Law - Advanced Family Law

Course Outline

On the Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Family Law, you will be exposed to law and theory in Ireland and internationally. At the same time you will get valuable insights into various aspects of the law in action by engaging with social workers, legal professionals and others.



You will work with scholars who have a track record of outstanding scholarship on legal issues relating to families.

Students take modules to the value of 30 credits from the following:

LW6507 Comparative Family Property Law (5 credits)

LW6568 The Family and the Law (10 credits)

LW6603 Legal Regulation of Cohabitation and Emerging Family Forms (5 credits)

LW6614 Family Law Clinic (5 credits)

LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)

Candidates must be approved by the School of Law and must normally: (a) hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours Law degree (NFQ, Level 8) or (b) have such other relevant third-level educational qualifications and/or professional experience as, in the opinion of the School of Law, qualifies the candidate under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to undertake the Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Family Law.



The number of places available in any given year is dependent on resources and all qualified candidates may not be admitted.



The School of Law uses a system of offer rounds to facilitate decision-making and early notification to applicants. Candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Candidates who do not have their final degree marks available may be made a conditional (provisional) offer.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

• In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

• Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements.

Closing Date

Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

You will be examined by continuous assessment throughout the year. Individual module assessments can be viewed in the Book of Modules.

1 year part-time.



The part-time option is taught during weekday working hours over 1 year.

Start Date: 8 September 2025

Skills and Careers Information

As well as allowing legal professionals to specialise in this area of legal practice, graduates of the Certificate are well equipped to work across the family law sector – with government departments and agencies, with non-governmental organisations (both nationally and internationally), or other bodies who work with families.