Taught Masters: MA in European Law, Governance and Politics

The MA programme is designed for graduates who already have some knowledge of law, European or international law, governance or politics and wish to deepen their understanding of selected issues, or who wish to transfer in this area from related disciplines (for example History, Economics, Philosophy). The degree is designed to critically investigate an exciting interdisciplinary area between law and politics, centring on the theme of European integration. Students will be encouraged to take intellectual risks and utilise the academic resources of both disciplines. The degree will encourage students to explore their own particular concerns through the options offered by both disciplines.

The programme builds on the strengths of the Department of Politics and the School of Law in the European Union. There are already joint seminars on multi-level governance between Politics and Law as well as a reading group. Both these activities are embedded in the research culture of the two units and encompass postgraduate students as well as staff. There are groupings of academic staff working on the EU in Politics (in the Centre for International Policy Research, CIPol), and in Law (in the Centre for Law in Its International Context, CLIC). These centres are major foci in the respective research strategies of Politics and Law.

The Department of Politics was ranked joint top in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise with 95% of published work deemed of international quality, 45% of which was considered world leading. 85% of the School of Law’s published work was deemed of international quality, 15% of which was considered world leading.

Knowledge of the European Union is important to careers in the public sector and in non-governmental organisations, whether at European, national, regional or local level. The degree is therefore designed to offer a cross-disciplinary advanced education in the law, governance and politics of the EU in order to enhance graduates´ employability.

The growth of new forms of governance in the EU context has blurred the traditionally distinct boundaries between law and politics. This programme offers you core elements in the study of European law, governance and politics to provide a distinctive interdisciplinary programme for overseas and home-based students coming from law, politics and other cognate disciplines.

The programme is built around the spine of one 30 credit core module and two 15 credit core modules which will introduce, at an advanced level, students to the key theories, concepts, methodologies and debates in the areas of European Law, Governance and Politics. Students will take a further range of unrestricted modules to achieve an additional 60 credits, plus a 60 credit dissertation utilising research skills acquired during the taught part of the programme.

Course Structure

All students must undertake 180 credits of modules as follows:

• One core module in Politics, POL6560 The Governance and Politics of the European Union (30 credits);
• Two core modules in Law, LAW683 Judicial Protection in the European Union (15 credits) and LAW682 EU Constitutional Law (15 credits);
• Option modules to the value of 60 credits:
  
  Politics modules (all modules are subject to availability)
  Law modules:
  LAW686 EU Internal Market Law
  LAW6404 Competition Law
  LAW687 EU Social Law
  LAW688 EU Health Law
  LAW60040 Legal Aspects of the EU’s External Relations
  LAW679 Freedom, Security and Criminal Justice in the EU
• POL6705 Dissertation for MA in European Law, Governance and Politics (60 credits).