International Law focuses on contemporary governance and its inter relationship with international relations within countries. Countries, laws and relationships are constantly evolving, providing challenges and potential areas of conflict. You learn an interdisciplinary perspective on a range of contemporary areas of global governance and you gain understanding about how certain laws evolved from specific crisis, use of force and conditions within countries. The programme was designed with international law experts in the field and academics to provide a rigorous area of study within the inter relationship areas of the two disciplines and the resulting challenges, laws and developments. The programme allows you to learn many useful areas of law with essential critical thinking, contextualise challenges and understand the human elements of law and human rights.
You are taught in a Law School ranked in the top 10 in the UK (The Complete University Guide 2018) by international legal experts with expertise in Public International Law. Law has been taught at Aberdeen since the inauguration of Kings College in 1495. An exit poll ranked the LLM as adding value to career prospects when 99% of students felt that it had added value and 97% would recommend their course to others. You will be able to attend events and seminars whilst you study in other areas of law and Centre of Sustainable International Development plus the Centre for Global Security and Governance.
Compulsory
Optional
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
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*Please be advised that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities
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This industry-accredited Masters prepares you to conduct business in a global context.
Our cutting-edge research will feed into your learning, allowing you to consider the latest critical thinking and emerging issues in international business, such as the rise of emerging market multinationals and global innovation.
You’ll identify the motives and means of servicing foreign markets, address controversial issues in international business, formulate your own international and strategic business plans and appreciate the factors that drive performance in the global economy. In addition, you’ll explore how the rise of emerging economies affects businesses and their international strategies.
With our strong corporate links you’ll have a range of opportunities for practical development, including work-based research and consultancy projects in the UK and overseas. You’ll gain hands-on, analytical and problem solving skills relevant to a wide range of careers.
Academic excellence
Teaching on the course is informed by our leading research expertise and specialist knowledge in international business, providing you with the latest thinking and developments in international strategy.
The Centre for International Business at the University of Leeds (CIBUL) is recognised as the world’s leading research centre for international business. We unite leading global experts and work alongside major private companies and public sector bodies.
Our research identifies the latest critical understanding and trends in the fast-changing global landscape, giving you access to cutting-edge knowledge as it unfolds.
The course is ranked 2nd in the world and 1st in the UK for International Business teaching and research (Financial Times Masters in Management 2016).
MSc International Business is accredited by the Institute of Export (IOE), the professional membership body representing and supporting the interests of everyone involved in importing, exporting and international trade. Students receive IOE membership for one year, providing access to a database of networking and job opportunities.
The course is also accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA), who named this “a world-leading programme”. AMBA accreditation recognises the high quality levels of teaching at Leeds in line with their independent standards.
The course starts with an intensive two-week induction to introduce you to the methods of teaching, course content and relationship between the course and your career aspirations.
From there, you’ll build your knowledge of international business theory and improve your confidence using quantitative methods. You’ll gain a good grounding in economics for business and think about important debates in international business, such as those around intellectual property, labour issues and sustainability.
You’ll explore topics such as strategic management and entering foreign markets. At the same time, you’ll build research skills and learn about the different methodologies used to research international business.
Throughout the year you’ll take core modules which develop your professional skills for the workplace and prepare you for the challenges of managing organisations and individuals across different cultural contexts. You’ll also select optional modules on topics that suit your interests or career plans, from business ethics to intellectual capital.
By the end of the course, you’ll also submit an independent project. You can either research a topic in-depth and submit a dissertation, or gain practical experience through a consultancy-style project working with an external organisation.
Compulsory modules
You’ll study ten compulsory modules including your dissertation.
Optional modules
You’ll take two optional modules, normally one in each of the two teaching semesters.
For more information on typical modules, read International Business MSc in the course catalogue
Many of our academics are experts in their fields, and their up-to-date research informs teaching on the course. We use a range of teaching methods so you can benefit from their expertise including lectures, workshops, seminars, simulations and tutorials. Company case studies, projects and business plan competitions provide an opportunity to put your learning into practice.
Independent study is also vital for this course allowing you to prepare for taught classes and sharpen your own research and critical skills.
Assessment methods emphasise not just knowledge, but essential skills development too.
They include formal exams, group projects, simulation exercises, essays and written assignments, group and individual presentations and reflective logs. Optional modules may also use other assessment methods, depending on what you choose.
Career opportunities for international business graduates are vast. Multinational organisations particularly favour employees who have the ability to work confidently across, and within, a range of different markets.
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to diverse careers in top firms worldwide, including as business analysts, country managers, product managers, trading executives, buyers, business development managers and roles in financial services. Others have sought to internationalise their own family business.
The MSc International Business also offers an excellent grounding for academic studies at PhD level.
Throughout the course you will be supported by a dedicated Professional Development Tutor. They work in partnership with our academics to help you translate theory into practice and develop your interpersonal and professional business skills.
They contribute to an interactive Professional Skills module, helping you develop the transferable skills that will greatly enhance your employability. They also develop and manage relationships with international employers and alumni, to provide you with tailored support for your career.
You can expect support to produce your own professional development plan, guidance on career choices, assistance in identifying and applying for jobs, coaching on interpersonal skills and exposure to international business practitioners.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study International Trade Law at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
This International Trade Law programme allows students to focus on specific issues related to International Trade. The LLM in International Trade Law places emphasis upon the legal and commercial issues associated with international sale contracts, from their formation to the organisation of the transportation of the goods and resolution of the international disputes that may arise. The International Trade Law course is structured to provide a solid understanding of international trade law, thereby providing an effective springboard to a future career in legal practice, or in education, industry, commerce, finance or arbitration.
The LLM in International Trade Law course is built upon the wide range of research of high calibre produced by the members of the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law. Teaching is research-led and practice-driven aiming at producing global graduates educated and equipped for distinguished personal and professional achievement. Teaching methods are geared towards our students’ needs, conducted mainly through seminars and tutorials in small classes.
The LLM in International Trade Law requires commitment to study throughout one calendar year. Students of the International Trade Law course are given the opportunity to develop a number of important skills which are not only essential to those wishing to become lawyers but are valuable, transferable skills in themselves in other employment contexts. The Department of Shipping and Trade Law offers its students dedicated resources, including IT facilities and teaching rooms. Students on the International Trade Law course are fully supported by the College's dedicated Law Librarian and the Law Library holds an extensive selection of legal materials and on-line services such as Lexis and Westlaw. Students are encouraged to make full use of the facilities offered by the Postgraduate Faculty and, in particular, to take advantage of training sessions run by the Faculty, such as the legal research methods and Employability sessions, as well as of the Visiting Lectures’ series.
The LLM in International Trade Law is modular, with students required to accumulate 180 credits to graduate. In appropriate circumstances, a student may graduate with a merit or distinction. Each programme is divided into two parts: Part I consists of 4 taught modules each weighted at 30 credits. Students undertaking an LLM in International Trade Law are required to take four modules from the following list. At least two of the options must be drawn from the asterisked (*) modules.
Charterparties: Law and Practice (*)
International Trade Law (*)
Law and Practice in International Banking and Commercial Payments (*)
E-Commerce
International Commercial Arbitration
Marine Insurance Law
Part II is composed of two projects (LLM Research Projects) and is weighted at 60 credits. The LLM Research Projects will customarily be researched and written up over the summer period following the successful completion of the taught modules and are designed to enable LLM students to develop their research skills.
For more information on modules, please visit the LLM International Trade Law page.
Throughout their studies, LLM students are provided with the opportunity to take part in a number of extra-curricular activities and enhance their practical understanding of shipping, insurance and commercial practice. Such activities include;
- employability lectures
- guest lecture series delivered inter alia by former judges, directors of international organisations and prominent partners from city law firms
- networking events, including an Annual LLM Career Fair
- visits to a number of leading enterprises within the City of London which also give our students another chance to network with professionals working in the commercial and maritime field
- mooting training throughout the year, including tailored guidance and weekly training classes
- free English language classes designed to assist you in improving your critical legal thinking and writing
The International Careers Adviser at Swansea runs weekly workshops for international students for example, on how to improve career prospects and improve interview techniques. The Postgraduate Department also employs two dedicated LLM employability officers who run a series of talks to develop the skills of LLM students and inform their career plans.
The Department also enjoys close links with many City law firms. For example, one of our professors on the LLM programme was a senior partner, and is now a consultant with, Ince & Co, a leading London law firm, specialising in international trade, insurance and shipping law. The IISTL provides training programmes for London City solicitors, P & I Clubs and shipping organisations. The Swansea LLM is well known internationally. Many of our graduates secure employment shortly after completing their degrees. Several international firms keep a close relationship with the Shipping and Trade Law Department and regularly send representatives for guest lectures and graduate recruitment purposes. Also every year the Department hosts the LLM Careers Fair which is attended by representatives from a wide range of local and international organisations. The Fair enables our LLM students to meet and talk face to face with prospective employers. For further information on the Employability initiatives, please visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/shipping-trade-law-department/llmemployabilityinitiativesandresults/ and http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/shipping-trade-law-department/llmstudentsdestinations/
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study International Commercial and Maritime Law at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The wide range of LLM degrees including LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law offered by the Swansea College of Law and Criminology gives students the advantage of choice and specialism. For the student who does not wish to specialise to that extent, the College of Law and Criminology offers a general LLM postgraduate degree (LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law). This general LLM provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in both Commercial and Maritime Law by choosing specialised modules from both areas of law.
The LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law course is built upon the wide range of research of high calibre produced by the members of the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law, who are also teaching diverse modules at the course. Teaching is research-led and practice-driven aiming at producing global graduates educated and equipped for distinguished personal and professional achievement. Teaching methods on the International Commercial and Maritime Law LLM are geared towards our students’ needs, conducted mainly through seminars and tutorials in small classes.
The LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law requires commitment to study throughout one calendar year. Students on the International Commercial and Maritime Law course are given the opportunity to develop a number of important skills which are not only essential to those wishing to become lawyers but are valuable, transferable skills in themselves in other employment contexts. The Shipping and Trade Law Department offers its students dedicated resources, including IT facilities and teaching rooms. Students on the International Commercial and Maritime Law course are fully supported by the College's dedicated Law Librarian and the Law Library holds an extensive selection of legal materials and on-line services such as Lexis and Westlaw. Students are encouraged to make full use of the facilities offered by the Postgraduate Faculty and, in particular, to take advantage of training sessions run by the Faculty, such as the legal research methods and Employability sessions, as well as of the Visiting Lectures’ series.
The LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law degree is modular, with students required to accumulate 180 credits to graduate. In appropriate circumstances, a student of the International Commercial and Maritime Law course may graduate with a merit or distinction. Each programme is divided into two parts: Part I consists of 4 taught modules each weighted at 30 credits. Students pursuing the LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law may choose any four options from the modules listed below. At least one module must be chosen from the asterisked (*) modules and at least one module from the double asterisked (**) modules.
Admiralty Law (*)
Carriage of Goods by Sea, Land and Air (*)
Charterparties: Law and Practice (*)
Law of the Sea (*)
Marine Insurance Law (*)
Oil and Gas Law: Contracts and Liabilities (*)
Competition Law (**)
E-Commerce (**)
International Corporate Law and Governance (**)
International Intellectual Property Law (**)
International Trade Law (**)
Law of Intellectual Assets Management and Transactions (**)
Law and Practice relating to International Banking and Commercial Payments (**)
Ship and other Mobile Assets Finance Law (**)
International Commercial Arbitration
Part II is composed of two projects (LLM Research Projects) and is weighted at 60 credits. The LLM Research Projects will customarily be researched and written up over the summer period following the successful completion of the taught modules and are designed to enable LLM students to develop their research skills.
For further information on modules please visit the LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law page.
Throughout their studies, LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law students are provided with the opportunity to take part in a number of extra-curricular activities and enhance their practical understanding of shipping, insurance and commercial practice. Such activities include;
- employability lectures
- guest lecture series delivered inter alia by former judges, directors of international organisations and prominent partners from city law firms
- networking events, including an Annual LLM Career Fair
- visits to a number of leading enterprises within the City of London which also give our students another chance to network with professionals working in the commercial and maritime field
- mooting training throughout the year, including tailored guidance and weekly training classes
- free English language classes designed to assist you in improving your critical legal thinking and writing
The International Careers Adviser at Swansea runs weekly workshops for international students, for example, on how to improve career prospects and improve interview techniques. The Postgraduate Department also employs two dedicated LLM employability officers who run a series of talks to develop the skills of LLM students and inform their career plans.
The Department also enjoys close links with many City law firms. For example, one of our professors on the LLM programme was a senior partner, and is now a consultant with, Ince & Co, a leading London law firm, specialising in international trade, insurance and shipping law. The IISTL provides training programmes for London City solicitors, P&I Clubs and shipping organisations. Many of our graduates secure employment shortly after completing their degrees. Several international firms keep a close relationship with the Shipping and Trade Law Department and regularly send representatives for guest lectures and graduate recruitment purposes. Also every year the Department hosts the LLM Careers Fair which is attended by representatives from a wide range of local and international organisations. For further information on the Employability initiatives, please visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/shipping-trade-law-department/llmemployabilityinitiativesandresults/
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study International Commercial Law at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The focus of the LLM in International Commercial Law is on the legal and practical challenges arising out of the diverse international commercial transactions. The International Commercial Law programme offers the opportunity for an intensive but integrated education in different areas of commercial law. The course in International Commercial Law aims to develop an in-depth and specialist knowledge of International Commercial Law with a view to enhancing graduate employability.
The LLM in International Commercial Law requires commitment to study throughout one calendar year. International Commercial Law students are given the opportunity to develop a number of important skills which are not only essential to those wishing to become lawyers but are valuable, transferable skills in themselves in other employment contexts. The Department of Postgraduate Legal Studies offers its postgraduate students dedicated resources, including IT facilities and teaching rooms. Students are fully supported by the College's dedicated Law Librarian and the Law Library holds an extensive selection of legal materials and on-line services such as Lexis and Westlaw. Students on the International Commercial Law programme are encouraged to make full use of the facilities offered by the Postgraduate Faculty and, in particular, to take advantage of training sessions run by the Faculty, such as the legal research methods and Employability sessions, as well as of the Visiting Lectures’ series.
The LLM in International Commercial Law degree is modular, with students required to accumulate 180 credits to graduate. In appropriate circumstances, a student may graduate with a merit or distinction. Each programme is divided into two parts: Part I consists of 4 taught modules each weighted at 30 credits. Students undertaking an LLM in International Commercial Law are required to take four modules from the following list. At least two of the options must be drawn from the asterisked (*) modules.
Competition Law (*)
E-Commerce (*)
International Corporate Law and Governance (*)
International Intellectual Property Law (*)
Law of Intellectual Assets Management and Transactions (*)
Ships and other Mobile Assets Finance Law (*)
International Commercial Arbitration
Law and Practice in International Banking and Commercial Payments
Part II is composed of two projects (LLM Research Projects) and is weighted at 60 credits. The LLM Research Projects will customarily be researched and written up over the summer period following the successful completion of the taught modules and are designed to enable LLM in International Commercial Law students to develop their research skills.
For further information on modules please visit the LLM in International Commercial Law page.
Throughout their studies, LLM students are provided with the opportunity to take part in a number of extra-curricular activities and enhance their practical understanding of shipping, insurance and commercial practice. Such activities include;
- employability lectures
- guest lecture series delivered inter alia by former judges, directors of international organisations and prominent partners from city law firms
- networking events, including an Annual LLM Career Fair
- visits to a number of leading enterprises within the City of London which also give our students another chance to network with professionals working in the commercial and maritime field
- mooting training throughout the year, including tailored guidance and weekly training classes
- free English language classes designed to assist you in improving your critical legal thinking and writing
The International Careers Adviser at Swansea runs weekly workshops for international students for example, on how to improve career prospects and improve interview techniques. The Postgraduate Department also employs two dedicated LLM employability officers who run a series of talks to develop the skills of LLM students and inform their career plans.
The Department also enjoys close links with many City law firms. For example, one of our professors on the LLM programme was a senior partner, and is now a consultant with, Ince & Co, a leading London law firm, specialising in international trade, insurance and shipping law. The ISTLprovides training programmes for London City solicitors, P & I Clubs and shipping organisations. The Swansea LLM is well known internationally. Many of our graduates secure employment shortly after completing their degrees. Several international firms keep a close relationship with the Department of Shipping and Trade Law and regularly send representatives for guest lectures and graduate recruitment purposes. Also every year the Department hosts the LLM Careers Fair which is attended by representatives from a wide range of local and international organisations. The Fair enables our LLM students to meet and talk face to face with prospective employers. For further information on the Employability initiatives, please visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/shipping-trade-law-department/llmemployabilityinitiativesandresults/.
MSc International Business focuses on the links between major business functions and their role in international business and commerce. You'll develop knowledge of the special requirements for conducting business activities across national boundaries, relevant theories and their application in business. You'll also have the opportunity to study at one of our European partner institutions and visit international companies through our integrated Study Abroad programme.
The course will develop expertise in core areas of international business, strategic management and business economics. The wide range of elective modules will enable you to develop skills in a specific business function linked to international business (finance, marketing or operations management) or pursue related areas such as entrepreneurship and business sustainability.
You’ll develop a wide range of business skills and knowledge in demand by graduate employers. These include:
Core Modules
The Professional Development Programme (PDP) is an integrated module which runs throughout the course and focuses on your professional development and employability, giving you the opportunity to identify, develop and apply the key skills you gain throughout the year. You'll have the opportunity to develop your academic skills, build a portfolio of professional business skills, or study abroad at one of our international partners, undertake an internship placement in the UK, or overseas, or get involved in a global business challenge simulation.
Optional Modules
You'll choose four modules from the following list, subject to pre-requisites and restrictions on some modules and combinations
The course then concludes with a dissertation project.
Learning & teaching
You will experience a range of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials, group-working, case studies and both individual and group presentations. Traditional teaching is supported by a virtual learning environment that is used to host a range of electronic supporting materials.
The taught modules are assessed through a mixture of examinations and coursework. The taught element of the course is complemented by a substantial piece of research leading to the completion of a dissertation.
This degree will prepare you for a wide range of careers in businesses and organisations engaged in international activities, including consultancy, business analysis, marketing, business development, sales management, finance and purchasing. Recent graduate positions include:
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study International Maritime Law at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The sea constitutes two-thirds of the entire planet and is of fundamental importance to human activity, sustaining life, providing commerce and navigational routes and a substantial proportion of our natural resources. Taking into account the need to regulate such a wide range of sea-related transactions, this specialised LLM has been developed with a view to providing students with a sound and relevant body of information and understanding of Shipping Law. The course focuses on various aspects of maritime law, from the different contracts for the carriage of goods to marine insurance, international trade and law of the sea.
Swansea University has been at the forefront of international research in the area of international maritime law. The LLM in International Maritime Law course is thereby built upon the wide range of high calibre research produced by the members of the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law, who are also teaching at the LLM in International Maritime law. Teaching is research-led and practice-driven aiming at producing global graduates educated and equipped for distinguished personal and professional achievement. Teaching methods are geared towards our students’ needs, conducted mainly through seminars and tutorials in small classes.
The LLM in International Maritime Law requires commitment to study throughout one calendar year. Students are given the opportunity to develop a number of important skills which are not only essential to those wishing to become lawyers but are valuable, transferable skills in themselves in other employment contexts. The Department of Postgraduate Legal Studies offers its postgraduate students dedicated resources, including IT facilities and teaching rooms. Students are fully supported by the College's dedicated Law Librarian and the Law Library holds an extensive selection of legal materials and on-line services such as Lexis and Westlaw. Students are encouraged to make full use of the facilities offered by the Postgraduate Faculty and, in particular, to take advantage of training sessions run by the Faculty, such as the legal research methods and Employability sessions, as well as of the Visiting Lectures’ series.
The LLM in International Maritime Law is modular, with students required to accumulate 180 credits to graduate. In appropriate circumstances, a student may graduate with a merit or distinction. Each programme is divided into two parts: Part I consists of 4 taught modules each weighted at 30 credits.
Students undertaking an LLM in International Maritime Law are required to take four modules from the following list. At least two of the options must be drawn from the asterisked (*) modules.
Admiralty Law (*)
Carriage of Goods by Sea, Land and Air (*)
Charterparties: Law and Practice (*)
Law of the Sea (*)
Marine Insurance Law (*)
Oil and Gas Law: Contracts and Liabilities (*)
E-Commerce
International Commercial Arbitration
International Trade Law
Ship and other Mobile Assets Finance Law
Part II is composed of two projects (LLM Research Projects) and is weighted at 60 credits. The LLM Research Projects will customarily be researched and written up over the summer period following the successful completion of the taught modules and are designed to enable LLM students to develop their research skills.
For further information on modules, please visit the LLM in International Maritime Law page.
Throughout their studies, LLM students are provided with the opportunity to take part in a number of extra-curricular activities and enhance their practical understanding of shipping, insurance and commercial practice. Such activities include;
- employability lectures
- guest lecture series delivered inter alia by former judges, directors of international organisations and prominent partners from city law firms
- networking events, including an Annual LLM Career Fair
- visits to a number of leading enterprises within the City of London which also give our students another chance to network with professionals working in the commercial and maritime field
- mooting training throughout the year, including tailored guidance and weekly training classes
- free English language classes designed to assist you in improving your critical legal thinking and writing
The International Careers Adviser at Swansea runs weekly workshops for international students for example, on how to improve career prospects and improve interview techniques. The Postgraduate Department also employs two dedicated LLM employability officers who run a series of talks to develop the skills of LLM students and inform their career plans.
The Department also enjoys close links with many City law firms. For example, one of our professors on the LLM programme was a senior partner, and is now a consultant with, Ince & Co, a leading London law firm, specialising in international trade, insurance and shipping law. The ISTLprovides training programmes for London City solicitors, P & I Clubs and shipping organisations. The Swansea LLM is well known internationally. Many of our graduates secure employment shortly after completing their degrees. Several international firms keep a close relationship with the Department of Shipping and Trade Law and regularly send representatives for guest lectures and graduate recruitment purposes. Also every year the Department hosts the LLM Careers Fair which is attended by representatives from a wide range of local and international organisations. The Fair enables our LLM students to meet and talk face to face with prospective employers. For further information on the Employability initiatives, please visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/shipping-trade-law-department/llmemployabilityinitiativesandresults/.
Would you like to gain an in-depth understanding of the structure of the international legal system, its relationship with national law, and the sources and subjects of international law? This fascinating Masters degree combines core and elective modules, enabling you to explore a wide range of globally-significant contemporary issues such as how the law applies to diverse areas such as the environment, territory and the use of force.
The degree is taught by the research-active academics based in our prestigious Law School and offers you the opportunity to engage with teaching staff who are working at the forefront of this specialised legal field.
Our Law School is home to the Centre for Crime, Law and Justice, the Centre for Law and Society, and the Centre for Child and Family Justice; these influential centres underpin our postgraduate teaching, which is research-led and research-informed.
There are two pathways for the LLM, both of which enable you to pursue your own interests:
Your core modules are International Law and the LLM Dissertation. The module in International Law unveils the diverse rules, laws and customs governing inter-state relationships and provides you with an introduction to this highly-relevant legal area. You will build upon its foundation by selecting modules specialising in specific areas of international law.
We pride ourselves on the choice and breadth of those modules, offering you access to sought-after expertise in high-demand areas and growing fields such as International Criminal Law, European Union Law, The Law of International Organisations and Institutions, Law and Global Health, and International Environmental Law.
The dissertation is an independent, in-depth inquiry into a research topic of your choosing. The topic will link to a key legal question or issue and may also directly relate to your professional/career interests. This is your opportunity to make a contribution to the legal and academic community with new, original research and writing. A dissertation supervisor will provide you with support and introduce you to relevant legal material and research; their personal research interests will closely align with your chosen topic wherever possible.
Our teaching approach is international in scope and comparative by nature, and we actively encourage you to build a beneficial network of academics, peers and alumni during your time with us. All of this will help you to broaden your experience, deepen your understanding, and prepare for your next step.
Your postgraduate LLM degree opens doors to a huge range of careers. You will develop the skills required to critically evaluate research relating to international law; skills which are highly prized by employers in the UK with international interests, and by businesses and organisations based overseas. The analytical and communications skills developed through your studies are a real boost in any sector. The LLM is also an ideal stepping stone to PhD study and academia.
You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.
Core
Optional
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research.
Coursework and dissertation
This programme will shape your understanding of global politics in the contemporary world by introducing you to a wide range of theories, approaches and stimulating debates surrounding international politics and relations.
You will analyse topics central to the functioning of the international system and explore contemporary and historical approaches, focusing on country-specific, regional and international processes. Our emphasis on international studies invites an interdisciplinary approach and reflects the broadening nature of the subject beyond the confines of inter-state relationships.
You will have the opportunity to develop expertise in a specialist area of interest to you, whilst working with leaders in the field of international relations. As well as enhancing your knowledge in international relations and the complex and contradictory forces that shape the global agenda, this programme will equip you with excellent research skills, and develop your knowledge of relevant methodologies and approaches.
Our department is one of the largest and most diverse in the UK with academics who are widely recognised as leading experts in their field. You will therefore benefit from a very broad range of expertise in terms of substantive issues and regional specialisms that you are unlikely to encounter anywhere else.
Colleagues working in the International Relations and Security Research Group participate in research clusters on ‘The Responsibility to Protect and Prosecute’ and ‘Contemporary Democracy and Authoritarianism’ as well as the Middle East Research Group.
This programme will give you the opportunity to combine the study of global challenges with an in-depth examination of the international relations of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The modules studied will enable you to:
You will be introduced to the relationship between the struggle for power and the struggle between ideas. You will investigate some of the ideological and philosophical movements that have shaped, and continue to shape, the international system, and you will examine a variety of competing positions with reference to events in the real world.
You will also be able to hone your research and writing skills in your compulsory dissertation – an independent piece of research on your chosen topic.
The wide-ranging list of optional modules means that you can explore a diverse range of related subjects of interest to you.
If you are a part-time student, you will take one compulsory module and choose one optional modules in your first year. You’ll then take the compulsory dissertation module and two optional modules in your second year to complete your programme.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Teaching is through a combination of lectures, lively seminar discussions and guided weekly readings. We expect you to participate fully in taught sessions and to study independently, developing your skills and preparing for lectures and seminars. You will also be able to benefit from an impressive range of research talks and seminars led by outside speakers or colleagues from within the department and University.
Within modules, assessment currently consists exclusively of assessed essays. At the end of your studies, a 12,000 word dissertation will allow you to pursue your own research interest under close supervision by one of our expert colleagues.
This programme provides you with an ideal preparation for a career in the international political arena.
Many of our students go on to have high-profile careers in politics, the civil service, the media, non-governmental organisations and international organisations such as the UN and World Bank, as well as roles in the private sector. Others have continued to pursue their research interests at PhD level.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
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