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Intellectual Property & Information Technology

LLM (NFQ Level 9)

This course is available through the following application route(s)

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If you undertake a Masters degree at UCD Sutherland School of Law, you will be studying at one of the Top 100 Law Schools in the World. You will be taught by leading academics where class participation and interaction is encouraged.  As a member of the law school you are part of the largest and most international university in Ireland, learning from a diverse, research-active faculty.

This LLM combines intellectual property and information technology allowing for a deeper understanding of the interrelationship between these two topics, both of which have emerged as significant areas in the future development of law. Our internationally-renowned faculty is at the cutting edge of these subjects, conducting research in highly topical areas such as internet filtering, data protection and the protection of confidential information. We are also pleased to work with the UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics to obtain a deeper insight into the crucial area of information technology. 

 

About This Course

Students are challenged to understand and think critically about various facets of Information Technology law, Intellectual Property Law and their inter-relationship. On completion of the degree you will have acquired a number of key skills including how to:

  • Demonstrate a detailed awareness of the law and current controversies in intellectual property and information technology and knowledge of areas where the theoretical underpinnings of the subject is being challenged.
  • Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of competing claims as to the validity and merit of legal rules and be able to consider whether or how emerging forms of regulation might impact on more traditional forms of regulation.
  • Have the intellectual toolkit required to research and write a major dissertation.
  • Integrate source material from a variety of disciplinary areas to reach reasoned decisions about the relative status of competing claims to knowledge.
  • Understand the national and international framework within which this area has developed.
  • Unpack complex arguments and to render intelligible to a non-specialist audience, key disciplinary insights.
  • Use knowledge of substantive law to advise on legal issues presented by factual situations and to evaluate and critique arguments as to whether and how the law in this field is in need of reform.

The aim of this programme is to equip graduates with the knowledge, skills and capacity to work in the area of information technology and intellectual property law, whether domestically or internationally, as a practising lawyer, in-house legal adviser, policy maker or researcher. Graduates from this LLM have obtained employment in technology companies and leading law firms in the UK, Ireland and Asia.

Masters students in UCD Sutherland School of Law can benefit from engaging both with the UCD Careers Network and the Head of Career Development in the School.  There are careers events hosted through the academic year and a specific Law Fair every October where Domestic and International Employers come on campus to meet with students.

Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 1 Core Modules
LAW40290 Dissertation Summer  30
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW41270 Data Protection and Privacy: National and International Perspectives Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW41610 Patent Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW42000 Copyright Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW40280 Trade Mark Law Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW41150 Online Regulation Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW41790 Data Protection Governance Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW42160 Cybersecurity Law and Regulation Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 3 of:
A: Choose at least 3 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW42310 AI Regulation Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW40120 Foundations of Environmental Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW40150 International Competition Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW40360 Advanced Issues in European Competition Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW40760 NGOs: Law, Governance and Social Change Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW40780 Law of the ECHR Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW41040 Law and Governance of the EU Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW40060 International Commercial Arbitration Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 1 of:
B: Choose at least 1 of: (A total of 6 modules must be chosen between A and B)
LAW41200 Cross-Border Litigation: European and International Perspectives on the Conflict of Laws Spring  10

Margery Hilko
Legal Analyst at Data Protection Commission Ireland

"I chose to study for my masters in Intellectual Property & Information Technology at UCD after spending a year in Ireland during my undergraduate degree. I absolutely loved it – I made lifelong friends and found a culture where I felt I belonged. The contact with faculty members was one of the best features of my time at UCD – there are small classes meaning the lecturers get to know you. The passion they exude is clear, which makes it much more enjoyable to study. UCD offers the best of a big university, with the best of a small university, rolled into one. It manages to bring all of what I love to a larger, beautiful campus with greater access to better facilities. I honestly believe travelling from the USA to study abroad was the best decision I ever made and I believe everyone should do it!"

(Margery Hilko subsequently undertook a PhD at UCD Sutherland School of Law).

LLM Intellectual Property & Information Technology (B296) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 11790
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

LLM Intellectual Property & Information Technology (B297) Part Time
nonEU    fee per year - € 11300

***Fees are subject to change

 

International Student Scholarships (Non EU): UCD offers a number of attractive graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information see International Scholarships

EU Student Scholarships: We also offer a number of graduate scholarships for EU applicants. All applicants who apply before May 31st will be included for consideration. Further details at http://www.ucd.ie/law/study/scholarships/

SUSI Grant Funding: Domestic undergraduates who are eligible for government SUSI funding should note that their fees for graduate study may also be covered under the scheme. To check your eligibility please see the SUSI eligibility indicator tool available at this weblink

Further information about SUSI grants and funding is available at this weblink.

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website.

Degree Requirements

  • Applicants must hold a Law degree, or an inter-disciplinary degree in which law was a major component. Applicants must have achieved at least an upper second class honours or equivalent.
  • Applicants holding a Graduate Diploma in Law (60 ECTS Credits) may be considered but will normally be admitted only where they can show an exceptionally strong performance in both their undergraduate degree and diploma.
  • Exemption from these requirements may be given to those with significant, relevant, practical experience or those with a graduate qualification at Masters level or higher in a relevant discipline. Such applicants should state clearly in their application why they feel their qualifications/experiences are appropriate for admission to the programme.
  • These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes 

English Language Requirements

  • Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e. overall IELTS 6.5 (including a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and writing parts and no part below 6.0) or 90 in the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum of 22 (reading) and 24 (writing) and no part below 20.) The test results must be less than 2 years old.
  • Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the  English language requirements, may enter the programme upon  successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/ 
  • The School encourages all applicants whose first language is not English to attend the pre-sessional English programme offered by the UCD Applied Language Centre, details of which are available at www.ucd.ie/alc.
  •  International applicants should visit the UCD International Office website (www.ucd.ie/international) for information regarding our campus, location of UCD, visa information, registration and orientation.
  • Application Procedure

    Applicants should indicate which programme they are applying for. All applicants should note:

  • Official transcripts must be submitted as proof of examination results by all applicants except UCD graduates.
  • The personal statement is an important component of the application. It should contain information demonstrating your capability to undertake the course successfully. You should detail any relevant research and practical experience including any publications and major essays/projects.
  • Applicants must nominate two academic referees (name, position, postal address, e-mail address and telephone number). If an applicant has been in employment for more than two years, one of the referees must be your employer.
  • Please note: If you are offered a place on the LLM programme, accepting that place is a two-part process. You must submit an on-line acceptance and you must also pay a non-refundable deposit (normally €500) within 15 working days of the date of your offer letter.

    Letter Of Recommendation

You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EU) applicants: Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants: Yes


General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to Intellectual Property & Information Technology:

ROWCLASS Apply to
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt
B402
Intellectual Property & Information Technology
Master of Laws

Full-Time
Commencing January 2025
Graduate Taught
Closed
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt
B403
Intellectual Property & Information Technology
Master of Laws

Part-Time
Commencing January 2025
Graduate Taught
Not available to International applicantsClosed
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt
B296
Intellectual Property & Information Technology
Master of Laws

Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
Graduate Taught
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt
B297
Intellectual Property & Information Technology
Master of Laws

Part-Time
Commencing September 2025
Graduate Taught
* you can change options at the top of the page