LLM or MA in Legal and Political Theory?

Hey,

I am in final year politics student at the University of Nottingham and considering applying for a masters degree in "Legal and Political theory".
I am hoping to apply for:

- UCL: MA Legal and Political Theory
- Warwick: MA Political and Legal Theory
- York: LLM in Legal and Political Theory

I'd prefer to study in London as to avoid accommodation fees as the tuition fees are expensive enough. Which do you think is the best course and does the fact that York offers an LLM make it more prestigious?

Thanks

Reply 1

Tcannon

18

UCL and Warwick have the "Legal and Political theory" concentration. Both are regarded as excellent in this niche area. The other courses at LSE, Oxford and St. Andrews are political theory. Have you looked at modules and bios/publications of lecturers? Any specific interests for your dissertation?

Reply 2

Viruben Nanda

OP

2

Original post by Tcannon

UCL and Warwick have the "Legal and Political theory" concentration. Both are regarded as excellent in this niche area. The other courses at LSE, Oxford and St. Andrews are political theory. Have you looked at modules and bios/publications of lecturers? Any specific interests for your dissertation?

Currently, I am working on a dissertation which questions when it is right for non-state actors to take up arms. However, I haven't narrowed down my interests for a dissertation next year, maybe an examination of identity or equality :s

With respects to the university modules and publications I am strongly interested in UCL's "contemporary political philosophy: authority and obligation" and LSE's module entitled "dilemmas of equality". LSE in particular have some really interesting professors such as Chandran Kukathas. What interests me about Legal and Political theory above political theory is legal reasoning and conception criminalisation and punishment. This is why I would put Warwick over LSE but again the costs of accommodation are a huge pain.

I would love to apply for Oxford, however, I am not sure I will get in as in my first year my grades were pretty poor. I got a mid 2.1 in politics and a mid/high 2.2 in History which prompted me to transfer over to a Politics ba. In my second year I did a lot better averaging 67 and achieving high 2.1's and firsts in political theory but again I had low 2.1s in international relations. I'm currently in my third year and hoping I can achieve a first however with my current track record I'm unsure as to whether or not I should bother applying to Oxford. I have also maintained a strong record of extra curricular activities but I've heard that they aren't weighted as heavily. What are your thoughts?

At the moment, I am just a tad confused as to which universities I should apply for and how they should rank respectively. Does the course at York rank close to that of UCL and Warwick? The course at St. Andrews doesn't particularly interest, at least compared to the rest.

Thank you

Reply 3

Tcannon

18

You seem to have a good understanding of your subject area and concentrations. This is a good sign and you know that fit and cost are key metrics. A friend applied to MA Political Theory and had some of your programmes on his list. He looked at research clusters (areas of excellence) and articles in peer reviewed journals from his profs. He said that for some core textbooks, unis use the similar reading lists with variation in academic articles. I think LSE prides itself with the largest Political Theory group in the UK. Normally most lecturers are from politics, philosophy and law department. Incidentally Warwick, UCL, Ox and LSE have strong track record in REF. I think Oxford's 2 year MPhil is competitive with higher cost of living. But if you can get a high 2.1, great references and strong personal statement will make a good application. My philosophy: Better try and fail than asking yourself what if. Worst case: you can only lose the application fee. If you have specific queries, I am sure the programme coordinator can help. Some reply to email queries, others don't.

With regards to financing, I would suggest to use a Excel spreadsheet and insert numbers for all unis (tuition, living) to get a comparison. I am sure you can get templates on the internet. Check for slim funding/scholarships. I ended having a ranking for fit and affordability. Count your lucky stars as you have housing sorted in London as it is a big expense item.

Unfortunately I am not familiar with York's LLM and cannot comment on it. I know that York is well respected in some politics areas such as governance and Public Administration. The course is managed by the law department rather politics department.

Good luck.

Reply 4

Viruben Nanda

OP

2

Original post by Tcannon

You seem to have a good understanding of your subject area and concentrations. This is a good sign and you know that fit and cost are key metrics. A friend applied to MA Political Theory and had some of your programmes on his list. He looked at research clusters (areas of excellence) and articles in peer reviewed journals from his profs. He said that for some core textbooks, unis use the similar reading lists with variation in academic articles. I think LSE prides itself with the largest Political Theory group in the UK. Normally most lecturers are from politics, philosophy and law department. Incidentally Warwick, UCL, Ox and LSE have strong track record in REF. I think Oxford's 2 year MPhil is competitive with higher cost of living. But if you can get a high 2.1, great references and strong personal statement will make a good application. My philosophy: Better try and fail than asking yourself what if. Worst case: you can only lose the application fee. If you have specific queries, I am sure the programme coordinator can help. Some reply to email queries, others don't.

With regards to financing, I would suggest to use a Excel spreadsheet and insert numbers for all unis (tuition, living) to get a comparison. I am sure you can get templates on the internet. Check for slim funding/scholarships. I ended having a ranking for fit and affordability. Count your lucky stars as you have housing sorted in London as it is a big expense item.

Unfortunately I am not familiar with York's LLM and cannot comment on it. I know that York is well respected in some politics areas such as governance and Public Administration. The course is managed by the law department rather politics department.

Good luck.

Thank you, this has been a big help :smile:

Reply 5

iramac

2

I have the same problem in choose a masters between the courses with the same title "legal and political theory" in York, Warwick and UCL. I believe the only difference between the title LLM (York) and MA is that the york course is organised by the law department whereas the others from the Arts one. This however, can have some consequences as to where the weight of the course lies. It seems to me that the Warwick course is centred more around philosophical question rather than political and legal and this is something i don't want. In addition, I have difficulty accessing the course content of Warwick uni as it asks me to register. Does anybody know why is that???
However, these are just assumptions so I will be messaging the departments.

LLM or MA in Legal and Political Theory?

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