NOUN Law

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NOUN Law Programmes

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) cordially invites qualified candidates to apply for the underlisted newly introduced postgraduate programmes in the Faculty of Law:

1. Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) Legislative Drafting

2. Master of Laws (LLM)

3. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Law

Admission Requirements

The requirements for admission into the aforementioned postgraduate programmes are as follows:

1. PGD

To be admitted for the PGD Legislative Drafting programme, a candidate is expected to possess the following qualifications:

(i) A first degree in Law from a recognised University;

(ii) Been called to the Nigeria Bar; and

(iii) Possess 5 credit passes at Ordinary level including English Language.

2. LLM

The criteria for admission into the LLM programme are as follows:

(i) A Bachelor of Laws degree from an approved university with a minimum of Second-Class Honours (Lower Division).

(ii) A minimum of five (5) credit passes, including English Language and Literature in English, at not more than two (2) sittings in SSCE/GCE Ordinary Level or its equivalent.

(iii) A minimum of two positive references as to character and learning must to be submitted by the applicant.
At least one of the references shall be obtained from the applicant’s former lecturers in the Faculty of Law.

(iv) Notwithstanding the following regulation, an applicant may be required as a condition of admission to undergo such tests and/or interview as may be prescribed by the Faculty or to take such other pre-requisite or concurrent studies and examination as the Faculty may prescribe.
Any concurrent studies requested by the Faculty shall be pursued subject to the Faculty’s overall control.

(v) A candidate may submit in support of his candidature any contribution to the advancement of knowledge which he may have published independently or co-jointly.

3. PhD

The criteria for admission into the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme in Law are as follows:

(i) A Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree from an approved university.

(ii) A Master of Laws (LLM) degree from an approved university with a weighted average which shall normally be not less than 60% or a minimum CGPA of 4.00 on a 5.00-point scale.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the above requirements, candidates are to also note the following requirements:

1. Candidates are required to have at least a pass in Mathematics at the Ordinary level.

2. The Faculty shall, in addition to the above, conduct a qualifying examination or interview for applicants for the purpose of admission into the PhD Law degree programme, while candidates for PGD and LLM shall, upon being granted provisional admission online, must be cleared by the Faculty before they can proceed with registration for the programme.

3. All Candidates are required to contact their alma mater to make arrangements for their academic transcript to be forwarded to the Secretary, School of Postgraduate Studies, Plot 91, Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, Jabi Cadastral Zone, Abuja.

Duration & General Graduation Requirement

The duration/graduation requirements of the programmes are as follows:

1. The PGD Legislative Drafting programme is a one (1) year programme, structured into a minimum of two (2) semesters and a maximum of four (4) semesters of coursework and research project.

2. The LLM programme shall run for a minimum period of eighteen (18) calendar months, structured into three (3) semesters or eighteen calendar months, and a maximum period of thirty-six (36) calendar months or six (6) semesters. LLM candidates are required to enrol for coursework, write and defend a project.

3. The PhD programme shall run for a minimum duration of three (3) years or six (6) semesters and maximum duration of six (6) years or twelve (12) semesters. The PhD programme shall be based on research resulting in a doctoral thesis in any of the areas listed under the LLM programme of the Faculty.
Furthermore, a candidate for the award of PhD is required to work on an original thesis, supervised by approved postgraduate lecturer and successfully defend same in accordance with the regulations of the School of Postgraduate Studies of NOUN of the National Open University of Nigeria.

Application Fee

The application fee for PGD and LLM is N7,500.00 (seven thousand, five hundred Naira only), while that for PhD is N20,000.00 (twenty thousand Naira only), payable via Remita.