LLM is a postgraduate degree in law. Master of Law or LLM course offered at Indian colleges/ universities is of two years duration. The course curriculum of LLM degree is structured in such a way that the law course is divided into four semesters. In Master of Law, course aspirants gain in-depth knowledge of a specific field of law by intensive research in that particular area of Law. In the LLM course, candidates need to select the law specialisation in which they want to make their future.
Aspirants need to be ready to put in a lot of hard work and be open to working long strenuous hours on completing the course. Some key skills that candidates should possess in order to fare well in the LLM course are interest in research, fluency in language, interest in detail, objectivity, good presentation skills, persuasiveness, clarity of speech, ability to argue on a topic, confidence, intellect, integrity, mental and physical stamina etc.
(1) Candidate who have secured a pass in the LL.B. examinations of Kerala University or any other Degree recognised as equivalent thereto by the Kerala University shall be eligible for admission to the LL.M. Programme.
(2) 50% of the total seats shall be filled through Kerala Law Entrance Examination (KLEE) conducted by the Government of Kerala and remaining 50% of seats shall be filled by the management as per institutional norms based on merit.
The aggregate marks shall be 1800 distributed as follows:
Semester I
Subjects Marks
1. Law and Social change 100
2. Legal Education 100
3. Research Methodology 100
4. Teaching Practical 50
5. Project Work 50
Total 400
Semester II
1. Legislative Process 100
2. Judicial Process 100
3. Constitutional Principles 100
4. Constitutional Structure 100
5. Constitution and Social Justice 100
Total 500
Semester III
1. Civil and Political Rights in Constitution 100
2. Social, Economic & Cultural Rights in the Constitution 100
3. Judicial Review of Legislation 100
4. Amending Process and Judicial Review 100
Total 400
Semester IV
1. Centre State Relations 100
2. Dissertation 300
3. Viva-Voce 100
Total 500
Grand Total 1800
Scope
(1) The regulations framed herein shall apply to the LL.M. Programme under the Faculty of Law in the Law Colleges affiliated to the University.
(2) These regulations shall come into effect from the academic year 2001-02 onwards.
Eligibility for admission
(1) Candidate who have secured a pass in the LL.B. examinations of Kerala University or any other Degree recognised as equivalent thereto by the Kerala University shall be eligible for admission to the LL.M. Programme.
(2) 50% of the total seats shall be filled through Kerala Law Entrance Examination (KLEE) conducted by the Government of Kerala and remaining 50% of seats shall be filled by the management as per institutional norms based on merit.
Duration
(1) The normal duration of the LL.M. Programme shall be four semesters.
No students shall be permitted to complete the Programme by attending more than 8 continuous semesters.
(2) The duration of each semester shall be five months inclusive of examinations. There shall be at least 90 instructional days in a semester and a minimum of 450 hours of instruction in a semester.
Evaluation
(1) Evaluation of each paper shall be done in two parts viz., 1. Continuous Assessment (CA), 2. End Semester Assessment (ESA).
(2) The distribution of marks shall be 25% for CA and 75% for ESA.
Continuous Assessment
(1) The allocation of marks for each component under continuous assessment shall be in the following proportion:
(a) Attendance .. 5
(b) Assignment .. 5
(c) Tests .. 10
(d) Seminar .. 5
Total 25
(2) There shall be no continuous assessment for dissertation and project.
(3) Attendance:
The minimum attendance required for each subject shall be 75% of the total number of classes conducted for that semester. Those who secure the minimum attendance in a semester alone will be allowed to register for the End Semester Assessment of the semester. The allotment of marks for attendance shall be as follows:
Attendance less than 75% .. 0 mark
75% .. 2.5 marks
Above 75% .. 0.5 mark for every 5% attendance
(4) Assignments:
Each student shall be required to do not more than 2 assignments for each paper. Valued assignments must be returned to the students.
(5) Tests:
For each paper there shall be at least two class tests during a semester. The probable dates of tests shall be announced at the beginning of each semester. Marks for tests shall be awarded on the basis of the marks secured for the best of two tests. Valued answer scripts must be made available to the students for perusal within 10 working days from the date of the test.
(6) Seminar:
Students shall be required to present a seminar on a selected topic in each paper. A maximum of 5 marks shall be awarded for the seminar. The evaluation of the seminar will be done by the concerned teacher and handling the paper is based on the presentation, seminar paper and participation in discussion.
(7) All the records of the continuous assessment must be kept in the college and must be made available for verification by the University if necessary.
Project and Dissertation
(1) Every student shall be required to do a Project in the First Semester. The Project shall be based on the empirical research carried out by the student. The Principal shall assign a supervising, internally teacher to guide the project work. The Project shall be evaluated by the Supervising Teacher and another teacher appointed by the Principal. The average of the marks awarded by both the teachers shall be awarded to the student.
(2) Every student shall submit a dissertation within 15 days from the last date of the Final Semester Examination, the dissertation will be valued by a Board of 2 examiners appointed by the University. The maximum marks shall be 300 of which 20% shall be allotted to Viva-Voce examination which shall be conducted along with the comprehensive viva.