At Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, we offer three different Master of Laws programmes. Find out about your options and how you’ll study.

• Master of Laws by coursework
• Master of Laws by dissertation and coursework
• Master of Laws by thesis

You'll take one core course—Advanced Legal Study LAWS 581 worth 10 points—and make up the rest of your 120 points from a choice of other 500-level LAWS courses. Up to 40 points can be replaced by equivalent courses from another faculty or another university.

500-level LAWS courses differ from year to year and are either taught in block format, intensive format or seminars. Look at the course timetable to see when the intensive and block courses are offered. The seminar courses are mainly led by you and the other students who will prepare papers in advance.

Internship

International students can also choose to do a 20-point one-trimester internship. You'll work with a community, government or private sector organisation under the joint supervision of a Faculty member and an outside professional. Assessment is based on the work you produce, a journal and your performance at fortnightly seminars.

You'll take LAWS 581 Advanced Legal Study (10 points), a further 20 points from the Master of Laws course-selection and LAWS 592, a 90-point dissertation of 35,000 words.

Dissertation supervision

The Faculty can provide dissertation supervision on a wide range of subjects. Explore the full list of the Faculty's research areas to help you decide on your own research topic.

The Master of Laws by thesis requires you to complete a 120-point 50,000-word thesis on an area of law that interests you. You’ll also take the course Advanced Legal Study LAWS 581.

Thesis supervision

The Faculty can provide thesis supervision on a wide range of subjects. Explore the full list of the Faculty's research areas to help you decide on your own research topic.

Styles for research papers

You'll need to structure and write your research papers a certain way in order to meet the submission standards. For a style guide and research template, visit the Styles for research page.

The Master of Laws can be completed in one year of full-time study, or in up to three years part time.

If you are studying full time, you can expect a workload of 40 to 45 hours a week for much of the year. Part-time students doing two courses per trimester will need to do around 20 to 23 hours of work a week. Make sure you take this into account if you are working.

You can estimate your workload by adding up the number of points you'll be doing. One point is roughly equal to 10 to 12 hours of work.

If your research involves human subjects or human tissue, or if it affects people’s privacy, rights, or freedoms, it will be subject to the Human Ethics Committee Guidelines. You’ll need to seek approval to protect both yourself and your research subjects.