Faculty of Law Post-Graduate Programme

Updated, 5 August, 2011

Welcome from the Dean - Professor Mark Henaghan

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Otago Law Faculty Post-Graduate programme.  If you love doing high quality thinking and research, our post-graduate programme is for you.   We believe that the only way to fully develop your thinking and research talents is to take on a large project such as an LLM thesis or PhD thesis.   This will challenge you to the utmost but also give you the opportunity to fully learn how to think for yourself by constructing an idea, researching it and working it into a coherent thesis.   It will give you the experience of one-on-one supervision with my colleagues.  You will have the opportunity to debate and argue with other post-graduate students who are also completing research by thesis.   

We have a very collegial attitude at Otago where post-graduate students are considered part of the Faculty and invited to all seminars and Law Faculty events.   The atmosphere is one of a community of scholars, probing beneath the surface of the Law to try and improve it and make it better for society.  Please enjoy browsing through our programme and the wide range of research interests that my colleagues have, which provide the basis for supervision of your thesis.  Do not hesitate to contact our Post-Graduate Director Associate Professor Struan Scott, or myself if you have any questions about the programme.  I look forward to welcoming you to the Law Faculty at Otago University should you choose to come and study with us.

Welcome from the Post-Graduate Director – Associate Professor Struan Scott

Along with Professor Henaghan I invite you to consider undertaking your post-graduate study at the Otago Law Faculty and I look forward to welcoming you.

The material in this and associated pages will provide you with an introduction to the postgraduate programmes we offer – principally the Master of Laws (LLM) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.  Additionally, in conjunction with other academic departments within the University of Otago staff from the Law Faculty are involved with the Master of Bioethics and Health Law (MBHL) and Master of Planning (MPlan) degrees.

Entry into all our post-graduate programmes is restricted and one of my responsibilities as Post-Graduate Director is to oversee the application process. Information on the process (and documentation required by the Law Faculty and the University of Otago) is also provided in these and associated pages. 

To repeat an earlier comment by Professor Henaghan, should you have any questions about our post-graduate programmes or application process please do not hesitate to contact me.

Postgraduate Information Evenings

Find out about the diverse postgraduate opportunities that Otago offers in Business, Humanities, Science and Health Sciences. Hear both staff and students speak about courses, scholarships, distance education and the unique Otago postgraduate experience, and meet staff who can help you with further information.

Dates for 2011 are yet to be confirmed, but will be in August at venues around New Zealand. For further information visit the University of Otago Postgraduate web site.

Introduction to the Programme

The Otago Faculty of Law’s post-graduate programme offers a unique opportunity in New Zealand for advanced study, independent research, and intellectual growth. The Master of Laws (LLM) is a research-intensive programme that allows students to explore their particular interests through research undertaken under the supervision of a Faculty member. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme provides an opportunity for students to pursue intensive research in a wide range of topics.

In addition to these core post-graduate programmes, the Law Faculty works with other departments to offer students interdisciplinary post-graduate experiences. It works closely with the Bioethics Centre in offering a Master of Bioethics and Health Law (MBHL). In addition, it provides teaching input into the Master of Planning (MPlan) offered by the Geography Department.

Admission to the Faculty’s post-graduate programmes is selective. We are looking for diverse and highly qualified students. We've had students from various countries, including Germany, Brazil, the Maldives, Malaysia, Ireland, Australia, China, Canada, and New Zealand. We view post-graduate students as a vital part of the intellectual life of the Faculty and it is therefore important to us that students share our passion for high-quality and original research.

Natalie Pierce - LLM Student