Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER VII
pp. 453–458
DEGREES, DIPLOMAS, AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

The provisions contained in this Chapter are Regulations of the General Board

In this section

DEGREES IN LAW

Master of Corporate Law

Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2015–16, p. 105)

1. A candidate for the Master of Corporate Law (M.C.L.) Examination:

  1. (a)must be approved by the Faculty Board of Law, who shall assign to each candidate a date of commencement of candidature; and
  2. (b)shall pursue in the University a course of study prescribed by the Faculty Board of Law, which shall extend over three terms.

2. The Faculty Board may approve as a candidate for the M.C.L. Examination any student who has satisfied the Faculty Board that by reason of previous study or practice of law he or she is qualified to engage in postgraduate study of law at an advanced level.

In giving approval the Faculty Board may require a student:

  1. (a)to obtain such class or grade as they may think fit in any examination taken or to be taken by the student;
  2. (b)to be a candidate for the M.C.L. Examination in a particular year specified by the Faculty Board.

3. A student whose candidature has been approved under Regulation 2 may be a candidate for the M.C.L. Examination provided that he or she has kept at least two terms at the time of the examination.

4. No student shall be a candidate for the M.C.L. Examination on more than one occasion, or for the M.C.L. Examination and another University examination in the same term.

5. The course of study leading to the M.C.L. Examination shall provide students with an advanced understanding of the law and regulation which governs the operation of business corporations in the UK. No student’s name shall appear on the list of successful candidates for the M.C.L. Examination unless the Chair of the Faculty Board of Law is satisfied that the student has diligently attended the course.

6. The M.C.L. Examination shall consist of two sections as follows:

(a) Written papers

Not more than fifteen subjects, prescribed by the Faculty Board of Law. Each paper shall be designated as either a full paper or a half-paper. Before the end of the Easter Term each year the Faculty Board shall announce the subjects prescribed for the examination to be held in the academical year next following, and shall give notice of the form of the examination for each subject, which shall be:

  1. (i)for each full paper, a written paper of three hours’ duration,
  2. (ii)for each half-paper, a written paper of two hours’ duration.

(b) Coursework

Such coursework as may be prescribed by the Faculty Board from time to time (this may include student presentations and participation).

7. The Faculty Board shall have power to restrict candidates’ choice of subjects, and their choice of questions within a written paper; any such restriction shall be announced not later than the second Friday of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

8. Courses prescribed by the Faculty Board under Regulation 6(a) shall be published in the Reporter by the first Monday in the August next preceding the academical year in which those courses are to be conducted. Any such course prescribed by the Faculty Board may be withdrawn by the Board upon notice given in the Reporter within the first three weeks of Full Michaelmas Term in the academical year in which the course was to have been conducted. Each candidate who has applied to take part in a course so withdrawn shall be informed of its withdrawal by the Secretary of the Faculty Board.

9. Each candidate shall offer:

  1. (i)one full paper prescribed for examination under Regulation 6(a)(i); and
  2. (ii)four half-papers prescribed for examination under Regulation 6(a)(ii), and
  3. (iii)coursework prescribed under Regulation 6(b).

10. The names of the candidates who satisfy the Examiners for the M.C.L. Examination shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes and in each division of the second class shall be arranged in alphabetical order. A mark of distinction shall be affixed to the names of those students placed in the first class whose work is of special merit.

11. Examiners for the M.C.L. Examination shall be nominated by the Faculty Board of Law. The Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they shall deem sufficient. The provisions of the regulations for the Law Tripos relating to the appointment and duties of Assessors shall apply mutatis mutandis to the M.C.L. Examination.

12. On completing the requisite number of terms, a student who has satisfied the Examiners for the M.C.L. Examination and has met the requirements of Regulation 5 shall be entitled to proceed to the M.C.L. Degree.

13. A student who is a candidate for the M.C.L. Examination shall pay the appropriate University Composition Fee.

Master of Law

Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2015–16, p. 450)

LL.M. Examination

1. The LL.M. Examination shall comprise not more than thirty-five subjects, prescribed by the Faculty Board of Law, which may include a seminar paper, to be assessed by thesis only, and which shall include not less than four subjects that fall within each of the following fields:

Commercial law

European law

Intellectual property

International law.

2. (a) Before the end of the Easter Term each year the Faculty Board shall announce the subjects prescribed for the examination to be held in the academical year next following, and shall give notice of the form of the examination for each subject, which shall be:

  1. either(i)a written paper of three hours’ duration,
  2. or(ii)a written paper of two hours’ duration together with the submission of an essay of not more than 7,000 words, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography, on a topic approved by the Faculty Board which falls within the field of the subject;

provided that in any subject specified by the Faculty Board candidates shall have a free choice between the two forms of examination (i) and (ii).

(b) At the same time, the Faculty Board shall prescribe and give notice of those subjects, if any, which will be assessed by examination only.

(c) At the same time, if a seminar paper is one of the subjects prescribed under Regulation 1 for the academical year next following, the Faculty Board shall prescribe and give notice of those courses (not exceeding six in number) in which seminars are to be held that year.

3. (a) The Faculty Board shall have power to restrict candidates’ choice of subjects, and their choice of questions within a written paper; any such restriction shall be announced not later than the second Friday of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

(b) Courses prescribed by the Faculty Board under Regulation 2(c) shall be published in the Reporter before the end of the Long Vacation period of residence next preceding the academical year in which those courses are to be conducted. Any such course prescribed by the Faculty Board may be withdrawn by the Board upon notice given in the Reporter within the first three weeks of Full Michaelmas Term in the academical year in which the course was to have been conducted. Each candidate who has applied to take part in a course so withdrawn shall be informed of its withdrawal by the Secretary of the Faculty Board.

4. (a) Each candidate shall offer:

  1. (i)four subjects prescribed for examination under Regulation 2(a), or
  2. (ii)three subjects prescribed for examination under Regulation 2(a) and a thesis in lieu of another subject which is prescribed under Regulation 2(a), but not prescribed under Regulation 2(b), provided that the title of the thesis has been approved in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 9; or
  3. (iii)in a year where the seminar paper is offered, three subjects prescribed for examination under Regulation 2(a) and the seminar paper, provided the title of the thesis by which the seminar paper is to be assessed has been approved in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 9.

(b) A thesis offered under Regulation 4(a)(ii) or (a)(iii) shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulations 9 and 10.

5. A candidate for the LL.M. Examination

  1. (a)must be approved by the Faculty Board, who shall assign to each candidate a date of commencement of candidatures;
  2. and
  3. (b)shall pursue in the University a course of study prescribed by the Faculty Board, which shall extend over three terms;

provided that a student shall be entitled to be a candidate for the LL.M. Examination without satisfying requirements (a) and (b) of this regulation if he or she has proceeded to the B.A. Degree and

  1. either(i)obtained honours, or attained the honours standard, in Part I of the Law Tripos before 1980 or in Part Ib or Part II before 1989,
  2. or(ii)was before 1 October 1987 called to the Bar or admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales or in Ireland, or admitted as an advocate or a law agent in Scotland.

6. The Faculty Board may approve as a candidate for the LL.M. Examination any student who has satisfied the Board that by reason of previous study of law he or she is qualified to engage in postgraduate study of law at an advanced level.

In giving approval the Board may require a student

  1. (a)to obtain such class or grade as they may think fit in any examination taken or to be taken by the student;
  2. (b)to be a candidate for the LL.M. Examination in a particular year specified by the Faculty Board.

7. A student whose candidature has been approved under Regulation 6 may be a candidate for the LL.M. Examination provided that he or she has kept two terms at least at the time of the examination.

8. No student shall be a candidate for the LL.M. Examination on more than one occasion, or for the LL.M. Examination and another University examination in the same term.

9. (a) A candidate who intends to offer an essay under Regulation 2(a)(ii) or a thesis under Regulation 4(a)(ii) or (iii) shall submit the title of the proposed essay or thesis, together with a statement of the subjects he or she intends to offer in the LL.M. Examination, to the Secretary of the Faculty Board no later than the third Friday of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

(b) A candidate may only offer such an essay or thesis if the Faculty Board has approved its title. The Faculty Board shall approve such a title, or reject the candidate's application to offer such an essay or thesis, as soon as practicable following the third Friday of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination, and in any event no later than the end of that Full Term. The Faculty Board shall promptly communicate to a candidate any decision made under this paragraph.

(c) The Faculty Board shall only approve the proposed title for a thesis under Regulation 4(a)(ii) if it is, in the opinion of the Board, within the scope of a subject prescribed for examination under Regulation 2(a) for the academical year in question.

(d) The Faculty Board shall only approve the proposed title for a thesis under Regulation 4(a)(iii) if it is, in the opinion of the Board, within the scope of a seminar course prescribed under Regulation 2(c) for the academical year in question.

(e) Without prejudice to any other power of the Faculty Board, it may reject a candidate's application to offer a thesis under Regulation 4(a)(ii) or (a)(iii) having regard respectively to the number of candidates who have applied to offer a thesis in lieu of a particular paper, or to the number of candidates on a particular seminar course.

(f) The Faculty Board shall not, save in exceptional circumstances, approve a title for a thesis under Regulation 4(a)(ii) or (a)(iii) if the proposed title falls within the scope of any of the subjects which the candidate in question is offering for the LL.M. Examination.

(g) When the Faculty Board has approved the title of an essay or thesis, no change shall be made to it, or to the candidate's scheme of subjects offered, without the further approval of the Board.

(h) A candidate for the LL.M. Examination shall submit any essay or thesis he or she is offering to the Secretary of the Faculty Board no later than 1 May next preceding that examination. A candidate who submits an essay or thesis to the Secretary of the Faculty Board after this date may be penalized by the Examiners of the LL.M. Examination.

(i) Any essay or thesis submitted shall be computer- or type-written.

10. A thesis offered under Regulation 4(a)(ii) or (a)(iii)

  1. (a)shall be prefaced by a declaration signed by the candidate that it represents his or her own work unaided except as may be specified in the declaration, and that the work has been done during the current academical year, and
  2. (b)shall contain a statement of, or notes on, the sources from which the thesis is derived, including any written work which the candidate has previously submitted or is concurrently submitting for any other degree, diploma, or similar qualification at any university or similar institution.

A thesis shall not without leave of the Faculty Board exceed 18,000 words including footnotes and appendices, but excluding bibliography. Such leave may be sought no later than fourteen days before the date specified in Regulation 9(h). The Faculty Board shall have power to designate the subject of a thesis as a subject in one of the fields specified in Regulation 1.

11. A candidate who offers an essay under Regulation 2(a)(ii) or a thesis under Regulation 4(a)(ii) or (a)(iii) may be called for viva voce examination in connection with such essay or thesis.

12. The names of the candidates who satisfy the Examiners for the LL.M. Examination shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes and in each division of the second class shall be arranged in alphabetical order. A mark of distinction shall be affixed to the names of those students placed in the first class whose work is of special merit. The class-list shall indicate those candidates who have satisfied the Examiners in not less than three subjects, or two subjects and a thesis, in one of the fields specified in Regulation 1. In any case where a candidate offers a combination of papers (including any thesis designated as falling within a particular field under Regulation 10 above) whereby, under the foregoing provision, the class-list could indicate that the candidate has satisfied the Examiners in one of two or more of the fields specified in Regulation 1, that candidate may give notice that he or she wishes the Examiners to indicate that he or she has satisfied them in a stated field only. Any such notice shall be given by letter to the Secretary of the Faculty Board no later than 1 May of the Easter Term in which the candidate concerned takes the LL.M. Examination. If a candidate gives notice pursuant to the preceding provisions, and satisfies the Examiners in a sufficient number of papers (including any thesis) falling within the field indicated by the candidate, the class-list shall indicate that he or she has so satisfied the Examiners. If a candidate who is eligible to do so does not give notice in accordance with the preceding provisions, the class-list shall (a) if the candidate is classed and satisfies the Examiners in one field under Regulation 1, indicate that he or she has so satisfied the Examiners; or (b) if the candidate is classed and satisfies them in two or more fields under Regulation 1, indicate that he or she has satisfied them in whichever of those fields is indicated by a letter earlier in the alphabet than any other such letter. A candidate may request that the designation of any subject specialism be removed from the class-list and consequently from their examination transcript, with permanent effect.

13. Examiners for the LL.M. Examination shall be nominated by the Faculty Board of Law; provided that if there is any candidate in International Law one of the Examiners shall be the Whewell Professor or a deputy nominated by the Whewell Professor. The Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they shall deem sufficient. A lecturer conducting a seminar course prescribed under Regulation 2(c) shall, if not an Examiner, be an Assessor for the LL.M. and shall report to the Examiners a mark for each candidate in that course (equivalent to the mark for a paper in the examination) based upon his or her assessment of the candidate's thesis. The provisions of the regulations for the Law Tripos relating to the appointment and duties of Assessors shall apply mutatis mutandis to the LL.M. Examination.

LL.M. Degree

14. On completing the requisite number of terms,16 a student who has satisfied the Examiners for the LL.M. Examination shall be entitled to proceed to the LL.M. Degree; provided that, if the student's course of study for the LL.M. Examination has included any term needed for the B.A. Degree, and if the student elects to proceed to the latter degree, he or she shall not be eligible also to proceed to the LL.M. Degree.

15. A student who is a candidate for the LL.M. Examination after having been admitted to the B.A. Degree but who has not paid a University Composition Fee for any term since completing the requirements for that degree shall pay a fee of £60 on entering for the LL.M. Examination, but no further fee shall be payable by such a student for admission to the LL.M. Degree or to the M.A. Degree.

Doctor of Law

1. In order to qualify for the degree of Doctor of Law a candidate shall be required to give proof of distinction by some original contribution to the advancement of the science or study of law.

2. Any person may be a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Law who is a graduate of the University and who

  1. either(a)is of not less than eight years’ standing from admission to his or her first degree of the University,
  2. or(b)is of not less than eight years’ standing from admission to his or her first degree of some other university and has been admitted (i) to some office in the University or to a Headship or a Fellowship of a College, and (ii) to the degree of Master of Arts under Statute B II 2 or to a degree of the University by incorporation.

3. A candidate for the degree shall apply in writing to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies, specifying the works on which his or her claim to the degree is based and providing a summary in not more than 500 words of the field of research covered by these works. A candidate shall send with the application a fee of £582 for the Chest, and two copies of each of the works specified, provided that the Board of Graduate Studies may, subject to the concurrence of the Degree Committee, allow a candidate to submit only one copy. All the works submitted shall, apart from quotations, be written in English unless in a particular case the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Law have allowed a candidate to submit material in some other language. A substantial part of the material submitted must have been published and the remainder must be printed or typewritten.

4. Each application shall be forwarded by the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies to the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Law, who shall give preliminary consideration to the application and shall determine whether the works submitted constitute prima facie a qualification for the degree; the Committee may appoint an Assessor to assist them in the matter.

5. If the Committee decide that the works submitted do not constitute prima facie a qualification for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies, who shall communicate the decision to the candidate. In such a case £510 out of the fee of £582 paid by the candidate under Regulation 3 shall be returned.

6. If the Committee decide that the works submitted do constitute prima facie a qualification for the degree, they shall appoint not less than two persons to act as Referees. Each Referee shall submit an independent written report on the works specified in the candidate's application; these reports shall be treated as confidential documents.

7. If after considering the reports of the Referees the Degree Committee are satisfied that the candidate's work is of the requisite standard for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies together with the reports of the Referees.

8. If the Board of Graduate Studies after receiving such a communication resolve that the degree should be conferred, the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies shall publish the name of the candidate as approved for the degree of Doctor of Law. Such a resolution shall not be valid unless passed with the concurrence of the votes, cast at a meeting, of five members of the Board.

9. If after considering the reports of the Referees the Degree Committee are of the opinion that the candidate's work is not of the requisite standard for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies together with the reports of the Referees. The Secretary of the Board shall communicate this decision to the candidate.

10. No candidate for the degree shall be present at the deliberations either of the Committee or of the Board of Graduate Studies respecting his or her own case.

11. Each Referee shall receive a fee of £175. An Assessor appointed under Regulation 4 shall receive a fee of £42. If an Assessor is subsequently appointed a Referee the fee of £42 shall form part of the fee of £175 due to him or her as a Referee. The Board of Graduate Studies may approve the payment of reasonable expenses incurred by Referees in the execution of their duties.

12. No fee shall be payable on admission to the degree.

Footnotes

  1. 16. See the regulations for Residence and Precincts of the University (p. 173).a