Now Symbiosis will award one-year PG Law course

The Symbiosis International University (SIU) has recently declared that it would replace its two-year post graduate (PG) law course with one-year full time LLM course from this academic session of 2013-14. This new programmes will offer six different specialisation in legal studies which a students can choose as per his/her interest areas.

SIU principal director Vidya Yeravdekar, said, "We have restructured our PG courses and research programmes to suit the new one-year LLM study pattern, which is being promoted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) primarily to check the migration of Indian law graduates to foreign universities for their PG law studies. Law graduates from our own institution were migrating in large numbers to foreign universities."

There are countries such as USA and Europe which offers one year PG Law courses compared to two years law courses which in India almost all the universities offer. This has encouraged the UGC to approve one-year LLM course based on specific guidelines related to offering such kind of courses in two-semester or trimester pattern. This course will be awarded only at universities, which have PG law study centres. The key features of the programme are credit system and focus on specialisation.

However, the UGC has left decision on the discretion of universities to continue with the existing two year LLM course or award the new one year LLM course. SIU has decided to do away with old law course and ready to start new one year course from this academic year. Yeravdekar said, "From 2013-14 onwards, we will offer only the one-year course through the Symbiosis Law School, which is a key constituent of the SIU."

Yeravdekar said, "The one-year LLM course will be interdisciplinary in approach, with an orientation for advanced studies and research of law. Students will have options in terms of specialisation, cross specialisation courses that combine innovation, legal acumen and theoretical insights. The course will have a total 26 credits. Of this, four credits will be for the compulsory component, six for optional courses and 10 for total courses. The total marks for the entire course will be 1,300."

The specialisation will include courses such as business and corporate law, constitutional and administrative law, innovative science and technology law, legal pedagogy and research, criminal and security law and human rights. The total number of seats in the one-year course will be 60 and admission will be given on the basis of national law entrance examination and assessment in the form of group exercises, personal interactions and writing samples.