Postgraduate studies- When and How

This page is specially created to mark one of the important decisions I made during my legal career- to pursue a postgraduate Masters qualification. Truth be told, I had always wanted to cap my legal education with a Master's degree in Law (LLM). However, due to financial constraints, as I had already been studying full time in Newcastle for two years, I decided to postpone my postgraduate studies until I could afford to pay for the fees myself. This is, of course, a personal choice of mine. It is not uncommon for law graduates to pursue their Masters degree (be it in law or otherwise) once they have completed their Bachelor degree course.

The pertinent question would be then, what would be a better choice for law graduates: To pursue a postgraduate qualification immediately post degree level, or to accumulate several years in practice before pursuing a Master's degree?

From a personal point of view, the advantages of pursuing a Masters degree (in law) in quick succession after you have obtained your Bachelor's degree, derives the following benefits:

1) You would be able to maintain the momentum of studying as a student, without having to "get into the habit" again (which is quite true for working adults who decide to pursue a qualification part time).

2) You may have developed a keen interest in a particular area of law and wish to pursue your research further. A Masters degree by Research (MA or MPhil) would enable you to pursue your research further.

3) Doing one more year in law school, at postgraduate level, may give you some time to deliberate whether or not you are cut out for legal practice. Some people discover later on, that they prefer the literature of law rather than its working mechanisms. Studying law at postgraduate level helps you discover yourself to a certain extent. This is also helpful for students who have yet to find the ideal job and do not want to rush into jobs which they may regret later on.

The cons:

At the risk of overstating the obvious- costs. A full time course at Masters degree level in UK may well be in the region of GBP 8000- 9000, depending on the university of your choice. However, there are also scholarships available- check with the faculty you have applied to for details. Do bear in mind, however, that scholarships are highly competitive and you must be prepared to come up with the funds in the event your scholarship applications are not successful.

One of the ways to deal with the inflating costs, is either to pursue your Masters qualification as a part time student / distance learning student / independent study student. Costs would invariably be lower. I shall deal with off-campus modes of study below.

On the other hand, if one decides to put their postgraduate studies on hold and gain some working experience in the legal profession, the following benefits can be derived:

1) Having gone through the working mechanisms of the law, a postgraduate study course would assist in "sealing" and enforcing the legal principles involved in the subject area which you have chosen to study in. 

2) Law is largely connected with the trends of society and is parallel to the political climate. Having spent several years in practice, you would have been exposed to these socio-political elements and would be in a position to know why the law was drafted in a particular way, and to offer your analysis and criticism, two important limbs for you to succeed in your postgraduate studies.

3) Better job prospects- this applies to the scenario above as well.

I would not deal with the cons at this point as I will elaborate in detail of the different modes of study below together with the pros and cons.

Modes of Study

1) Full time at the university campus

Being a full time postgraduate student at a renowned university is the best scenario anyone could ever hope for. The ability to pursue further studies at postgraduate level, with the support of academic staff and adequate legal resources would guarantee you a holistic experience in your studies. You would need to keep in mind, that postgraduate study in law is essentially a journey of self discovery. Lectures are few and your academic year would be interspersed with tutorials to ensure you are on the right track. That is, if you are pursuing a taught Master's course. If you decide to pursue your Masters in law by research, much of your time would be spent in the library, digesting yet more voluminous materials and formulating your own analysis. Critical thinking goes up several notches. A great emphasis is placed on individual learning, where lectures take a back seat. This is one of the changes which you must be prepared for. A typical Master's student may find that he/she has less than 5 days' worth of lectures, with lots of time to spare. This is where you plan your time wisely and carry out all the necessary reading in your spare time.

2) Part time at the university campus

For working adults who are unable to leave their full time jobs, studying for their masters degree during the evenings and weekends at the university campus is an alternative. Costs can be spread over a period of two years depending on the fee payment arrangements.

Part time study demands discipline and commitment from the individual involved, so it is highly advisable to complete the following checklist before you take the next step foward:

            a) Do you work long hours?

b) Do you have young children whom would need your care and attention? Is there anyone who can take care of them while you are studying?

c) Is your spouse supportive of your decision to study? (Read- for at least a period of two years, you would be attending classes in the evenings, and even weekends to complete the syllabus).

d) Have you secured funding for your course?

e) Can you take half pay/unpaid/study leave to prepare for your exams? Is your boss supportive to employees who wish to pursue their studies on a part time basis?

3) Independent study vide distance learning

One of the factors which prevents a prospective student from taking up part time studies on campus would be the fixed timetables involved in attending classes and workshops. For working adults who work irregular hours or travel on a frequent basis, it would not be practical to commit oneself to campus based study. This is where the independent study option comes in play.

Independent study vide distance learning enables you to study at your own pace and set a realistic time frame in which to obtain your Masters. Depending on the institution you have registered with, the level of student support varies.

·         Choosing your university

Selecting a reputable institution is of utmost importance. Do your research carefully and make sure that your qualification will be recognized at the end of the day. There is no hard and fast rule to this--- take your time to browse through the subjects offered in the course, the mode of assessment, online support etc.

Most universities/ institutions offering LLMs vide distance learning would adopt a dual based approach when it comes to assessments. A typical LLM by distance learning incorporates written examinations under supervised conditions as well as written assignments. There are also LLMs which are assessed by way of 100% assignments and also those which are assessed by way of 100% written examinations.

·         Choosing your electives and managing your studies

When choosing electives, you should not only consider the relevance of your LLM to your work, but also take into consideration the availability of law journals and other reference materials which would form the basis of your research as well as course preparation. It is imperative that you purchase at least one core textbook for each subject. Such investment, which comes at a slightly high price (given the high exchange rates between GBP and RM) is necessary in order to ensure that you are adequately prepared to write your examinations.

It is also helpful to draw up a master timetable, detailing the various chapters which you need to cover for each subject. You should leave enough time for revision and to strengthen your understanding of each chapter. At postgraduate level, it is insufficient to display regurgitation of information during your written examinations. A high level of critical analysis is needed and hence, thorough understanding of each chapter is essential.

Take your time to read through the past year examination papers (which are usually available for download from the university website or in booklet format). This will give you an idea of what to expect when you eventually sit for your examinations. Rather than a fool proof guide of the questions which may be set by the examiner, it is advised that you take these questions as a perimeter of the areas which you are expected to cover when you are revising for the exams.

Where available, you should make use of all online resources—this includes reference materials as well as student support services. There may also be local student support groups, which are usually formed by a group of students studying for the same course. Check with your institution for details.

·         My take on studying as an independent study student

My personal experience as an external student with the University of London can be summarized as follows:

I registered for the UOL external LLM course when this course was undergoing review. Hence, I was the last batch of students to be registered on the old scheme LLM. My experience detailed herein, may differ greatly from current students registered on the new scheme, which offers three exit routes—the Postgraduate Certificate of Laws, the Postgraduate Diploma in Law and finally, the Master of Laws.

·         Preamble

Under the old scheme LLM, a student is required to take four papers from five different subject groups. Once you are registered as a student, you have a maximum of five years to complete your degree and a minimum of two years. Subject guides, student handbooks and past year examination papers are provided. Recent developments on the law, which came in the form of a booklet is also published and sent to registered students every year. The materials are very basic and one would need to purchase/borrow the essential core texts recommended in the subject guides in order to study for the subject.

Personally, I found the Company Law subject guide to be particularly helpful, especially in the context of an external student who is studying independently. The chapters were dealt with in detail, and students were advised on the areas of law which they needed to focus on. Working through the core textbook and the subject guides, the author of the subject guide (who, incidentally wrote the core textbook as well) explains each chapter succinctly and coherently. The author even went further to suggest how a student should divide his/her time to revision and also touched on examination techniques. Such information proved to be extremely valuable when I sat for my examinations.

·         Entering an examination and sitting for the exam

The local education authority became my sole point of contact in terms of examination matters. I had to liaise personally with the officers responsible for co-ordination of the examination entries. I cannot emphasize further on the importance of maintaining good rapport with the officials in the Education Department, particularly when they are responsible for forwarding your examination entry forms and fees to the University of London. These officers will also arrange for a suitable examination venue where you will sit for your exams.

Deadlines for entry must be strictly adhered to—it is strongly advised that you have all the relevant dates keyed into your PDA or jotted down in your diary to remind you when the dates are due. Under the old scheme LLM, there was only one examination per year, and application forms had to be submitted way ahead of schedule. There is no room for tardiness as you would have to wait for another year should you miss out on your exam entry date.

·         When should you make an entry?

The simple answer to this would be of course when you feel confident enough to sit for your examinations. Under the old scheme, a candidate is only permitted to re-sit once, and if a candidate is still unsuccessful on the second occasion, he/she will cease to be a registered student.

Studying as an external independent study student means that one is entirely responsible for the conduct of your studies, from the drawing up of a study timetable, purchasing your own textbooks, making your own study notes, up to entering for your examinations and ensuring that you have a revision plan before you actually sit for your exam.

·         Sitting for the exam

At the risk of overstating the obvious, it is imperative that you answer the question. We are all too familiar with the “regurgitating” phenomenon during our undergraduate days, when one would immediately write down what came to mind after burning midnight oil the night before. The rubric on your examination question paper comes with simple instructions, which if not complied with, could have disastrous effects on your examination results. Calm yourself down and do utilize the 15 minutes reading time to read through your questions and underline the key words- “discuss”, “do you agree” etc. Generally, when you are asked to discuss a topic, you need to consider both sides of the coin and finally, give your take on the issue. When you are asked whether you agree/disagree, you only need to give your take at the beginning (i.e. whether you agree/disagree) and then proceed to support your stand with legal arguments, cases and legislation. Not answering the question is a common pitfall for candidates and precious marks are lost in the process.

·         Open book examinations

Let’s face it, students probably heave a sigh of relief when they know that they will be assessed by way of an open book exam for a particular subject. Personally, I feel that the pressure to prepare more thoroughly for an open book exam is more intense in comparison to unseen examinations. Open book exams usually call for open ended questions and the areas which you may be tested upon would be far wider than an unseen examination.

Do not make the mistake of bringing tons and tons of material into the exam hall, seeking comfort in the fact that you can refer to any book that you want. Written examinations usually last for three hours. If you have to answer 4 questions ( as is the case in mine), you have exactly 45 minutes to finish each question. Minus the flipping of pages and fumbling for the right paragraph in your reference book to get the answer and you probably have less than 25 minutes to write up your answer. You also risk plagiarism if you copy blindly from reference texts without adding in your critical analysis. This would of course, adversely affect your marks.

The best method to deal with open book examinations is of course, to prepare your own written answers, having read through all the relevant books and journals. It is not meant to be fool proof, but at the very least, there will be elements of original work in your answer. If you are required to answer 4 questions, prepare at least 7 to 8 areas. Some questions cover up to two areas and you do not want to be caught in a fix if that happens.

·         A final note

My experience as an external student has been a good one. Of course, a person’s success is to be measured together with the level of support he/she has obtained from different sources. In my case, it was my family and my colleagues. Without their co-operation and support, I would not have completed my Masters within the minimum two year period.

I believe that under the new scheme LLM, the level of student support would have increased by two fold, if not more. Textbooks are provided under the new scheme, and students have access to a wealth of online resources in the UOL online library. I believe it would assist prospective students to achieve a holistic study experience and truly live up to the name of lifelong learning.