Course description

This course is about health law, broadly defined, and the inequalities that can manifest themselves within it. It addresses some of the most topical ethical dilemmas facing society:

• What is the state’s responsibility for the health of its citizens?
• How should the law regulate new reproductive technologies?
• Who should decide whether a seriously ill baby lives or dies?
• Should we able to choose an assisted death?
• Does the law do enough to protect health in the workplace?
• Should doctors be allowed to use experimental treatment?

These are just a few examples of the questions we will be exploring on this course. Two core modules on health law will introduce you to the law’s involvement in regulating health and health care, while modules on inequalities in health, and human rights and health care are also compulsory to reflect the rights and equality focus of this degree. You can then choose optional modules to reflect your interests such as clinical negligence, mental health law, employment law, or bioethics. 

The interface between health and law will be of interest to those from both a legal background and a health care background. Our degree will offer the opportunity for lawyers, medics, nurses and others to share ideas and learn from other disciplines. The course is taught by leading researchers on health law and there will be opportunities to attend guest lectures and seminars organised by the Centre for Rights and Equality in Health Law. The course's development within a research centre offers distinctive connections with ongoing research projects, doctoral students and a thriving research environment focused on health and the law. 

Your research skills will be developed with a core module on a research topic in health law, which is a distinctive way in which we aim to support your research development and will provide support for the dissertation element of the course, alongside skills seminars, and expert supervision for a final dissertation.  

This degree is for you if you are interested in a focused medical law programme as well as having broader interests in health generally, and the issues of human rights, ethics and inequalities. It offers a core focus on traditional medical law but one supplemented by inclusion of modules reflecting human rights law, bioethics, and employment law as well as issues of topical importance and relevant to health care policy and litigation. Thus, the course addresses issues of high importance in the interaction between health, the law and public policy which - as COVID has demonstrated - is of critical importance due to public health and fiscal implications. 

This postgraduate qualification can also be taken by students studying for an undergraduate medical degree as an intercalated LLM (iLLM).

Individual modules - accreditation of prior learning towards the Health Law LLM

Each module available for individual study is a 15-credit core or optional module on our Health Law LLM. You can study and pay for one or two modules at a time and can choose from all modules, except the dissertation. You must complete each module within six months and must successfully complete Health Law 1 before starting Health Law 2.

Credits achieved on individual modules can be used as accreditation of prior learning (APL) if you decide to join the full Health Law LLM degree. You must complete the number of core modules and optional modules that are required for that programme when you start the LLM. This currently requires five core modules and three optional modules.

APL allows you to use individual modules to reduce the amount you need to study on the LLM in Health Law, by a maximum of 120 credits. The degree also requires completion of a 60-credit dissertation. APL is also available towards an award of PGDip or PGCert if you complete sufficient credits.

Restrictions apply to the period in which you must complete the LLM depending on the amount of APL that is permitted. Contact law@le.ac.uk for more details.

Applying to intercalate

If you are a Leicester medical student wishing to apply to intercalate then you should follow the local application process as described in the process map on Blackboard. Intercalating students from other medical schools should contact intercalation@le.ac.uk for further information and applications.

Entry requirements