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Artificial Intelligence, Digital and Cyber Law LLM

How should we govern the digital world? Untangle the rules and rights involved in online services and platforms. Explore the limits of traditional legislation. Analyse the new dangers we face and debate the conflicting underlying principles at stake.

Overview

Course length: 1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Start dates: September 2024
September 2025
Location: Edge Hill University
Subject(s): Law
Faculty: Arts and Sciences
Department: Law, Criminology and Policing
A student works on a Macbook in the atrium of the Law and Psychology building, chatting to one of her peers who is stood nearby.

Cybercrime. Cryptocurrencies. Artificial intelligence. Blockchain. Data protection. Investigate the legal challenges created by the evolving digital world on our artificial intelligence, digital and cyber law course.

We’ll teach you how to understand and regulate cyberspace and the world of AI. Discover how to regulate digital financial crime and serious organised crime online. Explore the rules relating to AI, digital platforms and develop specialist knowledge of online regulations and governance.

You’ll debate how well international agencies regulate digital platforms and personal data. You’ll analyse current legal and regulatory frameworks and explore the connections between society, information technology and cyberspace.

Our team of experts in artificial intelligence, digital and cyber regulation, as well as our highly qualified policing team, bring their real-world experiences of regulating and and investigating cyberspace and AI into the classroom.

We also help you find relevant work experience so you can put your knowledge into practice. This could be in an appropriate legal practice or in a relevant role in an IT company or online platform.

Throughout the course, you’ll develop a deep knowledge of the issues surrounding current and emerging technology as you become an expert in AI, digital and cyber law.

Course features

  • Work placement opportunity

  • International students can apply

What you'll study

The artificial intelligence and digital law sectors are amongst the fastest-moving and dynamic in the world. Your studies will help you untangle the relationship between the law and the nature of AI, digital systems and cyberspace. You’ll debate the struggle between the government and industry gatekeepers as well as be exposed to cutting edge practice and research in the regulation and investigation of online activities, as you become an expert in these fields.

New technology raises legal and ethical issues. You’ll develop an advanced understanding as you pick up valuable skills in assessing technology for its suitability, impact and application in different situations.

Tailor your modules to your interests. You could specialise in blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation. Or find out more about detecting, investigating and prosecuting cybercriminals. You could also explore the role of large digital platforms and their use of data. Or you could choose to specialise in information systems security management in the public and private sectors.

Gain additional, sought after, legal research skills preparing for your 12,000-word dissertation.

Compulsory modules:

Expand all
Advanced Research Skills
Artificial Intelligence in Theory & Practice
Dissertation
Emerging Technologies
Privacy and Data Protection in the Digital Age

Four of:

Expand all
Blockchain, Crypto and Digital Technology
Cyber Crime - Detection, Investigation and Enforcement
Digital and Cyber Financial Crime
Digital Platforms and Competition Law
Information Security and Management
Regulating Intellectual Property Law in Cyber Space

Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

How you'll study

You will be taught in small groups through tutor-led lectures and interactive student-led seminars, while also having the opportunity to engage with your tutors on a one-to-one basis through personal tutorials, research supervision, and learning consolidation sessions.

Typically, full-time students would need to commit to two days per week on campus for their seminars and related student support and pastoral activities. The commitment for part-time students would typically be one day per week on campus.

The School of Law, Criminology and Policing has a dedicated careers advisor available to support students who may wish to complete a placement, internship, or similar.

You can expect to receive your timetable at enrolment. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day or evening of the week.

How you'll be assessed

Assessments on modules vary depending upon the subject matter: some modules are assessed by coursework, whilst others are assessed by written exams and oral presentations.

You will be assessed individually, though on some occasions you will be invited to work as part of a team with your peers.

You will also submit a 12,000 word dissertation at the completion of the programme.

Who will be teaching you

You will be taught by experts in artificial intelligence, digital and cyber regulation who have published extensively on the key themes of the programme or who have first-hand professional experience of working in the AI industry or digital law enforcement.

Research interests of the programme team include cyber law and policy, data protection, artificial intelligence, financial crime, intellectual property law, media law, European competition law, and preventative legal measures against organised crime.

The programme also draws on the significant professional applied expertise located in the School’s policing team, particularly in relation to cybercrime detection and investigation.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

You should have a degree equivalent to UK first-class or second-class honours (2:2 or above) in law or a relevant science based discipline, or a relevant non-law degree in the humanities or social sciences.

Relevant professional qualifications or suitable work experience will also be considered.

An interview normally forms part of the selection process for applicants not in possession of a 2.2 undergraduate honours degree.

English language requirements

International students require IELTS 6.5, with a score no lower than 6.0 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.

If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred intake date and mode of study.

Apply for September 2024 Full-Time.

Apply for September 2024 Part-Time.

Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Visit Edge Hill University

There’s plenty of opportunities to come take a look around campus. Attend one of our open days to see what life at Edge Hill University is all about.

Book an open day

Facilities

Law and Psychology buildingThe £6million Law and Psychology building provides contemporary teaching and learning facilities for students in the School of Law, Criminology and Policing and the Department of Psychology.

The three-storey building includes a 250-seat lecture theatre, seminar and tutorial rooms, and social learning areas which encourage a more informal and interactive style of learning.

Where you'll study

Law and Psychology

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Full-Time

£9,000

for the course

UK Part-Time

£50 per credit

for 180 credits

International

£16,500

for the course

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please see our EU student finance page for further details.

Financial support

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students joining postgraduate courses at Edge Hill University.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.

Your future career

By the end of this course, you’ll be ready to take your specialist knowledge straight into the legal profession. You’ll understand how to defend rights infringements. You’ll also have expertise in intellectual property rights, data privacy rights, and access and authorisation rights. All of these skills are highly sought after by independent legal practices.

Perhaps you’ll decide to go into business. Your skills will open doors to compliance roles with IT company legal departments or at industry regulatory bodies. Or start a career in law enforcement. Cybercrime policing units are another avenue after completing our LLM Artificial Intelligence, Digital and Cyber Law.

Other graduates from this course choose an academic path. You could go into specialist legal research or study for a PhD.

You’ll graduate with a set of transferable legal and personal skills. You’ll be able to find, identify, assess and apply rules to solve complex regulatory problems in other areas. You’ll be ready for roles needing responsibility, independent working, strong communication and flexibility.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

Download our course leaflet