SOAS University of London

LLM International Law

Why you?

This programme is ideal for LLB graduates or legal professionals with an interest in the theory and practice of international law, particularly as it relates to the global south. You will join an international alumni of graduates from the LLM at SOAS many of whom are now working at the UN, in NGOs, in government, in private practice, in policy work or academia.

Please note that the LLM is restricted to applicants who hold a UK law degree or international equivalent. If you do not hold a law degree but are interested in pursuing a master’s degree in law at SOAS, please see details of our master's programmes.

Students must take modules to a total value of 180 credits, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules. Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits. Students who wish to graduate with a specialised LLM are required to take at least 60 credits associated with their specialised LLM, and the dissertation topic will be undertaken within the LLM specialisation.

Please note that not all modules listed will be available every year.

Compulsory Module

• LLM Dissertation in Law

Specialist Pathway Options (Minimum 60 credits required)

• International laws on the use of force
• Foundations of International Law
• The Law of Armed Conflict
• Colonialism, Empire and International Law
• International Criminal Law
• Law, Environment, and the Global Commons: Ice, Sea, Space and Beyond
• Israel, Palestine, and International Law (15 credits)
• Israel, Palestine, and International Law (30 credits)
• Colonial Geographies of International Law

General Law Options (Minimum 30 credits required)

• Gender and the Law of Peace
• Gender and the Law of War
• Human Rights of Women
• Law and Natural Resources
• Law, Religion and the State in South Asia
• Israel, Palestine, and International Law (30 credits)
• International Human Rights Clinic
• Human Rights and Islamic Law
• International Commercial Arbitration
• Law and Development in Africa
• Intellectual Property Law (PG)
• International laws on the use of force
• Foundations of International Law
• The Law of Armed Conflict
• Colonialism, Empire and International Law
• Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Post-Conflict Societies
• Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements
• Comparative Constitutional Law
• Law and Society in Southeast Asia
• Law and Postcolonial Theory
• International Criminal Law
• Gender, Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
• Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics
• Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies
• International Investment Law
• Law, Rights & Social Change
• Law, Environment and Social Justice
• International Migration Law
• International Refugee Law
• Law, Environment, and the Global Commons: Ice, Sea, Space and Beyond
• International Environmental Law
• The Prohibition of Torture in International Law
• Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation
• Multinational Enterprises and the Law I
• Multinational Enterprises and the Law II
• Law and the Climate Crisis
• International Protection of Human Rights
• Islamic Family Law
• Islamic Legal Theory
• Transnational Law, Finance and Technology
• Colonial Geographies of International Law
• Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
• Law and the Biodiversity Crisis

• We are ranked in the UK top 20 (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• We are ranked 6th in the UK for employability (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• Our research publications have been rated first in the UK - and our School of Law rated sixth in the UK - in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Knowledge and understanding

• Students will acquire specialist knowledge of international law.
• This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, knowledge and understanding of the following:
  1. the theoretical and practical underpinnings of international law;
  2. the context in which law is made, interpreted, adjudicated, and amended;
  3. the role played by law, particularly international law in different areas;
  4. the role and function of legal institutions in managing international law
  5. the weight and significance of different sources and methodologies.
• Students will develop knowledge of how to locate relevant materials and assess their relevance and/or importance.

Intellectual (thinking) skills

• Students should develop rigour in the analysis and assessment of legal arguments.
• Students should develop the ability to understand, summarise and critically assess differing perspectives on theoretical debates.
• Students should develop independence of thought and the confidence to challenge the accepted wisdom.
• Students should learn to identify issues and formulate questions for further research through independent work.
• Students will be encouraged to bring to bear their own previous experience and knowledge in addressing legal issues in an interdisciplinary manner.

Subject-based practical skills

The programme will help students develop the ability to:

• Write clear research essays and dissertations.
• Research in a variety of specialised research libraries and institutes and online, and retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources.
• Present seminar papers and defend the arguments therein.
• Discuss ideas introduced during seminars.
• Develop essay and dissertation research questions.
• Read legal source materials rapidly and critically.
• Present legal arguments in moots and debates.

Transferable skills

The programme will enable students to:

• Communicate effectively in writing.
• Structure and communicate ideas and arguments effectively both orally and in writing.
• Read and comprehend significant quantities of reading rapidly and effectively and develop critical faculties.
• Find and use a variety of written and digital materials, especially legal materials, in libraries and research institutes.
• Present (non–assessed) material orally.
• Develop teamwork skills.

Our Law graduates have found the LLM a vital boost to their work as legal professionals and that this Law master is an excellent base for further study towards a research degree such as a PhD leading to an academic career.

Careers

SOAS Law graduates work for organisations including:

• Allen & Overy
• Clifford Chance
• Baker McKenzie
• United Nations
• Linklaters
• Lloyds Banking Group
• Gibson Young Solicitors
• Liberty UK
• Slaughter and May
• CMS Cameron McKenna