I’ve written before about how the rich variety of interdisciplinary, specialist and exciting courses is one of the pull factors that drew me to study the LLM at LSE. Your courses are what you are going to be spending nine to 12 months studying, so they can seriously make or break your time at LSE. In this blog post, I’m going to share some tips and different options for course selection.

As an LLM student, I chose courses based on my interests. I also took two courses outside of the Law School, which I will touch on briefly.

My courses:

• LL475 – Terrorism and the Rule of Law
• LL4BB – International Law and the Movement of Persons Between States
• LL4AV – International Economic Law and Development
• LL4Y9 – Comparative and Transnational Law
• LL4A6 – Climate Change and International Law
• LL 4F9 – Dissertation (mandatory)
• GI409 – Gender, Globalisation, and Development: an introduction
• GV4A5 – International Migration and Immigration Management

LLM Course Selection System

At least for my academic year (2021/22), LLM courses were assigned on a “first come first served” basis. This means that when the course selection system opened online in September on a specific day at a specific time, those who logged on and chose courses first were more likely to get their top choices. LLM students are also given priority over outside students; spots on LLM courses will be allocated to all LLM students who want them first before considering students from other departments. 

Timetables and Assessments

Each course page and LSEforYou will have a list of seminar times for each module, so it’s quite easy to cultivate a timetable that does not clash. In any case, the online booking system will not allow you to choose courses that directly clash.

An influential factor in my course selection thought process was assessments. I wanted to have a balance of courses assessed by exams or summative essays. You can easily check the assessment format on the course description web pages on the graduate course guide. It’s worth thinking about which type of assessment you prefer and how to make the most of your scholastic skills.

Outside Courses

This is strictly my own experience with the outside course selection process and it could be different for anyone else. It’s also not mandatory for LLM students to take courses from outside departments. 

The first thing I did was search the Graduate Course Guide for modules that piqued my interests. Afterwards, I emailed the respective convenors for each module to ask if their courses were open to outside students and if there were any requirements. For example, one of my outside courses required me to write a paragraph about why I was interested in taking the course. Course selection for other departments may open on a different day, so it’s always important to ask by emailing the relevant department as well.

Good luck with your choice! Remember there are always people on hand, from the LLM Programme Officers to LSE LIFE, to help if you need it!

For more information about course selection at LSE, see here.