EU Law & Governance

Degree Requirements

• Applicants must hold a Law degree, or an inter-disciplinary degree in which law was a major component. Applicants must have achieved at least an upper second class honours or equivalent.
• Applicants holding a Graduate Diploma in Law (60 ECTS Credits) may be considered but will normally be admitted only where they can show an exceptionally strong performance in both their undergraduate degree and diploma.
• Exemption from these requirements may be given to those with significant, relevant, practical experience or those with a graduate qualification at Masters level or higher in a relevant discipline. Such applicants should state clearly in their application why they feel their qualifications/experiences are appropriate for admission to the programme.
• These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes

English Language Requirements

• Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e. overall IELTS 6.5 (including a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and writing parts and no part below 6.0) or 90 in the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum of 22 (reading) and 24 (writing) and no part below 20.) The test results must be less than 2 years old.
• Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the English language requirements, may enter the programme upon successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/
• The School encourages all applicants whose first language is not English to attend the pre-sessional English programme offered by the UCD Applied Language Centre, details of which are available at www.ucd.ie/alc.
• International applicants should visit the UCD International Office website (www.ucd.ie/international) for information regarding our campus, location of UCD, visa information, registration and orientation.

Application Procedure

• Applicants should indicate which programme they are applying for. All applicants should note:

• Official transcripts must be submitted as proof of examination results by all applicants except UCD graduates.
• The personal statement is an important component of the application. It should contain information demonstrating your capability to undertake the course successfully. You should detail any relevant research and practical experience including any publications and major essays/projects.
• Applicants must nominate two academic referees (name, position, postal address, e-mail address and telephone number). If an applicant has been in employment for more than two years, one of the referees must be your employer.

• Please note: If you are offered a place on the LLM programme, accepting that place is a two-part process. You must submit an on-line acceptance and you must also pay a non-refundable deposit (normally €500) within 15 working days of the date of your offer letter.

Letter of Recommendation

http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/letter%20of%20recommendation%20LLM.pdf

Taught Master's: A minimum overall score of 7.0 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band on the Academic Version. The non-academic version is not accepted.

Research Programmes: A minimum overall score of 6.5 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band on the Academic Version. The non-academic version is not accepted.

IELTS Indicator: A minimum overall score of 7.0 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band. This test will be accepted for 2022/23 and 2023/24 intake.

Taught Master's: A minimum score of 100 is required in the Internet based TOEFL (iBT) with a score of at least 20 in each section.

Research Programmes: A minimum score of 90 is required in the Internet based TOEFL (iBT) with a score of at least 20 in each section.

TOEFL iBT Home: A minimum score of 100 is required with a score of at least 20 in each section.

UCD has approved the use of the Duolingo Test of English (DET) for the 2024/25 intake.
An overall score of 130 will be accepted with no section below 110.

Please note that this does not apply to the CEMS MiM / MSc in International Management. In the case of the CEMS MiM the Duolingo English Test will not be accepted.

The LLM EU Law & Governance is an ideal starting point for a career in the EU institutions, such as the Commission and Court of Justice of the European Union, and EU agencies such as the Fundamental Rights Agency. It will also be highly relevant for those aiming at a career in law firms specialising in European Union law. Further, graduates will be well equipped to advise law and policy makers in European Union matters, as well as finding opportunities with think tanks and other non-governmental organisations influencing the European Union. It also is an excellent starting point for an academic career.

Masters students in UCD Sutherland School of Law can benefit from engaging both with the UCD Careers Network and the Head of Career Development in the School.  There are careers events hosted through the academic year and a specific Law Fair every October where Domestic and International Employers come on campus to meet with students.