Master of Laws
The curriculum for the general Master of Laws by coursework is not formally organised by department, and there is no uniform set of prescribed modules. Instead, students are invited to compile a curriculum from modules offered by the Faculty. Selections must meet the formal degree requirements and are subject to approval by the Faculty Board. The timetable also restricts the options available to the student, which is inevitable. While the timetable leaves room for inter-disciplinary choices, it permits student specialisation by the selection of modules within the broad areas of either Private, Mercantile, or Public Law. Take note that the degree certificate for the general LLM by coursework does not reflect an area of specialisation. A research paper must be completed in addition to the modules.
Contact information
Programme overview
More information
When applying
Please note that selection for postgraduate programmes is highly competitive. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the programme.
Minimum admission requirements
This is a selection programme and only a limited number of students will be admitted on academic merit.
Even if you meet the minimum admission requirements, your admission is not automatically guaranteed.
You may apply for admission to the LLM programme if you:
Have an LLB degree conferred by this University or any other bachelor’s degree in law (excluding the BIuris degree) and have attained an average of 60% in the final year of the degree, or
Have attained a comparable achievement in another (for example, foreign) qualification, or
Have attained a level of proficiency or accomplishment in law which, in the judgement of Senate, is regarded as adequate for this purpose.
If you are an applicant from a South African higher education institution, you must submit National Benchmark Test results (Academic and Quantitative Literacy only) together with your academic records for selection purposes.
Take note: Whilst the minimum admission requirement is specified as a 60% average in the final year of your previous degree programme, your full academic record and the National Benchmark Test results are considered during the selection process. If you did not complete your previous degree programme in N+1 years (i.e. at most one year more than the minimum period specified for the programme), you cannot expect to be admitted, even if you have achieved the 60% average for the final-year modules of your undergraduate degree programme.
Programme structure
The curriculum for the general LLM by coursework is not formally organised according to department and there is no uniform set of prescribed modules. You are invited to compile a curriculum from modules offered by the Faculty. To do this, choose four modules from the list provided below.
However, please note the following restrictions on your selection:
• It must be approved by the Faculty Board.
• It must fit into the timetable.
• The lecturer involved must be available for the relevant semester (if you start your studies in June, it is therefore important to consult the prospectus for the following year as soon as it becomes available).
• At least five students must enrol for the module.
• A maximum of two modules may come from the LLM in Intellectual Property Law and must be approved by the programme coordinator.
Modules
Advanced Company Law
Advanced Corporate Governance
Advanced Human Rights Law
Carriage of Goods by Sea
Climate Change Law and Sustainability Governance
Comparative Apartment Ownership
Competition Law
Contemporary Issues in Criminal Law
Copyright Law
Employment Rights
Equality in the Workplace
Forced Migration and Children’s Rights
Global Litigation
Intellectual Property Law in the Digital Environment
International Commercial Arbitration
International Criminal Law
International Law and Children’s Rights
International Sales Law
International Tax Law
Law of Evidence: Critical Perspectives
Law of Trusts
Legal Aspects of World and Regional Trade
Organised Crime in South Africa
Patent Law and the Law of Registered Designs
Payment and Guarantees in International Contracts
Principles of Financial Regulation Law
Selected Issues in Collective Labour Law
Selected Issues in International Labour and Social Security Law
Sentencing
Trademark Law
Urban Law
Research assignment
You must complete a research assignment on a topic approved by the Faculty Board and under supervision of an appointed supervisor. The length of the research assignment is 15 000 to 20 000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography).
To obtain the LLM degree by coursework, you must:
Follow four modules in an academic year and pass the relevant examinations and complete an acceptable research assignment.
Additional information
LLM Coursework Brochure
https://files.su.ac.za/public/faculty-law/documents/2025-12/llm-coursew…