Master's thesis
You complete your Master’s degree (LLM) Legal Research with a Master’s thesis that demonstrates your ability to conduct high-level legal and academic research. In your Master’s thesis, you show that you can independently formulate a scientific legal research question, design a research framework, and analyse, synthesise, and critically evaluate relevant sources.
Your Master’s thesis makes an original contribution to the academic legal research field, adopting a cross-disciplinary or multidisciplinary approach. It is not only a conclusion but also a starting point for further academic or professional growth.
What will you learn with your Master’s thesis?
With your Master’s thesis, you demonstrate that you can:
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Formulate and break down a scientific legal research question into sub-questions;
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Design a research framework with an appropriate research methodology;
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Identify, collect, assess, and evaluate relevant sources (such as legislation, case law, and academic literature);
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Correctly and accurately use and cite sources according to academic standards;
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Analyse, synthesise, and critically evaluate data to answer your research question;
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Weigh facts and opinions to reach a well-reasoned conclusion;
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Draw conclusions and formulate legal solutions;
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Orally defend your thesis and incorporate feedback;
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Present your research clearly, structured, and at an academic level within the given deadline.
Scope and format of your Master's thesis
The Master’s thesis for the LLM Legal Research should be 15,000 to 17,000 words in length (including the research proposal, excluding tables, bibliography, and appendices).
Alternatively, you may write your Master’s thesis in the form of one or more articles for a recognised academic legal journal. In this case, your Master’s thesis should be 8,000 to 10,000 words, supplemented with a methodological justification and an overarching reflection.
Requirements for your Master's thesis topic
You determine the topic of your Master’s thesis in consultation with your thesis supervisors. Your Master’s thesis must:
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Make an original and innovative contribution to knowledge;
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Adopt a cross-disciplinary and/or multidisciplinary approach;
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Be well-argued and publishable;
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Align with one of the Faculty’s research programmes;
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Include a research proposal.
Assessment criteria
The grade for your Master’s thesis in Legal Research is determined based on the following criteria:
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Problem statement and research methodology;
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Structure and organisation;
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Language use;
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Content;
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Argumentation;
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Mastery of specific research skills;
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Originality of the research;
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Independence in the research;
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Publishability;
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Supplementary research proposal;
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Cross-disciplinary or multidisciplinary nature.
Your supervisors will transparently explain how the grade was determined based on these criteria.
Supervision
Due to the cross-disciplinary nature of the topics, two examiners are assigned as thesis supervisors for the Research Master in Legal Research.
Questions?
If you have any questions about your Master’s thesis, please contact the Groningen Graduate School of Law via GGSL rug.nl, or check out the Thesis Regulation below, which include specific, differing rules for the Master in Legal Research.