The goal of our LLM programmes is to give students a thorough grounding in a specialised field as well as an understanding of the most significant current issues. To complete an LLM students must complete four courses and a short dissertation. For each programme, they can choose from a range of courses offered in this and other Departments in the Law Faculty.  Alternatively, students can pursue a dissertation-only LLM or MPhil. 

Rules regarding areas of specialisation appear in the Postgraduate Study Programmes section of the Faculty Handbook, with additional information also available on the School for Advanced Legal Studies site.

Programme specialisation gives you the opportunity to choose your courses from all the Masters courses offered in Public Law, such as:

PBL5602FInternational Law of the Sea
PBL5615FInternational Law in Theory and Practice
PBL5618SInternational Law on Disputes and the Use of Force
PBL5619SInternational Environmental Law
PBL5623FGoverning under the Constitution: Law and Practice
PBL5628FInternational Rights of the Child
PBL5631FInternational Protection of Human Rights
PBL5640FPrinciples of Environmental Law
PBL5641FLand Use Planning Law 
PBL5642SNatural Resources Law
PBL5643SPollution Law
PBL5651SInternational Protection of Women's Human Rights
PBL5653FRefugee and Human Rights
PBL5658SAdministrative Justice and Open Government
PBL5659SHuman Rights, Legal Pluralism, Religion and Culture (not offered in 2026)
PBL5644SSexual Offences and the Law
PBL5661SLitigating the South African Bill of Rights
PBL5663STransparency Law & Governance: Global and Local Theory & Practice (not offered in 2026)
PBL5664SComparative Constitutional Law in Africa
PBL5815SPunishment & Human Rights
PBL5820FTheories of Crime and Social Order
PBL5822SVictims and Victimology: Theory, Policy and Practice (not offered in 2026)
PBL5844SPolice and Policing: Explorations in Security Governance
PBL5847SForensics and the Law 
PBL5848FLaw and Society in Africa 
PBL5849FLaw in Action - Research methods
PBL5851SCriminal Process and Human Rights (not offered in 2026)