Postgrad Lives: 'I looked at the blackholes of human rights for my dissertation'

Tom Cochrane, 24, recently completed an LLM in international human rights and humanitarian law at Lancaster University.

Why did you choose this course?

I'd already done an LLB in law at Leeds, but I didn't feel that I had realised my potential. I'd always had an interest in human rights law, and Lancaster had a lot of people who were quite well known in the area. The university's campus system offered something new to me, as before that I'd lived in London and attended a city university.

How is the course taught?

We had five modules, and each had one seminar a week. We would be given an idea of what the seminar would cover, and some reading to do, and then we would discuss the questions raised with our lecturers. For each module, we had to do a 5,000-word essay.

Was there a thesis?

Yes. For my dissertation, I concentrated on international law, in particular on an old sea fortress from the Second World War off the Kent coast, called the Principality of Sealand. This guy went there about 40 years ago and set up his own country. I looked at the implications for international law, and whether it might be a human rights black hole, a bit like Guantanamo.

What did you like best about the course?

I really liked the atmosphere: the staff knew you by name even on the first day you were there. It was a small intake compared to other universities, so the students were able to form really close bonds.

And what was the most difficult thing about it?

Like all postgraduate courses, you have to be self-motivated, unlike undergraduate programmes where you're spoon-fed most of the time. You have to work on your own initiative, and persevere even if you sometimes come to a dead end.

Has it set you up well for the future?

I'd say so. Because of the skills it teaches, it opens the door to a lot of careers. Some people were interested in joining NGOs or activist groups as legal advisers rather than just becoming straight solicitors. I was more interested in the civil service – I'm about to have a job interview with them – or becoming a solicitor for the military. In the meantime, the university arranged for me to do some teaching in contract law at the management school, which was nice of them.

What sort of person do you have to be to do this course?

You have to be enthusiastic about the subject, and be ready to do your own legwork, or you'll find it hard to choose which areas of each module you want to pursue.