Editorial selection · unranked · reviewed 1 November 2026
Best Online LLM Programs
This is an unranked editorial selection of online Master of Laws programs where the published course pages describe a clear specialisation, how the program is delivered and assessed, and what support students receive. Use it as a starting point and check current entry requirements, fees and recognition with each university.
Unranked editorial selection, not an exhaustive league table; no school paid to be included. How this was chosen · Full methodology
United Kingdom
The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London
London, England, United Kingdom
LLM / Master of Laws: LLM Digital Law Online (Part-Time)
A two-year part-time online LLM built around digital regulation: required modules cover data protection (GDPR and UK framework), cryptoasset law, FinTech, e-commerce consumer law, platform regulation, digital copyright and AI and IP. Assessment is written coursework, practical projects and research essays rather than exams, with formative feedback from tutors. It suits readers wanting technology-law depth in a taught online format; it does not itself confer a right to practise anywhere.
Digital lawData protectionFinTech and cryptoAI and IPFully online · 2 years, part time · English
Queen Mary University of London
Online · provider based in United Kingdom
LLM / Master of Laws: Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law Online LLM
Queen Mary's online LLM draws on the School of Law's long-standing IT, e-commerce, telecommunications and media law teaching, with a long list of guided electives (for example cloud computing law, cybercrime, AI and robotics law, ICT and competition law). Modules are assessed by coursework tasks plus an essay or assessment exercise, and a dissertation is required. Attendance at an annual residential weekend is optional, so no in-person requirement applies.
Technology lawMedia and telecoms lawCybercrimeCloud computing lawFully online · can be completed in one to two years depending on other commitments (study options list 2 years or 4 years part-time) · English
Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
LLM / Master of Laws: Law (Online Learning) LLM
A fully online general LLM from Edinburgh Law School spanning commercial law, medical law and ethics, and IP, media and technology law, with an optional Commercial Law pathway and a 10,000-word dissertation. Study can run from about 20 months to 3 years, and the university states that no course is assessed by a formal examination. It is a good fit for those wanting a broad, flexible postgraduate law degree rather than a single narrow specialism.
General LLMCommercial lawMedical law and ethicsIP, media and technologyFully online · Part-time LLM, up to 32 months; full-time LLM, 1 year · English
University of Essex
Online · provider based in United Kingdom
LLM / Master of Laws: LLM International Business Law (Online)
Essex Online's LLM in International Business Law combines compulsory modules including Law of the World Trade Organisation and International Competition Law with a legal research methods module and a 60-credit dissertation. Delivery is online with live seminars and tutor Q&A, assessed through assignments, discussion forums, presentations and written pieces, and the provider states a seven-day marking turnaround. It is delivered through the university's online-programme arm, so campus resources are not the main route.
International business lawWTO lawCompetition lawResearch dissertationFully online · Indicative duration: 2 years · English
University of Liverpool
Online · provider based in United Kingdom
LLM / Master of Laws: International Business Law LLM (Online)
Liverpool's online International Business Law LLM has core modules in international trade law, EU trade law, conflict of laws in business and competition law, two electives (for example corporate governance, banking or international financial crime) and an original dissertation. Assessment is coursework only, with no exams, and teaching is via lecturecasts, an eLibrary, forums and a student support team. Suitable for commercial lawyers and graduates from other disciplines in business roles.
International business lawTrade lawCompetition lawCoursework assessedFully online · approximately 24 months for LLM (part-time and online) · English
The University of Law
London, England, United Kingdom
LLM / Master of Laws: LLM International Commercial Law Online
The University of Law's online LLM in International Commercial Law pairs a compulsory International Commercial Law module with a module from its Centre of Excellence for International Trade and Commerce, then a dissertation or a professional research project. Modules are assessed by a three-hour unseen written exam or a 4,500-word coursework assignment, all conducted online. It offers more exam-based assessment than most online LLMs, which may suit or deter different learners.
International commercial lawTrade and commerceOnline assessmentDissertation or projectFully online · English
United States
Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
LLM / Master of Laws: LLM in Taxation (Online)
WashU Law's online LLM in Taxation is aimed at lawyers and law graduates specialising in tax: one required course in Federal Income Taxation and 21 credits of electives such as Corporate Taxation, International Taxation, Federal Tax Procedure and Taxation of Partnerships. It can be finished entirely online in as little as 18 months, and a B- or better is needed for credit in each course. A US tax specialisation of this kind does not by itself qualify a foreign-trained lawyer to sit a US bar exam.
US tax lawInternational taxationCorporate taxationEstate and gift taxFully online · as little as 18 months · English
How this was chosen
Each program was assessed from the university's own course page for named modules or specialisations, delivery format and any in-person requirement, assessment method and student support. Quotes were checked against the fetched pages; no ranking positions are reproduced. The list is not exhaustive and research is partial.
Criteria
- Clear named specialisation or defined module structure
- Genuinely online delivery with any in-person elements stated
- Published assessment method and dissertation or project
- Stated student support and teaching model
- No claim that the degree qualifies anyone to practise
Limitations
Several candidate pages (Drexel, Northeastern, Leicester, Northumbria) could not be read as plain text, and others (Mona, Unisa, Cardozo, Temple, ASU, Puerto Rico) were not assessed in depth, so absence here is not a negative judgement. Coverage is dominated by UK and US providers; evidence for other regions was thin. An online LLM does not by itself make an international graduate eligible for any bar exam; check the relevant regulator.
Sponsorship never buys inclusion in, or the order of, an editorial selection. Methodology · Sponsorship disclosure