Master of Laws

Broaden your legal knowledge and enhance your career with specialist study in postgraduate Law—by coursework, dissertation, or thesis.

1 December is the limited-entry deadline for students starting this qualification in Trimester 1 of the following year. If places remain available, we’ll consider late applications—so applying on time gives you the best chance of securing your place.

Advance your skills in Law

Take your passion for law to the next level with advanced study and research. Be at the centre of debate, analysis, and dialogue about law and legal policy issues.

Your study will be relevant, accessible, and intellectually rewarding. Research an area of law that interests you, or tailor a course of study that suits your career goals.

Our most popular programme among international students is the Master of Laws by coursework.

You should apply as early as possible, so you have time to organise your visa and arrange travel and accommodation. See the International section of our website for more information. Future international students

Scholarships for international students

We are currently offering a NZ$10,000 VUW Postgraduate International Scholarship to all eligible international students enrolling in a Master’s degree or Postgraduate Diploma programme. Your scholarship will be processed automatically when your programme application is accepted, and the amount will be deducted from your tuition fees.

Experience our Master of Laws

Join Associate Professor Grant Morris for a short taster lecture on negotiation and mediation in the legal environment.

Flexible study

Designed to be flexible, the Master of Laws offers courses taught in different formats. Some courses meet weekly, while others are taught in a more compact format.

Block courses are broken into chunks and taught in the evening, on Fridays, or on Saturdays. They are usually spaced over two or more weeks.

Intensive courses are are taught in a concentrated format over one or two weeks. They usually involve sessions of eight to twelve hours taught over consecutive weekdays.

Study Law by research

Be part of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading centre for academic legal research and deeply explore an area that interests you.

The expertise of your teachers allows you to consider a wide variety of comparative, international, and national research topics.

Find out more about what your research could look like and the areas where you could find a supervisor.

• Research degrees
• Research areas

Research in the New Zealand context

You may choose to focus your research on Aotearoa New Zealand. The small size of New Zealand’s economy presents unique legal challenges and opportunities. The country’s remote location highlights the importance of international trade and commerce.

When considering your research topic, keep in mind some of the key features of the New Zealand legal environment. These include:

• the unique constitutional relationship between Māori and the Crown in the context of a Westminster-style democracy
• the mixed member proportional representation system of elections
• the interrelationship between tikanga Māori and the general legal system
• our unicameral parliament
• the role of our parliamentary Bill of Rights
• our relationship with Pacific nations and other international actors.

Thesis supervision

Learn more about our research areas and groups, and find out who might be able to supervise your thesis topic. Research areas and supervisers

Future careers

An LLM opens up a world of possibilities beyond practising law in a firm. Your ability to communicate, work collaboratively, think critically, and solve problems will give you a competitive edge when applying for jobs.

To work as a professional lawyer, you need to study the Bachelor of Laws (LLB).

Depending on your study and work experience, you might find work as a:

• lawyer
• in-house legal counsel
• journalist
• policy analyst
• politician.

Where you could work

After study you could work in:

• a law firm
• a government department—such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Ministry of Justice
• a Māori governance body, such as a Post Settlement Governance Entity
• the corporate sector (as in-house counsel)
• universities (academia).

Our graduates’ success

Our Law graduates have gone on to become:

• Supreme Court judges
• Cabinet ministers
• Iwi and hapū rūnanga chairs
• members of Parliament
• chief executives
• international arbitrators
• ambassadors
• policy analysts
• prize-winning journalists.

Find out more about careers in Law.

Work as a tutor

Postgraduate students in the Faculty of Law can apply to tutor undergraduate courses. This can be a great way to look at your own work with a critical eye and refresh your existing knowledge. Applications are usually called for in September or October for the following year.

Work and internship opportunities

Postgraduate students in the Faculty of Law can apply to tutor undergraduate courses. This can be a great way to look at your own work with a critical eye and refresh your existing knowledge. Applications are usually called for in September or October for the following year.

Internship opportunities

International Postgraduate Law students have the opportunity to participate in an internship as part of your study. You’ll be placed with a law office, court, voluntary organisation, government department, or similar agency.

Scholarships

To help fund your studies, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate scholarship. Browse postgraduate and doctoral scholarships

Specific scholarships

• Wellington Master’s by Thesis Scholarship
• Antiss-Garland Charitable Trust Postgraduate Scholarship
• Angelo South Pacific Postgraduate Scholarship in Law
• Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board Postgraduate Scholarship
• Wellington Women Lawyers’ Association Scholarships

Scholarships

To help fund your studies, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate scholarship.

International student scholarships

• Wellington Master’s by Thesis Scholarship
• Faculty of Law International Students LLM Fee Scholarship
• Angelo South Pacific Postgraduate Scholarship in Law
• Tongarewa International Scholarship

How you’ll study

Depending on your interests and how you prefer to study, you can choose to study the LLM in one of the following ways.

Qualification options

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