The Postgraduate Diploma in Law is a full-time programme running for 9 months or a part-time programme running for 18 months over two academic years from the date of first registration for the programme. A full-time candidate may not, during the currency of the Postgraduate Diploma in Law, simultaneously pursue any other form of education, training or employment, without the advance permission of the School of Law.

Full-time
Students take 60 credits from the list of Elective Modules offered.

Part-time
Year 1: Students take 30 credits from the list of Elective Modules offered.
Year 2: Students take 30 credits from the list of Elective Modules offered.

Elective Modules
LW6507 Comparative Family Property Law (5 credits)
LW6536 Intellectual Property Law (10 credits)
LW6544 Criminology (10 credits)
LW6545 Penology (10 credits)
LW6546 Juvenile Justice (10 credits)
LW6549 International Children's Rights (10 credits)
LW6550 International Criminal Law (10 credits)
LW6560 Law of Cybercrime (10 credits)
LW6563 Children's Rights Law in Practice (10 credits)
LW6566 Contemporary Issues in International Law (5 credits)
LW6568 The Family and the Law (10 credits)
LW6574 Intellectual Property and Internet Regulation (10 credits)
LW6578 Consumer Rights: Law and Policy (5 credits)
LW6579 Law of Credit & Debt (5 credits)
LW6581 Method in Environmental Law (5 credits)
LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)
LW6606 International Human Rights Law (10 credits)
LW6609 Mental Health Law (5 credits)
LW6617 International Biodiversity and Ecosystems Law and Policy (5 credits)
LW6618 Climate Change Law and Policy (5 credits)
LW6619 Alternative Dispute Resolution: Processes and Practice (5 credits)
LW6622 Sale, Insurance and Carriage of Goods at Sea (5 credits)
LW6623 Global Maritime Security (5 credits)
LW6627 International Environmental Law (5 credits)
LW6633 Public International Law (5 credits)
LW6634 Refugee and Forced Displacement Law (10 credits)
LW6639 FinTech: Law and Regulation (5 credits)
LW6640 E-Commerce Law (5 credits)
LW6641 The Role of Law in the Future of Europe - Critical Perspectives (10 credits)
LW6643 Negotiation and Mediation (10 credits)
LW6644 Managing Complex Disputes (10 credits)
LW6645 Marine Environmental and Natural Resources Law (10 credits)

It may be that not all modules listed above will be offered each year and/or other options may become available.

Undergraduate Modules:
In certain cases, with the permission of the Programme Director, students may elect to take 10 credits from the list of undergraduate modules available for the LLB Degree (see here)

In order to ensure a reasonable distribution of workload, when choosing modules for all programmes, students should take a balance of credits between Semester 1 and Semester 2. Students who wish to deviate from this rule must seek permission from their Programme Director.

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Examinations
Full details of regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2022/2023 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules, 2022/2023.

LLM (Taught) Degree
Candidates who successfully complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Law may undertake the LLM (Taught) Degree.

Programme Learning Outcomes for Postgraduate Diploma in Law (NFQ Level 9, Major award)
On successful completion of the programme students should be able to:

• Critically evaluate primary and secondary legal materials including legislation, case-law and academic commentary;
• Identify and explore interconnections between legal topics;
• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving legal problems;
• Demonstrate original, independent and critical thinking in relation to legal issues;
• Connect changing values and sentiments in society with legal developments;
• Formulate research questions and develop appropriate research methodologies and research methods;
• Undertake independent scholarly legal research on legal questions and themes;
• Use information technology appropriately for high-level legal research and writing;
• Express complex legal and/or policy in an appropriate legal style, in accordance with legal writing standards.