The wines of Napa Valley and the drive down the coastal route of Highway One were among the highlights of Agata Wisniewska’s family trip to California this summer. But the key draw for Ms Wisniewska was less relaxing: she wanted to complete her masters degree in law (LLM).

Berkeley Law, University of California, is one of a handful of leading US teaching institutions now offering hybrid LLM programmes. These combine online classes, taken in students’ spare time at home, with campus lectures offered during the summer break when the full-time students are away.

“I would not be doing such a course if I had to come to Berkeley for a year,” says Ms Wisniewska, who is now at home in Poland completing her course online. The LLM, she hopes, will help her progress faster up the career ladder.