LLM in International Law LLM
Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
LLM
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
International law is a dynamic and evolving area of law. It encompasses a wide range of topics and specialisations engaging with the relationships between states, non-state actors and international organisations. International law often operates in highly politicised contexts such as use of force, armed conflicts or climate emergency. Yet it also regulates the everyday routine of our interdependent world, such as immigration, trade and international investments.
On this LLM, you’ll study:
- the interactions between states, international organisations, international institutions, NGOs and other global actors
- key international law regimes (for example human rights, international criminal law, environmental law, investment law)
- critiques of the role of international law within global affairs
You’ll gain an understanding of the political contexts of contemporary international law challenges. There are opportunities for you to:
- engage in practical skills-building through the ‘Model UN’ and ‘International Mooting’ exercises
- interact with practitioners from international courts and tribunals
- apply to be involved in the new Sussex Law and Policy Centre.
During your studies, you’ll gain a global perspective and have the chance to network with other lawyers, activists and international practitioners from around the world. These networks will also be valuable after you graduate.
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
On this LLM, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue and advance in careers in international law – from legal practice, to government and diplomacy, to international organisations and tribunals, to advocacy and campaigning, to further research.
The LLM has skills training at its core, enabling you to approach legal problems logically. You’ll:
- develop your legal drafting and argumentation skills
- develop your research skills
- learn to analyse international situations from a critical perspective.
This will provide a strong basis for further study or work in a variety of global contexts.
The LLM’s emphasis on comparative, international examples will help if you are interested in looking to work in both the UK and overseas in:
- law firms
- agencies and organisations
- governments
- NGOs.
Graduate destinations
Recent Sussex Law School graduates have gone on to jobs including:
- Policy Officer, Office of the Prime Minister of the Government of Kosovo
- Legal Intern, United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals
- Lawyer, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission.
(Sussex Law School careers database)
Full-time and part-time study
Choose to study this course full time or part time, to fit around your work and personal life. Modules for the full-time course are listed below. For details about the part-time course, contact us.
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
- Advanced Legal Research and Writing
- Critiquing International Law
- International Law in the Modern World
- Principles of International Law
Spring and summer teaching
- LLM Dissertation
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
Spring teaching
- Civil and Political Rights: Contemporary Challenges
- Corruption and the Law
- Indigenous and Minority Rights
- International and Transnational Offending
- International Crimes
- International Investment Law
- Migration, Rights and Governance
- Socioeconomic rights: economic violence, social justice and human rights law
- Trade Law and the International System
- War, Terror, Violence and International Law
- Women and Human Rights
Study visit
In academic year 2022/23, we were able to facilitate a study visit to The Hague. We hope that we can offer the annual visit again, so long as it’s practicable and safe to do so.
If you require a visa to visit the Netherlands, we strongly advise that you apply for your course as early as possible to secure a visa in time for the study visit.
We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.
We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.
Check back in January 2024 for the modules running in the academic year 2024/25.
Scholarships
Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.
Details of our scholarships are not yet set for entry in the academic year 2024/25.
Working while you study
Our Careers and Employability Centre can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work
The International Economic Law Clinic – Learning Through Practice
