminders and further guidance about ECs will be sent to students throughout the academic year around each examination period.

12.1. Fit to Sit Policy

Queen Mary operates a ‘fit to sit’ policy, which covers all assessments including coursework and exams. If you sit an exam or submit a piece of coursework you are deemed to be fit to do so. In such instances a request for extenuating circumstances will not normally be considered.

If you do not feel you are well enough to attend an exam then you should not submit your work and instead submit a claim for extenuating circumstances. You will need to attend a medical consultation within three days of the date of your exam that you missed. Similarly, if you get sick during an exam and have to leave, you will need to attend a medical consultation within three days.

The rule to remember is that if you are unwell or have problems which you feel may have a negative effect on your performance, do not submit the exam or your essay/dissertation and instead submit a non-attendance or non-submission EC claim (see this chapter for more information.

Please click on here for further guidance on the fit to sit policy: Extenuating Circumstance guidance 

12.2. Process

Before submitting an EC claim, it is strongly recommended that you book an appointment with the PG Law Student Support & Engagement Team to discuss your EC claim. Please email pglaw-support@qmul.ac.uk to request an appointment.

To submit an extenuating circumstance request you must log a claim through the online extenuating circumstances task in MySIS following the instructions there. It is your own responsibility to submit any claims for extenuating circumstances. Please ensure that if you have what you believe is a valid case, you complete the submission process in accordance with the Postgraduate School of Law guidelines and deadlines.

When you submit an EC claim you will receive a formal acknowledgement, you must keep this safe for the duration of your studies.

All EC claims are kept confidential until they are considered by the EC Sub-Board of the School of Law (or School of Economics and Finance for joint programme students). All proceedings of the EC Sub-Board are strictly confidential and will not normally be discussed at the full examination board meetings.

EC Deadlines

All EC Claims must be submitted by the EC deadline for the relevant semester, and no later than three working days before the relevant EC Sub-Board meeting, otherwise they cannot be considered. EC deadlines for each semester are provided in the Key Dates section of this Student Handbook.

It is not possible to make a retrospective claim for extenuating circumstances, specifically once you know your results. Therefore claims submitted after the deadline will not be considered by the EC Sub-Board.

EC Outcome

All the claims will be considered at the EC Sub-Boards which usually take place around two weeks after the ECs deadline. Therefore, you can expect to be notified of your EC claim’s outcome after that time.

12.3. Standard EC claim

A standard EC claim must be accompanied by relevant supporting evidence, for example:

• Medical certification
• Death certificate
• Police report and crime number
• Other written evidence from a person in authority

Please note that although accompanying documentation can be submitted after the claim, standard claims without any evidence cannot be considered. It is in your best interest to provide evidence and supporting documentation that is as comprehensive as possible.

All evidence submitted in support of your EC claim application must be in English. If your evidence is not in English, it is your responsibility to obtain a certified translation.

Further guidance on evidencing extenuating circumstances is available here: Extenuating Circumstances: a guide for students

12.4. Self-certification

Each student is entitled to submit up to three self-certified claims per academic year, which involves providing details of the extenuating circumstances without the provision of documentary evidence.

Each self-certification can cover a period of up to seven calendar days - this is the maximum amount of time that each instance of self-certification can cover.

It is not permitted to use consecutive self-certification applications, that is, you cannot claim for two back-to-back seven-day periods using self-certification. Also, you cannot normally use a self-certified application more than once for the same assessment.

Please note that self-certification does not mean automatic approval of a claim – the School will consider it in the normal way and will check that it meets the criteria of the university's extenuating circumstances policy. Any claims beyond those three self-certifications must be accompanied by evidence as part of a standard EC claim, as described in the previous section.

12.5. Non-attendance or non-submission EC claim

If you do not submit an assessment by the deadline, this is considered as a fail. However, if you have extenuating circumstances to explain your non-attendance or non-submission, you should submit an EC claim in line with the following procedures.

When submitting your EC claim in MySIS, please select 'non-attendance' (for exams/FAEs/in-class tests/presentations) or 'non-submission' (for essays/dissertations) as the EC Impact and leave the Late Date blank.

If you have an accepted non-attendance or non-submission EC claim for your first attempt at an assessment, you will be permitted another uncapped first attempt at the next available opportunity. You would then still be entitled to a resit attempt should you fail and are also able to apply for extenuating circumstances, should you need to do so. 

If you have an accepted non-attendance or non-submission EC claim for your resit attempt at an assessment, you will be permitted another capped resit attempt at the next available opportunity. You would be able to apply for extenuating circumstances, should you need to do so. 

Please note: Students who have to resit assessments the following academic year due to extenuating circumstances are not entitled to attend lectures or classes of any kind. However, QMplus access is available through the QMplus Archive.

12.6. Late Submission Policy

Important to note

• No extensions are permitted under any circumstances for any assessment.

• Essays and dissertations can be submitted up to 7 days after the specified deadline, but will be recorded as late, and a late penalty will be applied – see the Mark Deduction section below.

• No late submissions are permitted under any circumstances for online exams or FAEs. 

Late Submission EC claim

(For essays and dissertations only)

If you have extenuating circumstances to explain your late submission of an essay or dissertation, you should submit an EC claim in line with the following procedure to request for the late penalty to be revoked.

When submitting your EC claim in MySIS, please select 'late submission' as the EC Impact and include the date you submitted work as the Late Date. Although you may see the option to request an extension in MySIS, you must still select ‘late submission’ as the School does not permit extensions.

If you wish to submit a late submission EC claim, you must first submit your work up to 7 days late, then submit your EC claim before the EC deadline. The School cannot process your late submission EC claim until we know when you have submitted your work late. If you submit a late submission EC claim before you have submitted your work late, your claim will be declined - you can submit another claim once you have submitted your work late.

Mark Deduction

If an essay or dissertation is submitted up to 7 days after the specified deadline, it will be recorded as late, and a late penalty will be applied. For every period of 24 hours or part thereof that an essay or dissertation is overdue, there shall be a deduction of 5% of the total marks available (i.e. 5 marks for an assessment marked out of 100).

A late penalty may be revoked where a student provides good reason for the late submission under the extenuating circumstances policy. A student must submit a late submission EC claim with supporting evidence in line with that policy in order for the circumstances to be considered.

A student may submit work of passing standard but fail the module because of the late submission penalty. Where the student is eligible for a resit attempt in such a case, the student shall not be required to resubmit the assessment; instead, the minimum pass mark of 50 will be entered for the resit. Where a student is not eligible for a resit, this provision does not apply.

If a student does not submit their work within the 7-day late submission period, they will receive a mark of 0-NS (Non Submission) and will have to resit at the next opportunity. However, extenuating circumstances may apply for non-submission – please refer to the non-submission EC claim guidance for further information if appropriate.

Certain assessments may cease to be a valid measure of a module’s learning outcomes prior to the seven working day cut-off. For example, where feedback has been provided to the class, any submission made after that point would not be an accurate measure of attainment. In such cases, the late submission policy shall apply as normal up to the day on which feedback is given; at that point, a mark of zero (0FL) shall be applied, even if this is within seven calendar days of the deadline. Schools and Institutes must make clear to students in advance where this variant policy applies, or else the general policy shall be applied.

13. College Policies

The following are the College Policies at CCLS.

13.1. Interruption & Withdrawal of Studies

If you are considering an interruption or withdrawal from your Programme of Study, please contact the Student Support and Engagement team in the first instance.

Information on interruption & withdrawal of studies, including links to the relevant forms, found here:

Interruption of Study

Withdrawing

Please refer to the Key Date for Registry deadlines for both forms to be signed off and submitted. Students who sign forms after these dates will remain registered for examinations in either the January or May examination periods and failure to attend may result in marks of 0 being entered and being used towards progression and award outcomes).

13.2. Deregistration

Deregistration from programme of study

Should you not meet programme requirements for attendance or for submission of coursework, you may be deregistered from your programme of study. You will be given warnings before deregistration occurs, and you will have the right to represent your case to the School/ Institute.

Click here for further information: De-registration

Tuition Fee deregistration

When you enrol or re-enrol at the start of each academic year you agree to Queen Mary’s Tuition Fee Regulations, https://www.qmul.ac.uk/tuition-fee-regulations/, which set the deadlines for paying tuition fees. Failure to pay your tuition fees by these deadlines may lead to your deregistration from your programme of study, under College Ordinance C3

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/governance/council/charter/ 

13.3. Religious observance and study

Please click on the link for further guidance: Religious observance

Students must check their QM emails for an announcement about submitting the online ‘Notification of Religious Holidays form’, see Key Date section for deadline.

13.4. Updating personal details

Personal information and data protection

During application and at (re-)enrolment you provide us with personal information about yourself such as relevant contact details and information about your background, which is held in systems such as MySIS. It’s important that you ensure this information is accurate and kept up to date. Throughout your studies (or after you graduate) you may also provide, or we may collect, other personal information and you should be aware that this also includes any work you submit for assessment in the course of your studies. Tutors may occasionally use anonymised student essays (or portions from them) as part of the teaching process. We hope you will be willing to support your fellow students by allowing this, but you may opt out by contacting your School/Institute office. Other markers of engagement are monitored to help support students. If you engage with your the PG Law Office support services, notes may be kept and shared with appropriate individuals. You may make use of Queen Mary’s Report and  Support Tool, or another user may identify you in doing so, which could result in personal data, including special category personal data or data relating to criminal offences being processed. Please refer to the privacy notice for more information.

We ensure that all personal data is held securely and will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, unless we are obliged to do so by law – for example the annual student record that we submit to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) - or other conditions allow. HESA requires us to collect details of our students’ ethnicities and disabilities as a means of monitoring the success of equal opportunities policies at a national level. This information is kept confidential and helps us to provide you with support and information on facilities and services that may be useful.

When you enrol or re-enrol online you will be asked to read a privacy notice about the purposes for which we use your personal data and to whom we may disclose it when required. You must read this carefully. All personal data is maintained in accordance with data protection legislation.  For more information, visit: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/privacy/ and/or contact Queen Mary’s Data Protection Officer via data-protection@qmul.ac.uk.

13.5. Representation

Your views are important to CCLS and Queen Mary. There are a variety of ways in which you can tell us what you think and share your ideas for improvements. Become a Course Rep, elected by fellow students, also speak on behalf of the student body at the School, Faculty and Queen Mary-wide level via various committees, groups and meetings. Some of the main methods are outlined below. More information can be found at: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/tell-us/

• Student Voice Committee
• Module Experience Survey
• Course representatives            
• Personal feedback to tutors
• Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES)
• Student Ambassadors (for open days, etc) (optional)

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES)

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) is conducted every year. It is facilitated by Advance HE, the national body that champions teaching excellence. The PTES gives you, as a postgraduate taught student, an opportunity to give your opinions on what you like about your time at Queen Mary, as well as those aspects that you feel could be improved. Please do consider completing the survey; your feedback really is invaluable and will help us make a difference for future generations of Queen Mary students. http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/postgraduate-taught-experience-survey/

13.6. Code of Conduct

Code of Student Discipline 

The Code of Student Discipline applies to any action of misconduct whether it takes place on or off Queen Mary premises. The Code also applies to actions that are electronic and occur via electronic means such as (but not limited to) the internet, email, social media sites, chat rooms or text messages. Please refer to Code of Student Discipline: Code of Conduct Policy

Report + Support: tackling harassment, gender-based violence and hate crime

Queen Mary is committed to creating an environment for work and study where staff and students are treated with dignity and respect.  We have no place for bullying, harassment and hate. We recognise that these behaviours can take many forms.  Any allegation of harassment, hate crime, bullying or victimisation will be treated seriously, regardless of the seniority of those involved, and anyone found to have behaved unacceptably may be the subject of disciplinary action subject to the processes detailed in the relevant Queen Mary policies.

Report + Support is our secure online platform for anyone at Queen Mary to report harassment, gender-based violence or hate crime, and find out about support options. If you have experienced or witnessed any form of bullying, harassment, violence or hate crime, please see reportandsupport.qmul.ac.uk. 

All members of Queen Mary have a collective responsibility to: encourage a culture of dignity and respect; to treat others fairly, with courtesy and consideration; and to challenge inappropriate behaviour when it is safe to do so. More information can be found here: https://reportandsupport.qmul.ac.uk/campaigns/our-commitment.

13.7. Student conduct in lectures and classes

Aim: to significantly reduce (ideally, to eliminate) the problem of disruptive students

Simple and fundamental rules: While instruction is in progress, students may not:

• talk without being recognised
• use mobile phones
• use laptops for non-academic reasons, or
• arrive late to the lecture room

The 4 rules mentioned above represent ONLY the minimum standard for acceptable conduct that must be enforced in all courses.

It remains possible for a student to be disruptive in some other way, and instructors should view the policy as reinforcing their authority rather than constraining their professional judgement.

Please refer to Code of Student Discipline: Code of Conduct Policy

14. Marking Criteria

Assessment Marking Criteria

These guidelines cover the criteria for the assessment of taught modules through examination, as well as extended written work. The criteria build upon and supplement the Queen Mary Assessment Handbook, which is available Assessment Handbook 2024-25

These criteria also take into account the Master’s Degree Characteristics Statement (February 2020), which was issued by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and describes the distinctive features of master’s degrees in the UK. The Statement is available at Characteristics Statement (QAA Standards)

The marking criteria below are designed to apply to all forms of assessment, as appropriate.

Assessments are evaluated on six areas:

• the accuracy and relevance of the submission;
• evidence of independent or original analysis;
• the quality of the logic and analysis of the submission;
• the use and scope of relevant sources;
• the organisation and structure of the submission;
• accurate, appropriate and consistent referencing and citation of sources; and the English language level of the written text

The following is broken down into the levels of award that can be achieved under:

• Distinction (70 and above)
• Merit (60-69), Pass (50-59)
• Fail (0-49).

14.1. Distinction

Distinction (70 and above)

A submission in the Distinction mark range shows mastery over the subject, is well structured and displays a clear and logical argument. It includes analysis informed by wider reading of relevant materials and a good grasp of detail. The submission should be complete, with few if any errors or omissions.

Indications of a Distinction-level submission include the following:

• A well-scoped and coherent topic

• Focused coverage of the issues, which are accurately and fully discussed

• Original thinking about the topic

• Sophisticated critical analysis

• Depth of insight into the theoretical issues

• Integration of a range of materials, including, where relevant, class and reading list materials

• Clarity of argument and expression, with a conclusion that follows logically from the analysis

• Complete, accurate and consistent citation

• Excellent use of written English with few, if any, grammatical or other errors

In addition to the above, Distinction answers to problem questions will also satisfy the following criteria:

• All relevant issues have been identified

• The analysis and the exposition and application of any relevant rules or principles is clear, accurate and comprehensive

• The application of any relevant legal rules and principles is insightful (e.g., the candidate demonstrates that s/he can both distinguish cases on their facts and argue by analogy)

• There is a conclusion that follows logically from the preceding analysis

To obtain a mark above the normal Distinction range (i.e., a mark of 80 or above), the submission should demonstrate exceptional qualities of originality, critical analysis and clarity of writing. In the case of an essay or dissertation, the writing and analysis should be at a level that generally would be found in an article accepted for publication with minor revisions.

14.2. Merit

Merit (60 to 69)

A Merit-level submission generally shows a sound understanding of the relevant legal and other issues, supported by analysis presented in a coherent and logical fashion. The submission should be well presented and structured and contain no major errors or omissions, but it need not necessarily be excellent in any area.

Indications of a Merit-level submission include the following:

• Accurate and well-informed coverage of the issues or questions

• Reasonably comprehensive discussion, but with some arguments not fully developed or containing some material which is not relevant to the issue or question

• Evidence of insight, reflection and analysis

• Evaluation of the relevant material, though the evaluation may be derivative

• Evidence of a sound grasp of the relevant principles

• Evidence of a good understanding of the relevant material

• Succinct and cogent arguments

• Good organisation and structure

• Generally accurate and consistent citation

• A reasonable standard of written English, although it may contain some grammatical and other errors

In addition to the above, Merit answers to problem questions will also satisfy the following criteria:

• Most of the issues raised by the question have been identified, and the application of the relevant legal rules and principles is generally accurate and competent

• There is a conclusion that summarises the argument

14.3. Pass

Pass (50 to 59)

A submission in the Pass range represents the minimum acceptable standard for the award of a degree. It  demonstrates a basic understanding of the main issues, which however are not well presented. It will be weak in  various ways.

Indications of a Pass-level submission include the following:

• Coverage of basic material and issues, with some errors, omissions or irrelevancies

• Little evidence of wider reading and, where relevant, little reference to class and reading list materials

• Overly descriptive discussion

• Indirect consideration of the issue or question

• Failure to address key points or facts

• Brief coverage of material and issues

• Assertions not sufficiently supported by authority or evidence

• An inability to follow an argument through

• Poor or disorganised structure

• Limited references and/or inconsistent citation

• Poor written English

In addition to the above, a Pass answer to a problem question is one that:

• Misses relevant issues

• Fails to apply or otherwise address relevant legal rules and principles

• Fails to make proper use of the relevant legal rules and principles

14.4. Fail

Fail (0 to 49)

A submission in the Fail range does not meet the minimum requirements of the assessment criteria.

A submission in the Fail range typically contains one or more of the following:

• Evidence of a lack of basic understanding of the issue or question

• Many errors or omissions

• Evidence of a lack of familiarity and engagement with the relevant literature and/or class and reading list materials

• Disorganised presentation

• Few or no citations or consistently incomplete or inaccurate citations

• Very poor written English, including poor grammar and spelling and incoherent statements

In addition to the above, in a problem question, the answer:

• Fails to identify several important issues

• Fails to apply relevant legal rules and principles

• Fails to make appropriate use of the relevant legal rules and principles

• Fails to answer the question posed, e.g., it answers a different question from that set by the module convenor

Failure may be condoned in up to 30 credits of modules of an LLM or MSc degree if the module is not designated a ‘core’ module, the module mark for the failed module(s) is 40-49 and the student’s overall credit-weighted average mark, including the failed module(s), is at least 50.

Failure in the condonable Fail range (i.e., 40-49) should be limited to submissions that almost meet the minimum requirements of the assessment criteria.

A non-condonable Fail mark (i.e., 0-39) is appropriate for a submission which indicates no understanding of the issue or significantly misinterprets the question.

There will be little or no mention of any relevant law, with no analysis or application of value. The quality of the written English may be so poor as to be unintelligible.

Such a mark may also be appropriate where the submission is of just a few lines, commonly where a student has run out of time before being able to answer the question properly.

15. Feedback

Feedback is available for modules with course essays and FAEs and will be available through QMplus where you submit your assessment. Feedback for exams is available upon request.

• Feedback may be delivered in various forms according to the structure of the module.   
• Feedback during lecture and revision session may be given through whole class feedback, group feedback or individual feedback on tasks/mock answers. 
• Feedback during tutorials may be provided in relation to individual or group responses to particular topics

Students should ensure they reflect on class feedback and any individual feedback given.   

It is expected that students will contribute during the session either in groups or individually as instructed by the lecturer.  The onus is on students to ensure they actively participate in the sessions.  If a student requires further feedback they should contact the module convenor.

16. Award Postgraduate Taught Programmes

Postgraduate Degree Classifications

update-02/09/2024

Award requirements for LLM/MA/MSc

To be eligible for a Master of LLM (LLM), Master of Arts (MA) or Masters of Science (MSc), a student must meet all of the following requirements: 

1. take 180 credits, including a minimum 150 credits at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be at levels 5 or 6; a maximum 15 may be taken at level 5.

2. Either for the LLM and MA only, for the MSc all credits must be at level 7

a. pass 180 credits; or,

b. pass a minimum 150 credits and meet the requirements for condoned failure in the remaining credits.

3. achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.

Award requirements for PG Diploma

To be eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma a student must meet all of the following requirements:

1. take 120 credits, including a minimum 90 credits at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be at levels 5 or 6; a maximum 15 may be taken at level 5.

2. either:

a. pass 120 credits; or,

b. pass a minimum 90 credits and meet the requirements for condoned failure in the remaining credits.

3. achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.

Award requirements for PG Certificate

To be eligible for a PG Certificate, a student must meet all of the following requirements:

1. take 60 credits at level 7

2. either:

a. pass 60 credits; or,

b. pass a minimum 45 credits and meet the requirements for condoned failure in the remaining credits.

Overall Classification

Postgraduate awards are classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The Classification Mark is the mean average mark for the full programme of study.

Borderline Policy:

Examination boards may use a borderline policy when making recommendations for final degree
classifications. The following criteria are used:

• Students with Classification Marks within 1.5% of a borderline (except at the pass/fail border) shall be determined to fall within the ‘zone of consideration’;

• All students falling within a zone of consideration shall be considered as possible cases for application of the borderline policy; 

• Students falling within the zone of consideration and with at least half of all credits with marks at the level of the upper classification (or higher), shall be raised to the higher classification. The credits at the higher level may include the dissertation or project, but this is not a requirement. Where a student studies on a part-time basis, all modules comprising the full-time equivalent final year shall be used in the borderline policy.

 Please view the following page which provides links to the award regulations for Queen Mary degrees. http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy/

16.1. Exit Award and Condoned Failure (Updated 5 November 2024)

Exit awards  

1. Students who fail to achieve their intended award may qualify for an exit award where sufficient credits have been passed and classification mark achieved.
2. For a PG Certificate students must pass 60 credits with a classification mark of 50% (up to 15 credits may be condoned, with a mark of 40-49).
3. The exit award will be automatically applied where the student does not pass at the final attempt, if they pass the required number of credits.
4. Please see the academic regulations for full details: www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk

Condoned failure

Failure can be condoned in up to 30 credits of modules of an LLM, MA, MSc and PG Diploma award where all of the following conditions are met:

1. the module mark for each failed module is 40.0 or higher; and,
2. the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or higher; and,
3. a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme regulations.  

 Failure can be condoned in up to 15 credits of modules of PG Certificate award where all of the following conditions are met:

1. the module mark for each failed module is 40.0 or higher; and,
2. the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or higher; and,
3. a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme regulations.  

16.2. Examination Boards and Results

Your Results

Subject Examination Boards (SEB)

Once all coursework, examinations and your dissertation have been completed, there will be a Subject Examination Board (SEB) which will consider the provisional results in full. At this time the SEB will also consider any recommendations made by the Extenuating Circumstances Sub-Board and any previous related SEBs.

Department Examination Board (DEB)

The SEB will report its provisional results and recommendations to the Department Examination Board (DEB) who in turn will confirm the official final results. These will be available to both graduating year and continuing students via MySIS shortly after the DEB has taken place (generally at the end of July and at the end of October/beginning of November). In addition, all graduating year students will receive an official transcript of results directly from the Academic Registry by post to the address held on MySIS. Please make sure your address held on MySIS is up to date.

The marks are officially confirmed by the Degree Examination Board (DEB)

Note: there can be a slight delay with the issue of transcripts due to the sheer volume being processed at one time. Any student in debt to the College at this time will not be permitted to receive their results.

In July (see Key Date), the first SEB will meet and consider all results from both examination periods (Semester 1: A24 and Semester 2: B24) and all course essays/FAEs. At this time, they will consider recommendations from the first Extenuating Circumstances Board (EC).

The marks are officially confirmed by the Degree Examination Board (DEB) which is held on July (see Key Date).

Official publication of results (see Key Date): This is the date from which the period permitted for appeals, UKBA processes, etc., begins. Late summer resits and resubmissions of course essays/FAEs will then take place as needed.

In October (see Key Date), the second SEB will meet and consider all results including any Semester 3: C24 modules, resits and your dissertation marks, if applicable. At this time they will consider recommendations from the second EC Board.

The marks and classifications are officially confirmed by the Final Degree Examination Board (DEB) which is held in October and awards are made.

Official publication of results (see Key Date): This is the date from which the period permitted for appeals, UKBA processes, etc., begins).

Formal result notification/degree certificate

Transcript 

You can obtain your official digital transcript of marks via the HEAR system. You will receive an email to your QM email account from Gradintelligence asking you to register with them.

For further details, please review the Registry web page at: http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/gradintelligence-account-/hear-transcript/ 

HEARs will be published in March, July and October each year and will provide you with all achievements that have been verified up to that point.

16.3. Degree Certificate

Degree Certificate  

The official Degree Certificate will be available for collection at the Graduation ceremony. Those unable to attend can request that it be mailed to them by emailing studentenquiry@qmul.ac.uk.

Your Degree Certificate will state the name of your degree programme, for example: 'MSc in Management in Intellectual Property Law'

If you are registered on a general programme, your Degree certificate will state for example: “Masters in Science” The degree certificate will not show the individual subjects taken.

17. Viewing your Results

To view your assessment marks, log in to MySIS with your usual credentials, where they will be listed. Please note that these marks are provisional and subject to change until they are agreed by the relevant subject examination board. MySIS will indicate whether the results are provisional or confirmed. For guidance on checking your results on MySIS, please visit the Student Enquiry website:  (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/mysis-record/provisional-results/index.html

updated-02/09/2024

18. Departmental Prizes

Departmental prizes

The University and the School of Law have a range of prizes awarded after results are announced. The University will offer a number of Drapers awards for excellence. The School of Law will also offer the Roy Goode Award for the best overall PG Law student.

The School of Law will normally award a prize for the best overall student in each of the PG Law programme. All awards are subject to the discretion of the School of Law and can depend on the grade achieved.

18.1. QM Extra

Students may also get recognition of the following extra-curricular activity on their HEAR transcript under the QM Extra scheme:

• Postgraduate Law Course Rep
• Programme prize winners
• Sir Roy Goode prize winner
• qLegal Innovation Projects Programme
• qLegal Law Tech Extern
• qLegal Advisory Programme
• qLegal Public Legal Education Programme
• PG Law Professional Skills Achievement Programme

More may be added through the year so please do check the full list of QM Extras and criteria here: HEAR extracurricular achievements - Registry Services (qmul.ac.uk)

19. Appeals and Complaints

Appeals

A Formal Appeal is a request to review a decision about progression, assessment or award.

Before you submit a Formal Appeal, speak to your School/Institute about the decision you wish to appeal as many issues can be resolved without the need for a lengthy formal process.

Your School/Institute will be able to provide you with feedback on your marks, or degree classification, and to answer any queries. Please note that a Formal Appeal cannot provide feedback on academic work.

Appeals against academic judgment are not permitted, this means you cannot appeal simply because you think the mark you have received is too low.

There are two grounds for appeal:

• Procedural error: Where the process leading to the decision being appealed against was not conducted in accordance with Queen Mary’s procedure, such that there is reasonable doubt as to whether the outcome might have been different had the error not occurred. Procedural error shall include alleged administrative or clerical error, and bias in the operation of the procedure.
• that exceptional circumstances, illness, or other relevant factors were not made known at the time for good reason or were not properly taken into account.

A Formal Appeal must be received within 21 calendar days of the notification of the decision you want to appeal and should be submitted from your Queen Mary email to appeals@qmul.ac.uk.

Further information about how to appeal and the appeal form can be found on the Queen Mary website: http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/appeals/index.html

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your appeal, you may submit a Final Review for consideration by the Principal’s nominee. Once a Final Review is complete you will be sent a Completion of Procedures letter which outlines the final decision of Queen Mary and the reasons for the decision.

Complaints

Before submitting a Formal Complaint, you are advised to speak to a member of staff in your School/Institute as most issues can be resolved informally without the need for a formal complaint.

If your issue is not resolved through the informal process, then you will need to complete the Formal Complaint form and submit this to the relevant School/Institute/Professional Services Head for investigation under the Student Complaints Policy:

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/complaints/index.html

Most complaints are resolved at the Formal Complaint stage but if your matter is still not resolved then there is one review stage to the policy.

When the complaint process is finished you will be issued with a Completion of Procedures letter explaining the final decision and the reasons for it.

Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)

If you are unhappy with the outcome of an appeal or complaint, then you may submit a complaint to the OIA within 12 months of receiving your Completion of Procedures letter. The OIA is the independent body set up to review student complaints and is free to students. For further information regarding the OIA please visit their website: http://www.oiahe.org.uk/

20. Student Services

The following are the students services.

20.1. Student Enquiry Centre (SEC)

We provide support to all Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students and we can help with a wide variety of queries including enrolment, ID cards, student documentation, Gradintelligence accounts and more. If you are not sure about something or do not know who to contact, ask us!

We are located on the ground floor of the iQ East Court building.

Contact

Accessed via MySIS - Student Enquiry Centre Online

Email: studentenquiry@qmul.ac.uk

Telephone: 020 7882 5005

20.2. Bursaries, Grants and Scholarships

Student Loans

If you have applied for funds from Student Finance, then you will receive the first instalment once you have enrolled fully for the academic year. If your payments do not arrive and you cannot remedy the problem with Student Finance yourself, please contact the Student Enquiry Centre, http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/ . They will be able to assess for any actions needed by Queen Mary and advise you of the next steps.

Bursaries

Queen Mary Bursaries are assessed using the household income information provided to us from Student Finance.

If you do not wish to take out student funding, such as loans, but still wish to be assessed for a Queen Mary Bursary you will still need to apply for a household income assessment, full details on how to do this are on our website - www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/QMULBursary

Full details of the Queen Mary Bursary, including eligibility, amounts and payment dates can be found on our website - www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/QMULBursary

Queen Mary Financial Assistance Fund

If you have exceptional or unforeseen costs or you are in financial hardship you could be eligible for help from the Financial Assistance Fund.  The fund is there to help any eligible student who has a particular financial need but we cannot meet every application we receive and we cannot always meet all of the costs that you might apply for. 

CCLS Bursary Fund

CCLS has funding to help their students during their studies in London or Paris when they are facing unexpected financial need.  With support provided, up to £1,000 can be given per eligible student. We want to ensure the means to meet the costs of basic needs such as food, accommodation, equipment and travel. The emergency support is provided for students to have the peace of mind to be able to continue with their studies and not to have an unanticipated financial burden that could hinder completing their course and becoming the very best lawyers.

Full details, guidance and an application form can be found on our website - arcs.qmul.ac.uk/QMFinancialAssistanceFund

Contact

Log an enquiry via your MySIS portal for the Bursaries, Grants and Scholarships Office

Email: bursaries@qmul.ac.uk

www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/bursariesoffice   

Dean’s Benevolence Fund

The Dean's Benevolence Fund (DBF) is in place to help students who find themselves in financial difficulties due to unexpected extenuating circumstances.  They may be given a grant or interest-free loan or a combination of both.  However, DBF is not in place to supplement student finance.

Contact Kate McFarlane (k.mcfarlane@qmul.ac.uk) 

Telephone: 020 7882 2124

20.3. I.T. Services

We aim to provide exceptional support and innovative solutions to make your academic journey smoother and more enjoyable.

From the moment you step foot on campus, our comprehensive range of services is available. We understand that seamless access to email and the internet is essential for your studies, and we have implemented state-of-the-art technology to ensure a fast and reliable connection. Our high-performance computing resources are tailored to support your research endeavours, enabling you to push boundaries and make ground-breaking discoveries.

We have strategically placed computer rooms throughout the campus to cater to your needs. Equipped with the latest technology, these rooms are readily available for you to utilise. Logging in with your Queen Mary username and password grants you access to all the applications necessary for your coursework. We want to empower you with the tools you need to succeed.

Your IT Account: Details of your Queen Mary username and password will be emailed to your personal address before enrolment. Don't hesitate to contact the service desk – details below – if you have not yet received these.

The IT Service Desk is your primary contact for all IT help, support and advice. Students and staff can use Live Chat with the Service Desk 24/7 https://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/about/contact/ , call on 020 7882 8888 or raise a ticket via the Self Service portal https://servicedesk.qmul.ac.uk/. The QMUL IT Service Desk is the first point of contact for all IT issues for our entire user community (including staff, students and visitors). We are dedicated to providing you with a high-quality user experience and are on campus Monday to Friday, from 7 am-7 pm (with out-of-hours support available 24/7/365).

Find an available PC on campus: Use the interactive map at http://availability.stu.qmul.ac.uk/ to locate available PCs on campus

Laptop Loan Service – for Students

QMUL students can borrow DELL laptops from the self-service machine on the ground floor at Mile End and Whitechapel Library. We offer 180 laptops for loan at Mile End Library and 24 at Whitechapel Library. Laptops can be borrowed for up to 8 hours*.

*More details can be found here: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/using-library-services/borrowing-basics/laptop-loan-/#d.en.831133

AppsAnywhere and Free and Discounted Software for Students

Students have access to a range of free and discounted software such as Office 365, SPSS  and NVivo etc., more details and how to request this can be found here: https://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/support/self-help/software/free-and-discounted-software/

Our ‘AppsAnywhere’ service allows you to access some of Queen Mary’s specialised apps when away from your department or off campus using your personal computer and QMUL account  Apps anywhere - IT Services (qmul.ac.uk)

Print, Copy, Scan:

The Central Print Service has printers located across every campus for student use, offering copying and scanning facilities in addition to printing.

Our wireless printing services offer you the convenience of printing from anywhere at any time.

More information about wireless printing services is available on the  ITS web page at Wireless Printing - Library Services (qmul.ac.uk)

The cost of printing and photocopying is automatically deducted from your MyPrint account linked to your student ID card.  Printing and photocopying are charged per click with one click equalling one side of printed paper (Each Side).

• Black & White A4 – 5p​
• Black & White A3 – 10p​
• Colour A4 – 20p​
• Colour A3 – 40p

The Copy Shop

With an on-campus location, the CopyShop offers comprehensive print services to students, staff and external customers both locally and globally, and are always available to give advice. The quick, professional and cost-effective service supports students throughout their time at Queen Mary offering fast turnaround times from two hours.

The CopyShop can print a range of items, some of which include leaflets/flyers, invitations, tickets, lecture notes, programmes, posters, theses/dissertations, display banners and exhibition stands. 

We offer 

• a range of finishing services, including wire binding, soft (Morgana) binding and booklet production.
• Large format posters: printed up to size A0 on gloss, matt or fabric materials with bespoke sizes up to 900mm wide-to-any length.
• Your thesis or dissertation can be printed and bound in-house with an external service available for hard-bound copies.

Book Scanning Service: The CopyShop offers students a professional scanning service. If you wish to retain a section of a publication for study use, the CopyShop produce high quality, clear images without fingerprints, black areas and poor-quality results.

We can also scan materials you wish to include in your research materials in the correct format you need.

Wi-Fi: The wireless network you use to connect your devices is Eduroam. Instructions on how to connect your devices to our Wi-Fi network can be found at Wi-Fi - IT Services (qmul.ac.uk)

Halls of residence are fully networked with Wi-Fi and each study bedroom has both Wi-Fi and a wired socket for your convenience.

Access to e-mail, QMplus, the online learning environment and other services relevant to your study at Queen Mary is available online.

Mobile app: Queen Mary’s mobile app is available as a native app for Android (version 2.3.3 or higher) and iOS (version 6.0 and above) devices. The app allows you to do a number of things on the move, including: checking your course timetables, logging into QMplus and your Queen Mary email, searching for and renewing library books directly from your phone.

Policies: The use of IT facilities is covered by University regulations prohibiting, among other things, software piracy and unauthorised computer use. IT Services policies are published here: http://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/governance/policies/index.html.

The IT Services website contains information on several of our services and includes a range of self-help guides http://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/support/index.html.

Contact the IT Service Desk

IT Live Chat: www.its.qmul.ac.uk

Self Service: https://servicedesk.qmul.ac.uk/

Email: servicedesk@qmul.ac.uk

Telephone: 020 7882 8888 (24/7)

20.4. Communications IT services and support LIF

We have an on-site support person from the IT Services department who will be able to deal with a small category of issues and requests Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm. Please notify the CCLS Reception about the issue who will contact the support person for you. Support can be provided on-site at LIF for the following:

• Wi-Fi
• Printing facilities
• IT Suite computers
• Basic issues with personal laptops / tablets / phones
• QMplus support is provided locally at CCLS (see section 3.8) or by the Service Desk

The IT Service Desk based in Mile End Campus will be able to deal with everything else and are your first point of contact if the CCLS support person is unavailable:

Tel: +44 (0)207 882 8888 (an internal-only phone can be found opposite the student printer in the LG floor IT Suite, dial 8888).

IT Live Chat: https://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/support/

Email: its-helpdesk@qmul.ac.uk  (non-QMUL addresses will be rejected)

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 6.00pm

Out of Hours phone support service, called NorMAN, can be reached by dialling the usual IT Service Desk number, 0207 882 8888. They can be contacted between 7pm - 7am on weekdays; all weekends, College Closures and Bank Holidays.

20.5. QMplus Online Support for Modules and Noticeboards (FOR ALL)

At QMUL we extensively use the QMplus system, a Moodle based VLE, for communicating module and other important information to students. 

The Early Weeks

During the first few weeks of Teaching Period one in particular, there could be changes to class venues or rooms. Once notified to the PG Law Office, these amendments will be posted onto the relevant QMplus Noticeboard under the Important Announcement heading. 

Access to noticeboards and all other QMplus pages described below is via: http://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/

20.6. QMplus Support for Module Teaching

Online delivery of module materials most, if not all, PG Law programme modules are taught through a mixture of materials that will be given to you, along with online activities. There is also an online discussion for each module. You can access all online materials through QMplus, including updated reading lists as appropriate and many other useful teaching tools. 

The QMplus module page is updated by the teaching academic(s) or teaching assistants involved with the module. 

20.7. Access to ALL QMplus module pages during module selection period/Inductions

Until your module choices have been officially registered at the end of the induction period, you will be able to access ALL individual module QMplus pages as a guest user. 

To access a module page as a guest: go to QMplus and use the search box to find the module pages you want to view. You can simply search when ‘All Modules’ is selected for the relevant module code, e.g. SOLM000. Clicking on the search result will prompt you to enter a password. Please use the guest access password shown below.

QMplus Guest Access Password: PGLAW

Once guest access to ALL modules is closed down, you will ONLY have access to the QMplus module pages for your registered modules. There can be a delay in the removal of access so please do not worry if you continue to have access for a while - this does not mean your module choices have not been recorded correctly.

20.8. QMplus Access/Logins

From mid-October, you will be able to login normally with your own username and password to all available QMplus pages.

You should then use your QM allocated Username and Password to enter the QMplus system. Please note your username consists of lowercase letters and numbers (ex. lcw123) and is the first part of your College email address. This will then take you to the QMplus landing page for Postgraduate Law.

You will also find many useful links on the landing page – including PGLS, past exam papers, MYSIS, Law Library and more.

20.9. PG Law Noticeboard

This page will publish external opportunities for conferences etc. and highlight Internal QM events which may be of general interest.  (Such as student parties!)

It is also a point of contact for all PG law students, regardless of individual programme of registration, to include taught and research students – the following link should take you to the page but it will appear on all students QMplus dashboard

http://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=5003

20.10. QMplus Helpdesk and help with access

Should you have problems logging into QM services generally, (for example, email issues or unable to login to QMplus at all), please contact IT services via: https://helpdesk.its.qmul.ac.uk/helpdesk/ or through the 'Help and Support' links at the bottom of QMplus).

20.11. CCLS QMplus Helpdesk

Although some problems will have to be resolved centrally by IT services as above, most other problems/questions can be resolved by our QMplus Helpdesk team based in LIF.

The QMplus Helpdesk is manned and available for assistance to students between 1pm - 5pm on weekdays during the teaching period. They can help you with any problems accessing your modules or Programme noticeboards, finding and downloading materials, uploading assignments, using the forums and chat features, posting messages, updating your QMplus profile page and diagnosing problems. Please note that this academic year these drop-in sessions may be held remotely through Blackboard Collaborate webinar links.

During induction weeks, the QMplus Helpdesk Team will be running troubleshooting drop-in sessions for any students who are experiencing difficulty with using QMplus. Students are particularly encouraged to see them at these times to help to solve early issues.

During term time, the team is typically stationed on the 4th floor and available on weekdays between 13:00 - 17:00. Students wishing to see them can make contact via e-mail to book an appointment. Please note that these one-to-one appointments will likely be held remotely over MS Teams. Outside of teaching dates, they will still be available between 13:00 - 17:00 on weekdays but only by email. 

The contact details for the QMplus Helpdesk are listed below:

• Email Address: qmplus.cclshelpdesk@qmul.ac.uk 
• Telephone: +44(0)20 7882 6182

Please make sure that when emailing you provide your full name and use your @hss19.qmul.ac.uk e-mail address. 

Teaching timetable

The teaching timetable will be given to you at induction. Any changes to the teaching timetable will be notified to you via your QMUL email account or via your individual module QMplus pages once your modules have been chosen.  A copy of the timetable will also be available on the Joint Programmes Noticeboard on QMplus.

Class cancellations

Notification of any class cancellations or change of venue etc., will normally be notified to you at class level OR via the QMplus page for the individual module concerned. If QMplus is NOT used by your taught module, then the academic will usually contact you direct (via email).

Reading Lists

The individual module outlines given out at induction and during the initial lectures will contain reading lists, as will most individual module QMplus pages.

Course materials (hard copies and/or books) 

If you are informed during your lecture to collect course materials then this will either be held at CCLS Reception or the PG Law Office LIF 3.5.

Centre for Commercial Law Centre reception +44 (0)20 7882 8100

Examinations – format and past papers

If you have any questions about the examination paper format prior to sitting them, you should refer them to either the teaching academic concerned or to one of the Programme Directors. You will automatically have access to the Past Examination Papers Library within QMplus.

Postgraduate Law Programme Noticeboards

For each programmes we use specific QMplus noticeboards throughout your study year, to post announcements specific to your studies and other events, these will also be received as an email to your QM email account.

The early weeks

During the first few weeks of teaching period one in particular, there could be changes to class venues or rooms. Once notified to the PG Law Office, these amendments will be posted onto the QMplus Noticeboard under the Important Announcement heading.  Only the most urgent announcements will be added here as this will also generate an automatic email to ALL students. 

You are advised to check the QMplus Noticeboard PG Law Taught Programmes Noticeboard regularly during the first few weeks of the programme as other information may be added that does NOT generate a reminder email but could be important. (Please note, however, that it is sometimes difficult to notify students in advance of any last minute changes).  However, please note that once your taught modules have been confirmed, notification of any class cancellations or change of venue etc. on an individual module will normally be notified to you at class level OR via the QMplus page for the individual module concerned.  

Dissertation Support Noticeboard

This noticeboard is used to support and notify you of issues relating to the Dissertation element of your programme. Both the CTWL staff and the PG Law Tutor(s) will use this board to notify you of changes/availability. It also has some useful guidance documents on dissertation writing generally.  It is also the point of submission for your dissertation title/proposal AND the dissertation itself: PG Dissertation Support Noticeboard 2024/25

Individual Programme Noticeboards 

You will automatically have access to a noticeboard which is specific to your programme of study. For example, if you are studying LLM Intellectual Property, you will have automatic access to the ‘Intellectual Property Law Noticeboard ’.

Note: Some programme pages are combined for related areas, please see list below. (These combinations are largely the same as those used during inductions) 

These pages will be used to send you notices and invitations which are specific to your area of study so do remember to check them regularly.  

• Art, Business and The Law
• Banking and Finance Law Noticeboard
• Comparative and International Dispute Resolution Noticeboard
• Competition Law Noticeboard 
• Commercial and Corporate Law, International Business Law Noticeboard
• Criminal Justice, Human Rights and Immigration Law Noticeboard
• Environmental Law, Energy and Natural Resources Law and Public International Law Noticeboard  
• European Law Noticeboard 
• Intellectual Property Law Noticeboard 
• International Economic Law Noticeboard
• International Shipping Law, Insurance Law Noticeboard
• Tax Law and International Law Noticeboard 
• Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law Noticeboard 

If you feel that this may benefit your study, you can request to be added as a guest on ONE additional programme page.  Please email the QMplus Helpdesk at qmplus.cclshelpdesk@qmul.ac.uk

These requests will be monitored and approved by the QMplus team.

20.12. Libraries

Library Services at Queen Mary is your source for knowledgeable, helpful staff, study environments supporting a range of modes of learning and research, and access to your core and wider reading needs, as well as specialist support for managing and sharing your research.

Academic Skills

The Library Learning Support and Engagement team works in a number of ways with taught students at any level, undergraduate or postgraduate, from any subject discipline, to develop the skills and practices needed to become more effective in their academic work and excel at university.

Areas covered include: writing for academic purposes, finding and evaluating relevant literature and sources of information, adapting to university, effective reading and note-making, maths and statistics support, presentation skills, time management, critical thinking, understanding marking criteria, using feedback, writing in different disciplines, revision and exam preparation and avoiding plagiarism. 

Faculty Liaison Librarians, Senior Academic Skills Advisers and Information Skills Assistants offer support and developmental opportunities in the form of one-to-one tutorials, workshops, drop-ins, and online resources. In addition, we host Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Fellows who offer writing advice to both taught and research students.

For more information on the services and resources available, and how to access them, visit https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/academic-skills/

Where do I study?

We manage a range of study environments that support different modes of study, including our three London campus libraries at Mile End, Whitechapel, and West Smithfield; each has a character and ambience of its own.  From individual silent study, to small group study, to hybrid working, our spaces are open seven days a week for long hours to meet your needs. On our Mile End campus, we provide a number of reserved and bookable study spaces for postgraduate use only.    

Find out more about Libraries and library-managed study and research spaces

Queen Mary Library Services also provides you with access to other libraries, such as those at Senate House or the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

How do I find the reading materials I need for my course?

Our collections cover core reading texts and media set via reading lists, wider reading for context and deeper understanding, as well as research texts and other material to support broader exploration. Our collections are a mixture of physical and electronic editions. Where we do not hold an item that you would like to access, we may be able to purchase it, borrow it via Inter-library loan from elsewhere, or provide you with access via membership to another university or research library. 

Start searching the collections using Library Search

Find out how to get access to materials which Library Services do not currently own.

Your reading list is a good place to start, or see the guide for your subject on our website for a wider overview of the types of resources supporting your area of study. 

How do I find help?

All the up-to-date information on our services is available on our website. If you need help getting answers to questions, you can contact us remotely via webchat or email, and in person at the Welcome Desks in each of our libraries.

Contacts for Library Services

Website: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/

Email: library@qmul.ac.uk 

Webchat: https://qmul.libanswers.com/

Telephone: 020 7882 8800

20.13. Institute of Advance Legal Studies (IALS)

The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Library (IALS)

To join this library, you will have to show your QM student ID card and complete the online IALS Library Registration Form.

The IALS Library:

• Receives funding directly from QM to enable them to provide all PG Law students with excellent quality library support.
• Receives reading lists for all PG Law modules and undertakes to make available all core reading and a wide and interesting variety of supplemental literature.
• Is one of the largest and broadest single subject law libraries in Europe, with access to over a quarter of a million books and over three thousand serials, across a wide range of legal topics and jurisdictions.
• Actively monitors circulation statistics, and purchases multiple copies of heavily used course books.
• Will, where possible, obtain electronic access to key resources to facilitate students' research, and enthusiastically pursue a policy to make as many of our electronic resources as possible available to QMUL students offsite.
• Can offer expert advice, training and assistance in your legal research.
• Offers a postgraduate only working environment to facilitate your studies.

Contact:

• Laura Griffiths, Assistant Librarian
• Academic Services Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Library
• University of London
• 17 Russell Square, LONDON WC1B 5DR
• Tel: +44 (0) 20 7862 5820
• Fax: +44 (0) 20 7862 5770
• Email: ials@sas.ac.uk
• Web: www.ials.sas.ac.uk

20.14. Accommodation

The teams main responsibilities are:

Housing Services, based in the Housing Hub, Feilden House, Westfield Way at Mile End, manage halls applications, room allocations, room transfer requests, summer accommodation, residential fees as well as providing a comprehensive alternative housing service.

Residential Services, based at the Residences Reception, France House, Westfield Way at Mile End, look after you once you have moved into Queen Mary Halls and has three key areas you will interact with during your stay; Residential Operations, Residential Life and Residential Welfare and Support.

If you are a resident in University accommodation you should consult the Residents’ Handbook for comprehensive information on all aspects of living in halls including contact details for the relevant teams:

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/residences/handbook/.

Contact Housing Services

Email: housingservices@qmul.ac.uk

Contact Residential Services

Email: residences-reception@qmul.ac.uk

www.qmul.ac.uk/residences

21. Student Health Services

Student Health Service

The Student Health Service (SHS) is a free National Health Service (NHS) providing a wide range of medical services. Students living in Queen Mary accommodation at Mile End or Whitechapel and students living in the borough of Tower Hamlets (postcodes E1, E2, E3 and E14) are encouraged to register with the Student Health Service. Out of area registrations may be possible in some cases. Registrations for the SHS can take place online.  The SHS on campus is located in the Geography Building, Mile End (number 28 on map). If you live outside of Tower Hamlets, and you wish to register with a doctor close to where you live, you can find a list of local doctors through the NHS website. Please, visit the Student Health website for further information.

Lost Property

If you have lost something at Queen Mary, please contact the Security Control Room at your campus. If the item has not been handed in, the Security Team  will assist you in completing a lost property report that can be referred to by your insurance company if you need to make a claim. We will keep your contact details and a description of the lost property on file in case the item is handed in later. Please see http://www.security.qmul.ac.uk/ for more details. Your School/Institute may also have its own lost property store.

Parking on Campus

There are no parking facilities available for students unless you are a Blue Badge Holder.

Smoking on Campus

Only in designated areas, other than those areas which are clearly signed. QM is a smoke free campus. You cannot smoke in the QM halls of residence or any other QM building.

Advice and Counselling Service 

The Advice and Counselling Service offers confidential, professional support services to all Queen Mary students. We have helpful advice and guidance for financial, immigration and other practical issues as well as emotional, mental health and wellbeing support on our website (https://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/). You will also find information there about our services and how to contact us.

Money and practical advice

Managing practical and financial matters while also focusing on your studies can be challenging. Welfare Advisers provide confidential advice and guidance about funding your studies; planning and managing your budget; tuition fees and fee status; and the practical implications of a change to your studies. We offer dedicated support for students who no longer have contact with their family (estranged), and students who have experience of local authority care, and students from a refugee background. We also provide support for students experiencing domestic abuse or forced marriage. Check our website (https://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/money/) to see the range of advice and guidance we offer, and how to contact us.

Visa and international students’ advice

Immigration rules change frequently and can be complicated. International Student Advisers provide confidential advice and guidance about visas for study (and visas for dependents) as well as other immigration issues, financial advice, and practical matters relating to life in the UK as an international student. Check our website (https://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/international/) to see the range of advice and guidance we offer, and how to contact us.

Counselling 

Life can seem like a struggle at times, and it is normal to sometimes feel a bit low or anxious. Sometimes, though, emotional and psychological issues can become too challenging, and may have a negative effect on your studies and well-being. Our Counsellors can help you to make sense of difficult experiences and feelings by providing the opportunity to think and talk reflectively, which can bring relief and meaningful changes.

The first step is meeting confidentially with one of our Counsellors to discuss what type of support might be most useful to you. This might be short term counselling, group therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or a referral for longer term support or specialist services outside Queen Mary/ in the NHS. For many students, just one or two sessions can really help. Our Counsellors are all highly experienced in working with students, and all types of issues.

Mental Health

We also have a mental health team who can advise and support you to manage a mental health condition while you are studying at Queen Mary. Our Mental Health advisers can advise you about the local NHS and other support services available in Tower Hamlets and the neighbouring boroughs as well as offering a range of interventions to help you manage your mental health.  

Sexual assault and harassment advice

The Sexual Assault and Harassment Adviser (SAHA) is a specialist adviser who provides emotional and practical support to any student who has experienced sexual assault or harassment, whether that’s happened recently or in the past. The SAHA can support you whether this happened at university or not.

The SAHA can provide you with practical support, such as advice around your safety, impartial information and support around your options for reporting both within the University and externally, and signposting/referring you to appropriate support services both within the University and out. The SAHA can also provide emotional support, including supporting you to understand and manage the impact of sexual violence, working with you to develop positive coping strategies and helping you to re-build your self-esteem and trust in yourself and others. 

Contacting the Advice and Counselling Service 

For more information about available services and contact details please visit the Advice and Counselling Service’s website:

www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk

21.1. Student Voice

Your views are important to the school of law and QM. There are a variety of ways in which you can tell us what you think and share your ideas for improvements. Student representatives, elected by fellow students, also speak on behalf of the student body at the school, faculty and QMUL-wide level via various committees, groups and meetings. More information can be found at http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/ 

Some of these will include:

• Student Voice Committee and Course Representatives
• Module Experience Survey
• Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES)
• Personal feedback to academic tutors
• Student Ambassadors (for open days, etc.)
• Student Representatives for the Staff Student Liaison Committee and main Course Representatives.
• Health and Safety Committee

During the first weeks of the programme we will be looking for volunteer members of our PG Law student body to act as Course Representatives. We try where possible to have volunteers from each of the Programmes/areas that we teach. 

Each Queen Mary postgraduate law Programme has one or more appointed student representatives who work with their Student Support Team/Engagement Team and the PD Team to put on a programme of events for their cohort. The aim is to enhance students' educational and social experience beyond their academic study during the year, and to develop opportunities for students to experience professional growth and to give service.

The programme focuses on 3 areas: Social, Charitable, and Careers-related activities.

The Professional Development team works closely with Student Support/Engagement Team and Course Representatives to organise Programme-specific career events and, where possible, to source a limited number of exclusive work experience and mentoring opportunities for our students, matching Queen Mary postgraduate law students with leading legal practitioners. The PG Law Careers Team additionally organises a series of weekend workshops that offer invaluable opportunities for you to develop your professional skills (e.g., effective negotiation, accounting for lawyers, time management, etc.).

The Students' Union will provide full training and support for all student reps, preparing them to make the most of their role, acting on behalf of the students they represent and liaising with the staff in their SSLC and school. This training will be organised in co-operation with their school and provided before the first SSLC meeting. 

From these volunteers, we then ask you to nominate and confirm two main Course Representatives.

As a recognition of their efforts and the contribution they have made, all Course Reps are invited to a special Education Awards ceremony at the end of the year where they receive a certificate. In order to qualify for a Course Rep Contribution Award, the Reps must attend an introductory training session and at least one of their SSLC meetings. There are also additional award opportunities, for those who make an extra achievement, which goes beyond their core role.

Course Reps will also have an opportunity to learn and develop wide range of valuable skills that can help them to improve their employability, through a number of additional training sessions available during, from ‘Personal Development Planning’ and 'Communication' to 'Chairing a Meeting' and ‘Negotiation Skills’. These training sessions, along the introductory core training, count towards the QM Skills Award, which is another opportunity to have the skills they have developed recognised and awarded. 

The student representatives are asked to meet at LIF usually once each term for the SSLC meeting. This is your opportunity to raise areas of concern directly with programme directors, the programmes Coordinator and certain key academic or specialised staff - it can be used as a quick remedy for many concerns. It is also an opportunity for staff to discuss particular areas with you perhaps with regard to current year procedures or planned changes in the future. The meetings are very worthwhile and interesting.

The two Course Representatives may be asked to attend additional QMUL committee groups over the year – again, not many and usually no more than two per year. 

All student reps would be asked to introduce themselves to fellow classmates in their own lectures only and be approachable, so that students can raise issues of concern with them.

A list of contacts for all student representatives and Course Representatives QMUL emails will also posted on the QMplus Noticeboard. Please look out for your emailed invitations to volunteer for this very worthwhile group.

Module Experience Survey and Programme Evaluation

Towards the end of each Teaching Period, you will be asked to complete a Module Experience Survey for each of your taught modules for that period.  When the period opens it will be announced in class and are coordinated online. Please check with your module academics as you should be given some time to complete these.  We would be grateful if you could assist us with this, as the information and feedback we receive from you is vital and is always carefully considered and vital for continued improvement.

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) is conducted every year. It is facilitated by Advance HE, the national body that champions teaching excellence. The PTES gives you, as a postgraduate taught student, an opportunity to give your opinions on what you like about your time at Queen Mary, as well as those aspects that you feel could be improved. Please do consider completing the survey; your feedback really is invaluable and will help us make a difference for future generations of Queen Mary students.

http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/postgraduate-taught-experience-survey/

For all enquiries and to contact please e-mail: pglaw-support@qmul.ac.uk

21.2. Disability and Dyslexia Service

The university’s Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS) offers advice, guidance and support for students with disabilities, including specific learning differences like dyslexia and dyspraxia, as well as mental health diagnoses, from application through to graduation. The range of support that the DDS is able to provide includes:

• Support and guidance in applying for the Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA)
• Support for international disabled students
• Liaison with staff in Queen Mary’s Schools and Institutes regarding ‘reasonable adjustments’
• Support in ensuring that course materials are fully accessible
• Diagnostic assessments for students who think that they might have specific learning differences
• Specialist one-to-one study skills support for students with dyslexia and other specific learning differences
• Specialist mentoring support for students with mental health diagnoses and autism
• On-site and online DSA needs assessments
• Access to ‘non-specialist’ human support, e.g. note-taking
• Access to assistive technology
• Guidance in accessing Examination Access Arrangements, e.g. additional time

Contact

Telephone: 020 7882 2756

Web: www.dds.qmul.ac.uk/

Email: dds@qmul.ac.uk

21.3. Faith at QMUL

Queen Mary welcomes over 30,000 staff and students on its campuses in London and is committed to encouraging religious understanding, freedom of speech and open social interaction. 

Queen Mary is proud of its diverse multicultural population. With a variety of faiths among staff and students, our facilities are designed to be places where people of all faiths are welcome to use the spaces for contemplation, reflection, meditation and worship.

Please, visit Faith at QMUL for further information, including facilities and services, policies and guidelines and other useful information.

22. Student Engagement

22.1. Markers of Student Engagement

22.2. Student Engagement Monitoring Procedure

22.3. What will my student engagement data be used for?

22.4. What will happen if my student engagement data shows a lack of engagement?

22.5. Who will have access to my student engagement data?

It’s good to be careful with your personal data, and we can assure you that your data will only be used for welfare and engagement purposes, and to provide tailored support when you need it.  

22.6. Short-Term Absence and Authorised Absence

Term-time

Term-time is the period between your official course start date and end date (check in MySIS) - only the Christmas and Easter holidays are vacations (examination periods are part of term-time). The period between the end of final assessments for Semester 3 and your course end date is not a vacation. You use this time to complete a project or dissertation, or prepare and sit exams. You are still known as a student until your course completion date stated in MySiS. 

Please check the 'Key Date' section in the Student Handbook 2024/25.

Short-Term Absence and Authorised Absence 

23. Graduation and Alumni

Graduation and Alumni

23.1. Your Alumni Network

As a future alumnus of Queen Mary, there are a number of ways that you can get involved and keep in touch with your peers and the wider network whilst you are a student and after you graduate.

We have 28 Chapters (social and professional networking groups). They are mainly organised by geographical area and help bring students and alumni together to connect and participate in local activities. There are also two Distance Learning Chapters as part of the network.  Find out more about the Chapters and join here.

There are various groups on LinkedIn. Join CCLS Alumni LinkedIn today.

Joining this group will provide you with an opportunity to hear news from the community, as well as find out about upcoming conferences, seminars, and other events.

The CCLS Alumni web pages are dedicated to the CCLS community with more information on how you can get involved and stay in touch, find out about alumni news, events and other activities.

We are always looking for new testimonials from students and recent graduates, which can be promoted to help future students decide to study at CCLS. See the current testimonials here. Are you interested in sharing your testimonial in the coming months?

Later in the year, you will be contacted to be invited to submit your profile and be part of the CCLS Yearbook. Not only is the Yearbook a memento of your studies, but it also exists to help you stay connected with your class after graduation and learn more about your cohort.

We are always happy to hear from students and we hope to see you at different opportunities throughout the year. Look out for us when we have a stand in the CCLS Reception for example!

A leaflet will be shared with you during Induction, sharing the benefits of being part of the CCLS community whilst you are a student.

If you are interested in any area of alumni engagement and getting involved, please contact the Alumni team.

Graduation

September Intake: See Key Date and Graduation website: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/graduation/

Queen Mary has two graduation ceremonies per year, one in summer and one in winder (usually mid-December)

The Ceremonies office will make contact with you a few months before your graduation and send you a form and information for booking a place at this wonderful event, both for yourselves and hopefully some friends and family.

You may find that you will have to book a place at graduation even though you will not have confirmation that you have successfully passed your degree. Please do not worry, as this is normal practice due to the timing of the event. In the unlikely event of your not passing your exams, you can obviously withdraw from that particular ceremony.

For further information about graduation please visit the graduation site https://www.qmul.ac.uk/graduation/index.html

24. Careers and Enterprise

Looking for part-time work or an internship? Need help with your CV or a job interview? Want to find out about your options when you graduate? Thinking about starting a business?

The QM Careers and Enterprise Team provides a range of services that enable you to develop your employability skills, access work experience and graduate job opportunities, network with employers and decide on your next steps after graduation.

Students in every School are able to participate in a diverse careers programme. This might include in-curriculum lectures, lunchtime workshops, professional career options panels, 1-to-1 careers guidance, application feedback appointments and mock interviews. This is supported by a wealth of careers information online. 

There are over 100 employer-led events on campus a year, from fairs to skills workshops. These offer you the chance to network with recruiters and get training on self-presentation skills for the recruitment process. We also provide a range of paid work experience opportunities, from real life consulting projects via the Student Consultancy Project to part-time or full-time internships via the Micro Internships programme. We also run the QTaster programmes to give you understanding about different sectors and employers.  

For those who are aspiring entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs, our enterprise programme supports students in setting up their own businesses via seed funding, 12 week Incubator programme, events, bootcamps and 1-to-1 careers guidance.

Get the latest news on social media, search jobs on the QM Careers Hub, read the Careers Discovery feed or visit our website for advice and insights and use our practice interviews and psychometric test software.

You can:

• Book an appointment for one-to-one careers guidance. Book by phone (020 7 882 8533) or in person up to a week in advance, or drop by on the day – we may have appointments free. We are also able to offer all our appointments to run remotely.
• Find out more about the world of work from employers and former students at our careers events by logging in to your QM Careers Hub.
• Attend workshops on job applications, interviews, assessment centre techniques and a range of graduate skills – from leadership to commercial awareness. To find out more about these sessions, log in to your QM Careers Hub.
• Find a range of part-time, and full time job vacancies on our Careers Hub.
• Use our work experience hub to find out about internships, temporary work or local work experience placements www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-experience/

24.1. Careers

The QMUL Careers & Enterprise service provides information, advice and guidance on topics ranging from choosing a career to finding work experience and starting your own business.

You can find out more about the service on their website www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/

In addition to the above, as a postgraduate law student you’ll benefit from the tailored support of the in-house PG Law Careers Team.

24.2. PG Law Careers Team

The Postgraduate Law Careers Team is a dedicated team of expert careers consultants, including an experienced lawyer and law graduates, who together offer a range of guidance, workshops and employer/alumni events to help you best position yourself for your career, as well as enhance your professional skills and global employability. There is also a PG Law Careers module on QMplus, which you can access using this link https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=12157.

Throughout the year, the PG Law Careers Team offers one-to-one career guidance sessions and run important employability skills workshops, including how to hone your CV and cover letter, enhance your networking skills and improve your online applications. They also coordinate a range of employer events tailored for Queen Mary postgraduate law students. 

The team provides current PG Law students and recent alumni with careers support and a whole range of information and resources, including regular updates about career events and employment-related opportunities.

For all enquiries and to contact a member of the PG Law Careers Team please e-mail

pglawcareers@qmul.ac.uk

PG Law Careers services

Throughout the year, you can book one-to-one 25-minute appointments to discuss anything careers related, from career choice and planning to CV, cover letter and application reviews. This service extends to alumni for up to 2 years after they graduate.

To book a one-to-one appointment with a PG Law Careers Consultant, please call 020 7882 8533 or email careers@qmul.ac.uk.

There is also a detailed PG Law Careers Guide on QMplus, which includes comprehensive information about legal role opportunities and different law-based career options.

Employment-related experiences and mentoring opportunities

As demand for legal experience together with commercial understanding grows, the expectation for postgraduate students to undertake internships or work-related experience in the legal field has become the norm. In order to ensure students have the opportunity to develop and harness their knowledge of their legal specialism, the PG Law Careers Team strive to support such professional development by facilitating and promoting opportunities for students to have career mentoring, shadowing and other experiential learning opportunities across all our Programmes. 

Starting in October, we publish a bi-weekly bulletin of available internships and other work experience opportunities that may be of interest to our current students and recent grads.  This will be emailed to you. 

With the support of our alumni, academics and other legal professionals who are closely associated with CCLS, our Mentoring and Internships Coordinator at LIF has been able to offer a limited number of exclusive work experience opportunities for QMUL postgraduate law students to work in UK based and international organisations, law firms and commercial companies.

In addition to engaging and supporting with some of these exclusive internship programmes, we actively promote shadowing and research opportunities in both the public and private sector, whilst further assisting our students with applications for opportunities in the UK, at European and international level.

On an administrative level, with some international and European internships, there are additional legal requirements that need to be met prior to students commencing these opportunities. We are happy to provide advice and support with these where required, including e.g., a template for Conventions de Stage in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Spain.

The PG Law Careers Team at CCLS is headed by Anne Flanagan, LLM Director (a.flanagan@qmul.ac.uk).  

25. Programme Overview

General Academic Support 

All students are free to seek advice from academic staff on an informal basis. Academic staff have office hours during which they are available to students. If you would like to schedule an appointment an appointment with an Academic, please email them directly. Check the faculty web pages for staff email addresses: http://www.law.qmul.ac.uk/people/ or check your course QMplus page for more details.

If you are seeking advice on matters relating to your programme of study within the School, we would suggest you first contact the Teaching and Learning Services Team.  Contact details can be found here.

25.1. Postgraduate Law Programmes

25.2. Laws LLM (General LLM)

Laws LLM (General LLM) This programme has a 30 credit elective dissertation. If selected, the dissertation topic in a General LLM can be in any legal area as long as other dissertation regulations are carefully considered.

If you registered on this programme you can take a fully taught programme of 180 credits OR take an elective dissertation of 30 credits (10,000 words) and have free choice of 150 credits from all available taught modules as listed in the Module and Programme description (white) book. (Some module restrictions will apply as listed in the white book)

If you are on this programme it is particularly important that you take a module directly related to your proposed dissertation topic area. This will be a useful tool in dissertation support and is STRONGLY recommended.

25.3. LLM Programmes

Specialised Programmes with a compulsory Dissertation

• Competition Law 
• European Law 
• Human Rights Law
• Public International Law 
• Tax Law and International Tax
• Environmental Law 
• Shipping Law 
• Immigration Law-NOT RUNNING
• Criminal Justice
• Insurance Law-NOT RUNNING
• Energy and Natural Resources Law

Common Law Theory and Practice BUT will need its own section due to unusual structure  SEE BELOW

The above programmes have a 30 credit compulsory dissertation requirement. This has to be written in the legal field of your programme of registration. 

Module selection Process

The requirement for a Master’s degree (LLM) is 180 credits.

Within each Programme, you have a range modules you can choose but if the module includes a 30 credit compulsory dissertation it is a requirement for you to take it.

Your 30 credit compulsory dissertation will be preselected.

A further 150 credits of taught modules will need to be taken. 

90 credits minimum must be taken from approved modules within your programme. Applicable taught modules are identified in the remaining 60 taught credits required can also be taken from your programme approved module list or can be taken from the full list of available modules this year i.e. from ANY LLM programme although certain modules may have restrictions. (We refer to this as your free choice element.) 

We STRONGLY recommend that you select one of your taught modules in an area that directly relates to your proposed dissertation topic.  This will act as a supporting mechanism and involve you in the teaching of legal issues directly relating to your proposed topic.

Specialised Programmes with an ELECTIVE Dissertation

On the following programmes you can elect to do a 30 credit dissertation OR opt for a fully taught degree.

• Laws (General LLM)
• Banking and Finance Law 
• Commercial and Corporate Law 
• Comparative and International Dispute Resolution 
• Intellectual Property Law 
• International Economic law 
• International Business Law 
• Technology Media and Telecommunications

Students choosing to complete an elective dissertation note that this has to be written in the legal field of your programme of registration. 

Module selection – elective dissertation

The requirement for a Master’s degree (LLM) is 180 credits.

If you choose a 30 credit elective dissertation then a further 150 credits of taught modules will need to be taken. 

90 credits minimum must be taken from approved modules within your programme. Applicable taught modules are identified in the Module and Programme Description book. The remaining 60 taught credits required can also be taken from your programme approved module list or can be taken from the full list of available modules this year.

We STRONGLY recommend that you select one of your taught modules in an area that directly relates to your proposed dissertation topic. This will act as a supporting mechanism and involve you in the teaching of legal issues directly relating to your proposed topic.  This is particularly important for students on the Laws programme.

Common Law Theory and Practice

 Students on this programme have a COMPULSORY Dissertation of 60 Credits (15,000 words) and also have two compulsory taught modules. 

Sem 1: SOLM179 Common Law Reasoning – 30 credits

Sem 2: SOLM288 Common Law from Theory to Practice – 30 credits

There is no semester 3/C24 module teaching on this programme. In Semester 3/C24 students will be working on their 60 credit dissertation only. 

Your 60 credit compulsory dissertation will be preselected.

Your 60 credits of compulsory Modules will also be preselected.

A further 60 credits of taught modules will need to be taken from Sem 1 and 2 .

Applicable taught modules for the remaining 60 taught credits required can be taken from your programme approved module list or can be taken from the full list of available modules this year i.e. from ANY LLM programme although certain modules may have restrictions. (We refer to this as your free choice element.)

We STRONGLY recommend that you select one of your taught modules in an area that directly relates to your proposed dissertation topic. This will act as a supporting mechanism and involve you in the teaching of legal issues directly relating to your proposed topic.

The Academic Director for the Common Law Theory and Practice is as follows:

Noam Gur (Sem 1), Maks Del Mar (Sem 2)

25.4. Art, Business and the Law LLM

Art, Business and the Law Programme Structure

The LLM in Art, Business and Law, offered by CCLS, QMUL in partnership with the Institute of Art and Law (IAL) http://www.ial.uk.com/ is a unique and challenging original programme focusing on a relatively new discipline both in terms of teaching and research.

The programme will draw upon the expertise of existing members of CCLS staff and direct the focus of this expertise towards the legal aspects of doing business in the art world. CCLS members of staff will team up with IAL instructors (who are practitioners in this field) to offer this exciting and learning experience.

Internationally recognised, IAL delivers, through its educational and publishing programmes, a depth of knowledge in this area, unrivalled elsewhere.

The programme has the same credit structure as other London based LLMs in this Handbook.  The essential difference is that there are only 6 taught modules applicable (150 credits) and ALL are therefore compulsory. Students must also complete a 10,000 word dissertation (30 credits) in an art-related field due in August.

Compulsory Taught modules Semester 1

• SOLM229 Art and Intellectual Property Law
• SOLM226 Art and Governance
• SOLM227 Art, Cultural Values and Ethics

Compulsory Taught modules – Semester 2

• SOLM228 Art Disputes and Their Resolutions
• SOLM225 Art Transactions
• SOLM230 Art and Money

For full time study, you must take 75 credits per Teaching Period as outlined above.

For part time study, you must take 75 credits of taught modules per academic year.  For part-time students, we strongly recommend that the dissertation is completed in year two, along with the final two modules (one module per Teaching Period) that were NOT taken in year one.

All other deadline dates and processes contained in this handbook apply.

You will have your own Induction timetable and have the following student support structure:

The Academic Director for the Art, Business and the Law Programme is as follows:

Dr Debbie de Girolamo

Office: LIF, fourth floor

Email: d.degirolamo@qmul.ac.uk

Updated: 19/09/2024

25.5. Regulation & Compliance LLM/ MSc

Dates

The dates for this programme follow the Key Date with the exception of the Dissertation.  See below

Dissertation Submission Dates:

  5,000 word case study - TBC

 5,000 word essay due - 21 August 2025, 10:00am (BST)

Module Selection

On this programme you have compulsory taught modules of 60  credits and a compulsory dissertation 30 credits.

Compulsory Taught modules Semester 1  (all 15 credits)

SOLM011 Law and Ethics

SOLM224 Compliance Systems and Practice

SOLM259 Law and Economics of Regulation & Compliance

Compulsory Taught modules Semester 2  

SOLM258 Regulation and Compliance Clinic (15 credits)

 Students must take a further 90 credits in total.  This can be from the elective modules within the programme. 

This programme has the option of choosing a specific award route.  You may choose to study a specific Award route in one of the following specialist Regulation and Compliance fields, if you take specific modules as listed in the (LLM or MSC):

-               Regulation and Compliance (Financial & Insurance Regulation)

-               Regulation and Compliance (Data Protection & Information Security)

-               Regulation and Compliance (Business & Trade Regulation)

-               Regulation and Compliance (Energy & Environmental Regulation)

Students who choose to specialise (Award Routes) must take their remaining 90 credits (compulsory and electives) from those listed in the specific Award Route specialism in the Module and Programme Descriptions book.

Dissertation Requirement

This programme has a 30 credit dissertation requirement. The dissertation comprising of a specialist 5,000 word case study (50%) and a 5,000 word essay (50%).

Communication

Communication relevant to this programme will be posted on the LLM and PG Diploma Noticeboard on QMplus as well as the general PG Law noticeboard.

Academic Programme Directors

Daniele D’Alvia

Lincolnʼs Inn Fields

d.dalvia@qmul.ac.uk

Updated: 19/09/2024

25.6. Law and Finance MSc/PGDip/PGCert

Dates

The dates for this programme follow the Key Date

Module Selection

On this programme you must select 60 credits from law and 60 credits must be chosen from finance. The final 30 credits should be chosen from the elective modules within the programme  - from Law OR finance.  For the School of Economics and Finance please see website.

Students selecting these final 30 credits as Law modules must write their dissertation on a Finance focused topic

Students selecting these 30 credits as Economics modules must write their dissertation on a Law focused topic.

Note there are no Economics modules available in C24

It is strongly recommended that you take a module directly related to your proposed dissertation topic area. This will be a useful tool in dissertation support.

Dissertation Requirement

This programme has a 30 credit dissertation requirement.

Other Information

Students may wish to specialise in a pathway, if so then students will be expected to take the compulsory modules as outlined in the Module and Programme Description book.

• Banking and Financial Regulation
• Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Finance Law

Certificate Programme

Student must take 60 credits of taught modules outline as above (no dissertation).

Diploma Programme

Student must take 120 credits of taught modules outline as above (no dissertation).

Communication

Communication relevant to this programme will be posted on the LLM and PG Diploma Noticeboard on QMplus as well as the general PG Law noticeboard.

Academic Programme Directors

Professor George Walker

Lincoln’s Inn Fields

Email: g.a.walker@qmul.ac.uk

Tel: +44(0)20 7882 8087

Updated: 19/09/2024

25.7. Law and Economics LLM/ PG DIP/ PG CERT

Dates

The dates for this programme follow the Key Date

Module Selection

On this programme you have 60 credits of compulsory taught modules and a 30 credit compulsory dissertation.

Compulsory taught Module Sem 1

CCLF001 Law and Economics (30 credits)

Compulsory taught Module Sem 2

CCLF002 Advanced Law and Economics (30 credits)

The remaining 90 credits  can be taken from the available Law or Economics  taught modules as listed in Module and Programme Descriptions Book.. For the School of Economics and Finance please see website.

Note there are no Economics modules available in C24

It is strongly recommended that you take a module directly related to your proposed dissertation topic area. This will be a useful tool in dissertation support.

Dissertation Requirement

This programme has a 30 credit dissertation (10,000 words) requirement.

Other Information

Certificate Programme (no dissertation)

Student must take 60 credits of compulsory taught modules outline as above.

Diploma Programme (no dissertation)

Student must take 120 credits of taught modules – 60 credits of compulsory and further 60 credits from the elective module list outline in the Module and Descriptions book.

Communication

Communication relevant to this programme will be posted on the LLM and PG Diploma Noticeboard on QMplus as well as the general PG Law noticeboard.

Academic Programme Directors

Professor George Walker

Lincoln’s Inn Fields

Email: g.a.walker@qmul.ac.uk

Tel: +44(0)20 7882 8087

Updated: 19/09/2024

25.8. International Finance Law Certificate/Diploma

Dates

The dates for this programme follow the Key Date

Module Selection

Certificate

On this programme you have 60 credits of elective taught modules as listed in the Module and Programme Descriptions Book. All credits must be taken within Semester 1.

Diploma

On this programme you have 120 credits of elective taught modules as listed in the Module and Programme Descriptions Book.  Diploma students are advised to take 60 credits in Semester 1 and 60 credits in Semester 2, although an imbalance of credit across semesters may be permitted.

Dissertation Requirement

N/A

Communication

Communication relevant to this programme will be posted on the LLM and PG Diploma Noticeboard on QMplus as well as the general PG Law noticeboard.

Academic Programme Directors

Professor Rosa Lastra

Lincoln’s Inn Fields

Email: r.lastra@qmul.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8070

25.9. Law PG Dip

To qualify for the award of a Postgraduate (PG) Diploma, students must complete 90 credits of taught modules plus submit a 10,000 word dissertation within a two-year period. Students are required to attend 60 credits taught in their first year and then take the final 30 credits and submit their dissertation in their second year. Taught modules for a general Diploma may be selected from any of the wide range of courses offered and the dissertation may be in any area of law.

Students who want their Diploma award to carry a specialisation (e.g. PG Diploma in Tax Law or PG Diploma in Medical Law) must select both their taught modules from within the same subject grouping as those available on the LLM and produce a dissertation within the same area of law. (See the White Book for the full list of available subject Groupings and Modules but note that Group C Comparative and International Dispute Resolution is not available as it has its own specialised Diploma.

All other deadline dates and processes contained in this handbook apply and particular note should be taken of the part time section which runs in a similar way to the part-time Diplomas, with the exception of the total number of credits taken.

25.10. Part-time (Over two years)

Part-time students usually select 90 credits of taught modules in their first year - any dissertation element for your specific programme will normally be taken in your second year, along with the remaining taught credits due. This can vary depending on your programme of registration.

You will only be requested to choose your modules per academic year, as they are based on the current year’s teaching timetable and module availability.

Students wishing to do their dissertation in year one OR to do an additional dissertation IN PLACE of taught credits will need to discuss this with the administration team as you are unable to select this automatically on MYSIS. This may be possible in some circumstances.

In all cases, part-time students who fail any element of their year one examinations will take their re-sit(s) in line with all other students.  They cannot be deferred until year 2 unless there are extenuating circumstances.

The guidance and deadlines in this Handbook apply to all other areas of part time study. Please note though, that should any of the guidelines or procedures for LLM students change substantially, such changes may be incorporated into your second year of study. You will of course receive notification of any such changes.

You will be sent online enrolment instructions from the Queen Mary Registry prior to your second year of study. Your current student ID card will then be reactivated.

26. Safety and Emergencies

You should familiarise yourself with emergency procedures for all areas in which you work and study, noting the location of emergency exits, assembly points and equipment. On hearing a fire alarm in the building, you should immediately leave through the nearest emergency exit, unless redirected by a Fire Marshal. Do not go to any other part of the building for any reason. Proceed to the designated emergency assembly area and report to the Fire Marshal. Do not leave the assembly area or re-enter the building until instructed to do so.

In an emergency, dial 8100 or 3333 from any internal phone and clearly state the nature and location of the problem, your name, and the number you are calling from (if known). If there is no internal phone available, call 999 and follow the normal procedure.

First aid assistance for minor accidents can be obtained by dialling 8100 from an internal phone, or 020 7882 8100 from any other telephone.

Fire - On Hearing the Fire Alarm at LIF

The fire alarm is tested every Wednesday at 10am – you will need to leave the building if the alarm sound continues for more than 30 seconds. If you hear the alarm sound at any other time:

• Leave the room immediately, taking any visitors and ensuring the door is closed. Do not waste time by taking personal belongings with you. Do not use the lift
• Follow the arrow signs to the nearest fire exit and proceed to the designated assembly point outside of the building at 3,4,5,6 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
• Anyone who cannot self-evacuate should proceed to the nearest Refuge Point and follow instructions on the refuge system panel
• Do not re‐enter the building until told that it is safe to do so by the Fire Brigade or the CCLS Fire Coordinator.

Fire - On Discovering a Fire at LIF

• Raise the alarm first by shouting “FIRE” and then by activating the fire alarm system by breaking the glass on the red box manual call point. These are located by the exits to the stairs or final exits from the building. Do not use the lift
• Leave the room immediately, taking any visitors and ensuring the door is closed. Do not waste time by taking personal belongings with you
• Follow the arrow signs to the nearest fire exit and proceed to the designated assembly point outside of the building
• Anyone who cannot self-evacuate should proceed to the nearest Refuge Point and follow instructions on the refuge system panel
• Once outside the building call the fire service on 999 giving the following address and request fire service attendance: 67-69 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London, WC2A 3JB
• Do not re‐enter the building until told that it is safe to do so by the Fire Brigade or the CCLS Fire Coordinator.

 Emergency Refuge Points

LIF building is supplied with an emergency refuge system. On activation of the fire alarm system, persons with mobility impairment should proceed to the nearest available refuge. On reaching the refuge, they should operate the press to talk button. This will register on the refuge master station that is situated adjacent to the fire alarm panel. The first responders on arrival will check the refuge master station and contact the refuge outstation that has been activated by using the two-way communication equipment. The person at the refuge must ensure that they hold the press to talk button to talk and release when they have finished. Our staff will also check the location of the fire alarm actuation in respect of how close it is to the person seeking assistance who is located at the refuge outstation and make a dynamic risk assessment of whether they need to be immediately evacuated. If the person seeking assistance is in a place of relative safety away from the incident, then they will be informed that there is no need to be evacuated at this time using the two- way communication equipment. This will be due to the incident being remote from the refuge location and there being a substantial degree of fire resistance and separation between the actuation area and the refuge outstation. If the actuation is close to the occupied refuge outstation, with no fire resistance or separation between the point of actuation and the disabled person, then the first responder will instigate evacuation of the person. This will be effected by way of an Evacuation Chair.

Accident / Incident Reporting Procedure

You should report all accidents and near misses, injuries, sudden illnesses and first aider attendances using the below University online accident / incident reporting system or ask from advice from Reception:

http://www.hsd.qmul.ac.uk/accident-reporting

Emergency Contacts

In case of an incident requiring immediate attendance of emergency services, you should always dial 999.

CCLS Reception – 020 7882 8100/8125

QMUL Security - 020 7882 3333

Health and Safety Helpdesk: hs-helpdesk@qmul.ac.uk or 020 7862 8968/5701

Student Health Service: 0207 882 8710 (term time only)

Centre for Commercial Law Studies Safety Coordinators:

Edith Furlong

e.furlong@qmul.ac.uk  or 020 7882 3361

Gbemisola Adedoyin-Adeniyi

g.adedoyinadeniyi@qmul.ac.uk or 020 7882 8125

27. Other useful contacts at Queen Mary

Advice and Counselling Service

Ground Floor, Geography Building Mile End Campus +44 (0)20 7882 8717

www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk

Disability and Dyslexia Service

Room 3.06, The Bancroft Building, Mile End Campus E: dds@qmul.ac.uk

http://www.dds.qmul.ac.uk/

Student Enquiry Centre – regarding all aspects of your studies at QM

CB01 Queens' Building Mile End Campus +44 (0)20 7882 5005

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/

Fees office (Finance Department)

W117 Queens' Building Mile End Campus +44 (0)20 7882 7676 Email: fees@qmul.ac.uk 

Students' Union

329 Mile End Campus +44 (0)20 7882 8030 

www.qmsu.org  

Student Health Centre

Ground floor, Geography Building Mile End Campus

https://www.studenthealth.qmul.ac.uk/

Careers Service

WG3 Queens' Building Mile End Campus +44 (0)20 7882 8533 Email: careers@qmul.ac.uk

http://www.careers.qmul.ac.uk/

Residences Office

The Housing Hub, Fielden House, Mile End Campus +44 (0)20 7882 6473 residences@qmul.ac.uk 

http://www.residences.qmul.ac.uk/college/contact/

IT Help and General Information

http://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/services/students/index.html

A fuller list is included in your main student guide available online at:  http://my.qmul.ac.uk/

28. Appendix I

Appendix I

28.1. Appendix I - Guidelines for answering exam questions

This appendix provides brief guidance on the types of questions that students may be asked to complete in respect of an examination or a final assessment exercise.  The guidance regarding essay-type questions is also relevant essays and dissertations, but please see also Appendix II.  Please note that module-specific guidance may be given by the module convenor, in class and/or in the module syllabus.

Updated: 19/09/2024

28.2. General Comments

Questions are designed to give students the opportunity to display their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter covered in the module.  Students are not expected to answer questions outside the stated scope of the module.

The rubric at the front of the paper will clearly specify the number of questions in the paper and the number of questions a student is required to answer (e.g., ʻthree out of five questionsʼ).  Unless clearly stated otherwise, each question has the same weight.  Therefore, students should endeavour to divide their time equally between each answer.

Different types of exam questions call for different approaches.  The primary distinction is between essay and problem questions.  Some assessments use a mixture of both; others rely exclusively on one question type or the other.  The following outlines how these typically differ and how students are generally expected to respond.

Regardless of the type of question, the answer should be written clearly.  Poor spelling and grammar can undermine the clarity of an answer and thereby affect marking.  They should also be clearly structured, with separate paragraphs, headings or sections, where appropriate, to deal with separate issues.  Where possible, time should be allocated for reviewing the answer before submission.

28.3. Essay Questions

Essay questions require the student to evaluate, compare, explain or comment on a specific topic or issue.  As this is a postgraduate programme, students are expected to critically engage with the subject matter of the module in responding to the question, and not simply describe the law without further comment.

The question may be deliberately ambiguous, in which case the answer should explain the nature of the ambiguity.  Alternatively, it may appear to take a position, in which case the answer can agree with the statement, disagree or analyse the statement without taking a position.  In all cases, however, students are expected to address the question asked and not simply write down everything they know about the topic, in the hope that the examiner will be able to pick out the relevant analysis or be impressed by the discussion of irrelevant points.  Thus, generally speaking the answer should avoid long introductions, excessive historical background, and lengthy descriptions of statutes, regulations and cases.

The questions may specify the jurisdiction to which the answer should relate (e.g., ʻunder UK lawʼ) or ask for a comparison of two or more jurisdictions.  Where the question contains no express or implied jurisdictional link, students may refer to any relevant jurisdiction of which they have knowledge.

In general, the introduction should briefly set out the issues and the approach the answer will take.  The answer should then proceed to address the question posed point by point, in a logical and critical fashion.  The answer should remain focused on the question asked and not get trapped in irrelevant details.  The conclusion should sum up the argument.  It should follow logically from what has gone before and can also reflect on developments going forward.

The answer should

•   Address the question asked – all parts of the question but only the question.
•   Be analytical, evaluative and critical.
•   Discuss any relevant controversial issues surrounding a topic.
•   Be structured in a logical and comprehensible manner.  It may be helpful to briefly outline the answer before starting to write.

28.4. Problem Questions

Problem questions generally present a scenario or set of facts and ask for analysis, perhaps drafted as advice to a client.  The question should be reviewed carefully, and the significant facts and issues raised by the fact pattern should be identified.  The facts should be analysed with reference to the relevant rules of law.  Any relevant information that has not been supplied in the question should be noted, with an explanation of its importance.  Any assumptions made in lieu of explicit information should also be stated.

Depending on what is requested, it may be appropriate to offer advice to the parties.  The advice or analysis should endeavour to be even-handed and consider different aspects of the problem and should be supported with reference to relevant legal rules or principles.  In general, the structure of the answer should reflect the logical sequence suggested by the fact pattern.

29. Appendix II Dissertation

Introduction

The dissertation provides an opportunity to undertake in-depth research on a legal topic of your choice.  This will contribute to the development of a wide range of transferable skills such as writing, research and project management skills.  Producing a clearly structured and well written piece of work can be highly rewarding from an academic and a personal perspective, and demonstrating the ability to do so is important professionally, for both future practitioners and academics

There is no pre-set formula for writing a dissertation.  These guidelines provide some information on the standard expected and general advice on how to plan and write your dissertation.

Part-time students should note that while you are not expected to write your dissertation until your second year, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are aware of the relevant deadlines, as announced at the beginning of the year.

Choosing a Topic

We encourage you to start thinking about your dissertation early in your first term.  The primary questions to address in choosing a topic are: ‘What question really interests me?’ and ‘Does it provide sufficient scope for a dissertation?’  In general, you should explore a legal question which you find interesting, important or puzzling, and one which you feel you have the knowledge and understanding, or can acquire the knowledge and understanding, to tackle well.

The dissertation topic must be within your specialism but is otherwise up to you.

Selecting Modules That Support Your Dissertation

We strongly recommend that you select a taught module in an area that directly relates to your proposed dissertation topic.  This will support your dissertation research and expose you to legal issues related to your proposed topic.

Topic Overlap with Taught Modules

Your dissertation cannot substantially discuss or explore a topic which is covered extensively in any taught module, whether or not you have taken or will take the module.  This is not usually a problem, as generally speaking the dissertation covers a topic in much greater depth than it would be in a module.  However, if you think your topic may overlap significantly with a taught module, please discuss this with the module convenor.

Topic Overlap with Dissertations

You may find that you have a similar idea for your dissertation topic to one of your fellow students.  This is not a problem.  However, you may not work with or borrow material of any kind from any other student.  Please familiarise yourself fully with Queen Mary’s plagiarism policy.

Dissertation Title and Proposal Submission and Plagiarism Statement

Once you have chosen your topic you will need to decide on your dissertation title and prepare a 200-word topic proposal outlining your dissertation area and research plans. You will need to complete a form and submit it via the QMplus Postgraduate Dissertation Support Noticeboard by the deadline.  No extensions will be granted.

By submitting, you are confirming that you have read and understand the regulations regarding plagiarism.  The plagiarism statement will also be viewable at the point of submission.

Please note that the submission provides us with the information necessary to allocate a supervisor.  The more detailed the information, the more likely we are to be able to allocate a suitable supervisor.

Please keep a copy of your proposal as you will need it when contacting your supervisor.

Changes to Title and/or Topic Area

It is quite normal to amend the focus and title of the dissertation as your research progresses.  You should discuss any such changes with your supervisor.  Please note that it will not be possible to allocate a new supervisor, even if he or she is not an expert in the new area.  Also, major changes in research focus may mean that time is spent on work that is not ultimately included in the dissertation.

Plagiarism

‘Queen Mary defines “plagiarism” as presenting someone else’s work as your own, irrespective of intention.  Close paraphrasing; copying from the work of another person, including another student; using the ideas of another person without proper acknowledgement; and repeating work that you have previously submitted – at Queen Mary or at another institution – without properly referencing yourself (known as “self-plagiarism”) also constitute plagiarism.’

Academic Misconduct Policy, https://arcs.qmul.ac.uk/media/arcs/policyzone/academic/Academic-Misconduct-Policy-(2022-23).pdf , paragraph 6.

Plagiarism is a serious offence and all students suspected of plagiarism will be subject to investigation. For students found guilty of plagiarism, the possible penalties include a formal reprimand, failing the module, the module mark being capped at the minimum pass mark, suspension from the programme or expulsion from Queen Mary.  For further information, see Queen Mary’s Academic Misconduct Policy at http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/assessment-offences.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Most cases of plagiarism are inadvertent; ie they were not intended to plagiarism.  However, intent does not matter; inadvertent plagiarism is still plagiarism.  Fortunately, it is quite easy to avoid inadvertent plagiarism – ensure that all works used are referenced appropriately in the dissertation.  Proper citation not only avoids plagiarism, it demonstrates that you have done the necessary research, provides the reader with the opportunity to check your sources and fulfils your obligation to give credit to the original source.

Be sure to record your sources when taking notes, and to cite these if you use ideas or, especially, quotations from the original source.  Be particularly careful if you are cutting and pasting information between documents, and ensure that references are not lost in the process.

Direct quotations for the published or unpublished work of another must always be clearly identified as such by being placed inside quotation marks, and a full reference to their source must be provided in the proper form.  Paraphrased ideas of others must also be credited properly.

Examples of external sources which must be referenced to avoid plagiarism include:

• direct quotations;
• arguments or conclusions from other authors which you have summarised or paraphrased;
• extracts from external sources which you have reproduced or adapted anywhere in the dissertation (in appendices as well as the main body of the work);
• images or graphical depictions which you have reproduced or adapted anywhere in the dissertation (in appendices as well as the main body of the work); and
• ideas which you have presented in an earlier work.

As a general rule, if you have discussed or referred to an idea, conclusion, quote or piece of data which is not original to your dissertation, even if it is your own idea, conclusion, quotation or item of data from another work, it should be referenced.

Be sensible in referencing commonly known facts; these do not generally require acknowledgment to particular sources.

Support

Since the dissertation is such an important component of your programme, we have designed several support mechanisms to assist you.  These include:

• the dissertation guidance in the Postgraduate Taught Programmes Handbook
• Dissertation Overview Sessions
• Dissertation Research Sessions
• Your supervisor
• Postgraduate Law Tutors
• Taught Programmes Dissertations Director
• Critical Thinking and Writing in Law Programme

Dissertation Overview Sessions

Led by the Taught Programmes Dissertations Director, these sessions will give you a solid grounding in how the dissertation process works, including selecting a topic, the support mechanisms in place, plagiarism and other issues.  They are generally held in October for students beginning in September and in February for students beginning in January.  Attendance is mandatory for all students writing a dissertation.

More information on these sessions will be posted on the QMplus Postgraduate Dissertation Support Noticeboard and emailed to you.

Dissertation Research Sessions

Writing a dissertation can be a confusing, difficult task, especially if you have not written one before and do not know where to begin.  As you begin to explore possible legal questions, it is important to have some guidance.  To assist you, specialisms with mandatory dissertations have sessions that will give you the opportunity to discuss possible topics and ask questions of academic staff in the area of law that interests you.  This should assist you in finalising your dissertation topic.

More information on these sessions will be posted on the QMplus Postgraduate Dissertation Support Noticeboard and emailed to you.

Your Supervisor

The function of the supervisor is to discuss with you the structure of your dissertation and provide guidance on legal research and writing.

You are reminded that a dissertation is an assessment completed by a written submission.  Consequently, the work is to be done by the student and the expectation that the supervisor will edit, provide detailed feedback and/or assist in basic research is not consistent with the expectations of the dissertation.

Dissertation supervisors will be allocated after the Dissertation Title and Proposal Form has been submitted.  The form is crucial as it provides us with the necessary information to allocate an appropriate supervisor.  We attempt to match students to a supervisor who is familiar with the research topic, but this cannot be guaranteed and should therefore not be relied upon.

You will be notified of your allocated supervisor by email or through QMplus.  It is your responsibility to contact your supervisor and arrange the initial and subsequent meetings.  When you first make contact with your supervisor, you should include the dissertation title, proposal, a suggested outline and a suggested work schedule.  It is also your responsibility to ensure that you schedule all supervision meetings in good time and plan your time appropriately to be able to make best use of the feedback and guidance offered by your supervisor.

You are entitled to meet your supervisor three times to discuss your dissertation.  Typically, you would expect to meet once at the outset to discuss how your dissertation is to be structured, once for an update and review and once on completion of an advanced draft of the dissertation.  Generally speaking, the first two meetings should occur in your second term and the third meeting should occur early enough before the submission deadline to allow you to incorporate any suggestions.  Note that some supervisors prefer to hold a group meeting (ie for all students under their supervision) for the initial meeting.  You should arrange supervisor visits in advance, in particular any meeting after the end of teaching.

If you have difficulty contacting your supervisor, please inform the PG Law Office at the earliest opportunity.

Postgraduate Law Tutors

You can also receive individual assistance on academic matters from the Postgraduate Law Tutors.  The tutors can offer support and advice on many areas of dissertation writing and can also advise on:

• study skills;
• exam techniques;
• dealing with essay and exam questions; and
• course essays.

You can schedule an appointment or ask a question by emailing them at pglaw-tutors@qmul.ac.uk

Taught Programmes Dissertations Director

The Taught Programmes Dissertations Director is the academic lead for the postgraduate law dissertation programmes.  In normal circumstances, the previously mentioned support mechanisms should allow you to resolve any problems or issues you may have.  However, in some cases, the Postgraduate Law Tutors or your supervisor may refer you to the Taught Programmes Dissertations Director if, for example, they feel the Taught Programmes Dissertations Director is best able to advise you on a complex issue or on an issue outside of their areas of expertise.  Similarly, if you have an issue with your supervisor that you wish to discuss in confidence, it may be appropriate to make contact with the Taught Programmes Dissertations Director and ask for advice or guidance.  If you wish to raise an issue, please first email the PG Law Office: pglaw-support@qmul.ac.uk so that it can be forwarded as appropriate.

29.1. Dissertation Writing Guidelines and Plagiarism Issues

Planning the Dissertation

Steps in Researching and Writing the Dissertation

A good dissertation poses an interesting question and provides a reasoned answer to that question or identifies a problem and proposes a solution to that problem.

Keeping in mind that researching and writing a law dissertation is a dialectical process, not a linear one, these are the basic steps:

• Choose a topic of interest both to yourself and potential readers.  Know your target audience.
• Narrow the scope of the topic down to a discrete issue that can be dealt with well within the word limit. You should avoid being too broad and descriptive and at the same time avoid being so narrowly focussed that the dissertation is unlikely to interest potential readers.
• Know and cite the existing literature relevant to your issue.
• Make sure the structure of the dissertation follows the logic of the argument and maintains the focus of that argument throughout the dissertation.
• Include your analysis and, where relevant, recommendations.

Choosing a Topic

Finding a topic of particular interest can be like a treasure hunt – you pick up an interesting idea, perhaps from something you have read or discussed in class and follow it up through various materials until you fix on a particular aspect which you feel needs to be addressed.

Choose a topic you are interested in.  You will be spending a lot of time on the dissertation, and you will be happier if you are interested in the subject matter.  Furthermore, you are more likely to invest the time necessary, and the quality of your research, writing and arguments will be much better if you are interested in the area and the specific topic.  Never let someone pressure you into writing about a certain topic.

Be creative and choose an issue that stands out as original and innovative.  Also keep the following points in mind:

• Is the topic of academic significance and not trivial?  It would be possible to find out whether Shakespeare used the word ‘and’ more often in his comedies than in his tragedies, but who would be interested in knowing?
• Is the topic really manageable in the available time and word count?  It is a common mistake to imagine that you can cover far more than is actually feasible, so keep a suitably narrow focus.  Do not ask too big a question.  Make sure that you take advice from your supervisor on this and remember that, generally speaking, the narrower and more specific your topic the better.
• Will you have access to the necessary information?  Some students choose to write about a certain area or jurisdiction only to discover half way through their dissertation that they do not have access to the necessary material or that there is insufficient material available to complete the dissertation.

Some indicators of topics suitable for a dissertation:

• controversial legal, political, economic, social, cultural or moral implications of particular rules or judgements;
• divided doctrine and/or unsettled case law relating to the interpretation of a particular legal concept, the scope of its application, the standard of review to be applied etc;
• inconsistencies within the legal system such as duplication of or contradiction between norms, incoherent use of regulatory strategies, overlapping institutional authority etc; and
• divergence between regulatory objectives and outcomes, eg lack of efficiency or effectiveness.

Conducting a Literature Review

A literature review entails a comprehensive examination of the published material relevant to your topic, including books, journal articles, working papers and government reports.  The scope of the review should be sufficiently extensive to ensure that no significant material is left out.  Remember to look for relevant classic texts relating to underlying issues but also for up to date materials in the area.

Although a formal literature review does not have to be included in the dissertation, the process, that is engaging with the material that already exists on your topic, is crucial.  Reviewing the literature should also enable you to provide evidence of wider reading and of your capacity to integrate a wide range of materials.  Note that you should consider and if necessary mention all relevant material, not just material aligned with your way of thinking.

As you read, ask yourself if the material is relevant to your dissertation.  Does it help to address the research question(s) raised?  Should you decide to use the material, you should take notes to review at a later stage, otherwise you risk forgetting what have you read or where have you read it.

There is a wide range of research resources available to you, including in the QMUL Library in Mile End, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Library in Russell Square and online databases.  You can also discuss with your supervisor the nature and availability of relevant sources of material.

29.2. Writing the Dissertation

Structure and Content of the Dissertation

A dissertation needs to have a central integrating argument.  The argument should be logically developed, building up a case point by point and displaying a critical and analytical approach to the subject.  The sections or chapters of the dissertation should be logically structured and help the flow of the argument, and their length should be proportionate to their relevance for the development of the main argument.

There is no specific, mandatory way to arrange the sections or chapters of the dissertation.  The nature of the problem, the way in which you decide to address it and your level of expertise on the topic are some of the factors that may influence the way you decide to structure your dissertation. There are, however, common elements that you may want to include.

Abstract

The abstract is a concise, clear outline of your core argument.  It should convey your research question and research findings in not more than about 200 words.  It is the hook with which you pull in the reader.  Although the first thing to appear after the title, the abstract is usually the last thing to be written, upon a thorough reflection of the purpose, content and conclusions of the dissertation.  A good abstract can be very useful for the reader, but it is by no means essential.  Do not write an abstract if you do not feel comfortable doing so.  If you do, avoid the common mistake of using the abstract to outline the structure of your dissertation; this should go in the introductory section or chapter.

Introduction

The introduction should provide an answer to the following questions:

What is the purpose of the dissertation? The introduction should clearly state the purpose of the dissertation and the main analytical tasks you plan to undertake.

Why is the issue relevant? Demonstrate why the issue is being discussed in the dissertation.  If you are making comparisons with another area or legal system, you need to explain why the comparison is pertinent and your rationale for using the chosen comparator.

How is the dissertation structured? Outline for the reader the structure and content of the dissertation so that he or she knows what to expect.  In the final paragraph of your introduction, outline the sections or chapters and briefly explain what each of them covers.

Context/Background: It is always useful to provide some historical background to the problem you aim to examine, for instance by identifying the relevant law, regulations or cases.  You can also refer to the doctrinal debate on the topic, highlighting, wherever pertinent, areas of controversy.

Analysis

While placing your topic in its wider context is mainly a descriptive action, you should make an effort to go beyond the description of a particular topic and engage in some analysis.

However, it is in the analytical section of the dissertation that you have the chance to demonstrate your ability to think independently, make an argument and engage in original analysis of your topic.  This is the opportunity to analyse legal concepts, examine the scope of their application and normative consequences and discuss how the law is applied in practice.

Conclusions

A strong dissertation will contain well-argued conclusions which are supported by preceding analysis and descriptive materials.  The conclusions should form a substantial part of the dissertation, rather than being confined to a few sentences at the end.

Bibliography

Because you are expected to include full footnotes, a bibliography is not required.  If you choose to include a bibliography, it is not included in the word count.

Citation

The dissertation must be fully referenced.  There are several approaches to citing authorities, but the standard in legal writing is footnotes or endnotes, not in-text citation.  Many UK journals use the Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA).  Guides to and examples of OSCOLA and other full footnote citation systems are widely available, online and in print.  You can choose any system you like, but you must be consistent throughout the dissertation.

The purpose of citation is three-fold: to acknowledge the source of an idea, an argument, a quotation or other material; to demonstrate that you have done the research; and to make it easy for the reader to check the source, either for accuracy or to read further.  For these reasons, regardless of the referencing system used, a number of pieces of information should be included in each reference.

When citing a book, you should include:

• the full name(s) of the author(s);
• the title and edition of the work;
• the publisher and year of publication; and
• the page(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.

When citing a journal, you should include:

• the full name(s) of the author(s);
• the title of the article;
• the title, publication year, volume and issue number of the journal; and
• the page(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.

When citing a law or regulation, you should include:

• the full title and/or official reference;
• the publication and/or effective date; and
• the article(s) or section(s) from which the information is taken.

When citing a case, you should include:

• the full title of the case;
• the year of judgment;
• the volume number of the reporter or the case number (if there is one);
• the judge, where relevant; and
• the page(s) or section(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.

When citing a report, you should include:

• the full title;
• the publication date;
• the report number;
• the author and/or institution issuing the report; and
• the page(s) or section(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.

When citing a webpage, you should include:

• the name of the author and/or organisation publishing the webpage;
• the title of the website and the page;
• the date on which the information was published (if available);
• the full web address (URL); and
• the date on which the webpage was last viewed.

In general, URLs should only be included for materials and information available only on the internet; use the general citation formats above wherever possible, as these facilitate searches across platforms.

Writing Style, Spelling and Grammar

When writing:

• use the correct tense and avoid switching from one tense to another without reason;
• make sure that nouns and verbs agree in number;
• avoid repetitious and informal language;
• remember the difference between descriptive and normative language (subjective or judgmental). When making value judgments, make sure they flow from your argument and are backed up by evidence;
• make use of all the tools and resources available for improving your spelling and grammar, including the Critical Thinking and Writing in Law Programme; and
• edit and proofread your draft.

Foreign Language Materials

You may use relevant foreign language materials, whether primary or secondary, for their dissertation; in fact, many dissertations would not be possible without foreign language materials.  However, you are responsible for the accuracy of any quotation or paraphrasing, whether you do the translation yourself or rely on an existing translation, official or unofficial.  The materials themselves must be provided in English (with inclusion of the original language text optional), even if the supervisor can read the language in question, as the postgraduate law programmes are English language programmes.

Foreign language materials should be cited in both English and the original language, using the original script, not transliterated.

Word Count

The maximum word count for your dissertation depends on your specialism.  You should not exceed this word limit, +/- 10%, as supervisors will not mark any section of your dissertation that is over this word limit.

Everything except the bibliography is included in the word count.  This includes among other things the abstract, table of contents, appendixes, footnotes and endnotes and the titles of diagrams and words in graphs, tables and diagrams. Inclusion of an abstract, a table of contents or a bibliography is not mandatory but may be suggested by your supervisor.

There is no minimum word count.  However, dissertations that are considerably shorter than the maximum word count may fail to fully address the topic and will be marked accordingly.

Research Ethics Approval

Some dissertation projects may involve methodologies that require research ethics approval.  This is any methodology that ‘involves’ human subjects, even if the individuals are involved in their work capacity.  Typically for Postgraduate Law this would be conducting interviews of civil servants, legislators, businesspeople etc.

Low-risk research methodologies such as standard interviews are generally eligible for expedited approval.  Details can be found at http://www.jrmo.org.uk/performing-research/conducting-research-with-human-participants-outside-the-nhs/applications-and-approval.

The Standard Expected of the Dissertation

In General

The dissertation is required to be either a record of original work or an ordered and critical exposition of existing knowledge in the field.  While this is not a definitive list for marking purposes, in general examiners are looking for the student:

• to have identified a relevant topic;
• to demonstrate the ability to discuss, analyse and criticise the law and literature on the relevant topic;
• to demonstrate an advanced understanding of the issues and the difficulties they present;
• to demonstrate knowledge of the relevant law and literature relating to the topic; and
• to demonstrate acceptable writing skills, including proper spelling, punctuation and grammar and the clear use of English.

The dissertation should be of publishable quality, ie broadly equivalent to the quality that would be expected by a reputable law journal with little further editing.

Originality

A key requirement for success is that your dissertation contains a high degree of originality.  The nature of originality means that it is impossible to define what constitutes it but, by way of illustration, originality may be achieved in one or more of the following ways:

• by drawing on your own professional experience;
• by drawing together for the first time diverse sources of information on a particular topic in order to present a coherent and novel treatment of the subject; and
• by relating an aspect of your topic to wider legal, political, economic or ethical considerations in a way that has not previously been done.

The key test that will be applied is whether or not the dissertation treats the chosen topic in a way not previously published.

Analytical Content

It necessarily follows from the requirement for originality that a successful dissertation will contain a high degree of analytical content.  This must be distinguished from descriptive content.  Whilst some descriptive content will be necessary, for example to explain the current or previous legal position or practice, the analytical content should provide, among other things, commentary on and critique of the current or previous legal position or practice, together with your own opinions (and recommendations, if appropriate).  Dissertations consisting mainly of descriptive content are less likely to achieve a high mark than ones with a high degree of analytical content.  However, the analytical content must not be achieved at the expense of thorough research into your topic.

Breadth versus Depth

The requirement for a high degree of analytical content means that you should consider carefully the scope of the dissertation.  The dissertation is more likely to achieve a high mark if it covers a relatively narrow area in depth, rather than a broad area superficially.

At the same time, your dissertation should involve a comprehensive treatment of your topic, meaning that all relevant aspects need to be analysed, unless the dissertation topic has been reasonably defined to exclude them.

Dissertation Presentation and Layout

Title Page

The dissertation should include a title page that lists your Student ID number, full dissertation title, supervisor’s name and final word count. Your name should not appear on the title page or anywhere else in the dissertation, including the file name and the file metadata.

Formatting

There is no official style guide for the dissertation.  However, we recommend you use a 12-point font in a common font style, double space the main text and use margins of at least 2 cm.  Footnotes should be no smaller than 10 point, normally in the same font as the main text.

Dissertation Submission

Your dissertation must be submitted electronically via QMplus.  Please see the Key Date section for the applicable submission deadline.  Part-time students are reminded that your deadline is the one for the academic year which coincides with your second year of study.

It is strongly recommended that you submit your dissertation well before the deadline to avoid any last minute issues with the electronic submission process.  For this reason, we will normally accept completed dissertations 7 days in advance of the deadline.  Computer problems and technical issues are not acceptable reasons for late or non-submission.  Guidance on how to submit your dissertation is available on the Postgraduate Dissertation Support Noticeboard on QMplus.

Please also note that in submitting your dissertation electronically, you consent to its submission to the Turnitin plagiarism software service.

If you cannot submit the dissertation on time, a late submission penalty may be applied.  Non-submission will automatically result in a fail.  However, extenuating circumstances may apply.  If you think you may have extenuating circumstances, please contact the PG Law Office in advance of the deadline.

29.3. Back Cover