From Law to AI: Are Conversion Master’s Programs Truly Effective?

Good evening everyone,

I’m an Italian student who will graduate in law (LLB + LLM equivalent) in about two years, and I’ve been considering doing a conversion master’s in AI/Data Science. From my research, it seems that only the UK allows access without a quantitative background, while most of the rest of Europe requires at least 20 ECTS credits in quantitative subjects.

I’m interested in combining AI and law. I don’t aim to become a machine learning engineer, but I would like to be able to develop concrete models and, potentially in the future, create and sell a legal tech tool (even though I don’t have a specific idea yet). If that doesn’t happen, I would consider working in EU institutions or in tech companies.

I would like to ask whether these conversion master’s programs actually provide solid, practical foundations. After completing one, are you able to code and build real projects, so that with further self-study you can reach an advanced level? Or are they more basic, without truly strong technical skills?

I was looking in particular at the AI conversion master’s at Queen Mary University of London, but it costs around £30k, and I don’t want to spend that kind of money if I could learn the same things on my own.

Do you know of any universities that offer truly solid foundations in EU? Or is it the case that no conversion master’s is actually that rigorous?

thank you very much for any advice