LLM General Law
University of Birmingham - College of Arts and Law
Key Information
Campus location
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
Distance Learning, On-Campus
Duration
1 - 2 year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 10,530 / per year *
Application deadline
30 Aug 2024
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* for UK students full-time, £5,265 part-time | £24,120 for international students full-time
Gallery
Introduction
With over 100 years of history as a leader and innovator of professional legal education in the UK, Birmingham Law School offers the opportunity to specialize and consolidate your legal knowledge through the Birmingham LLM.
Birmingham Law School sits at the heart of a world of 100 universities, delivering legal education to recent graduates and professionals alike. Through our world-class research and Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a thriving academic community contributing to the development of policy, law, and discussion across the world
The Birmingham LLM gives students the opportunity to follow one of our specialist pathways, or have complete flexibility with the General pathway.
- LLM General
- LLM International Commercial Law
- LLM Commercial Law
- LLM International Criminal Law and Justice
- LLM Criminal Law and Criminal Justice
- LLM International Human Rights
- LLM Human Rights
- LLM Global Energy and Environmental Law
- LLM Intellectual Property Law
- LLM Law, Data, and Technology
- LLM International Disputes
- LLM Commercial, Banking and Finance
- LLM International Law and Security
- LLM Environmental, Social and Governance Law and Policy
- LLM Law and Social Justice
- LLM International Business Law
- LLM Energy and Environmental Law (Distance)
The Birmingham LLM has been designed to allow in-depth analysis of important legal topics.
This General LLM pathway is particularly suitable for those seeking exposure to a range of legal disciplines, giving students expertise across the board and providing the skills and knowledge required for a successful legal career.
On this pathway you have complete flexibility in module selection, giving you the opportunity to decide which areas of law have the most relevance to your future career and to choose modules that most interest you. With one of the widest ranges of options on any LLM program in the UK, with over 30 modules available, you can create a unique degree tailored to your future career aspirations. This is the ideal pathway if you wish to gain master 's-level knowledge and skills without restricting yourself to just one particular branch of law.
Why Study this Course
- Learn directly from world-leading experts - As a Top 10 UK Law School* we're home to world-leading experts conducting research of local, national, and international importance. Our diverse academic team shares this work through the high quality of our teaching and related opportunities.
- Cutting-edge curriculum - Mix leading academic theory with real-world relevance and professional opportunities to further knowledge, career, and specializations through modules including Cyberlaw, Oil and Gas Law, Regulating Technologies, Global Crime Problems, and over 20 more optional modules.
- Global community and academic outlook - Join an academic community of staff and students from around the world, where each individual brings a different lived experience into the academic discourse through shared discussion and debate.
- Unique opportunities for professional development - Explore postgraduate-focused employability opportunities through our leading Centre for Employability, Professional Legal Education and Research (CEPLER) including research internships, pro bono activities, and work experience.
*Birmingham Law School is 9th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on research rated 4*
Learning and teaching
Birmingham's LLM pathways have been designed to provide an in-depth analysis of important legal topics. Modules are all 20 credits in value, comprising 10 two-hour seminars to enable students to develop significant expertise in each area of law.
The LLM course lasts 12 months, running from September to September. All LLM pathways follow the same basic structure:
- In part I of the course, you take six 20-credit modules: the range available depends on the pathway you decide to follow. Assessment in those modules, by essay or formal examination, is in May and June.
- In part II of the course, you research and write a 15,000-word dissertation on a selected topic of law under the supervision of a member of staff.
Law School induction
At the start of the course, there is a comprehensive welcome and induction program designed to help you settle in and gain an understanding of the Birmingham LLM. You will familiarise yourself with the various ways in which we can support you throughout the year to ensure that your LLM course is an exciting and rewarding experience.
Students can register for modules before arrival as well as at the start of the academic year. As part of the induction process, you will get the opportunity to learn more about the various modules available and make choices that correspond to your interests.
Studying part-time
All the LLM pathways may be taken part-time and completed over a period of two years. This mode of study is particularly suitable for barristers and solicitors who wish to combine professional practice with university-level study, gaining CPD points in the process.
Classes for part-time students on the LLM will be scheduled between 9 am-6 pm and students will typically have between 2-4 hours of teaching each week. Fees are the same as for full-time study but are split over two years.
For students from outside the UK, there will be an opportunity for induction to familiarise themselves with the English legal system, as it forms the basis for the modules on offer. The English for International Students Unit provides a range of support in reading and writing academic English.
Curriculum
LLM Module list
You choose at least three modules from the core list for your programme. The other modules can be chosen from any of the modules available on our LLM pathways in that year. If you follow the LLM General pathway, you can choose any five modules from those available.
Optional modules may include:
- Banking Law
- Carriage of Goods by Sea
- Commercial Conflict of Laws
- Company Law
- Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement
- Criminal Law Reform Now
- Elements of Cyberlaw
- Environmental Energy Law
- European Human Rights Law
- Financing of International Trade
- Global Competition Law
- Issues in Criminal Law and Justice
- Issues in International Criminal Law and Justice
- Global Crime Problems
- Health and Safety at Work Law
- Human Rights and Criminal Justice
- Human Rights and Health Care Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- International and European Legal Responses to Terrorism
- International Corporate Governance
- International Criminal Law and Justice
- International Humanitarian Law
- International Human Rights
- International Trade Law
- Islamic Family Law
- Law and Language
- Law of International Organisations
- Maritime Law
- Partnership and LLP Law
- Public International Law
- Socio-Legal Methods
- Socio-Legal Theory
- Theory of Criminal Law
- Transnational Criminal Law
Students may also be allowed to choose one of their five modules from those offered by the Political Science and International Studies department. Some of the modules available may include:
- Diplomacy and Statecraft
- Fear, Cooperation and Trust in World Politics
- Global Environmental Governance
- International Political Economy
- International Relations Theory
- Political Psychology of Conflict and Cooperation
- Politics and the State
- Security Studies
- Varieties of Politics: The Comparative Politics of Parties, Institutions and Regimes
- Dilemmas in International Relations
- Diplomatic History
- Doing Political Research
- Global Cooperation and Practice
- Globalisation and Governance
- Terrorism and Political Violence
- Trust, Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarships in Law
- LLB and LLB for Grads International Student Scholarship
A long-running scholarship supporting undergraduate students from around the world to join our fantastic community here at Birmingham. Awards are of £3,000 per year applicable as a fee waiver.
- Benussi Bursary (LLB)
The Benussi Law Bursary was set up in 2005 when Diane Benussi established an endowment at the University to support students who would benefit from financial support to thrive during their time at Birmingham Law School. This is awarded by the school post-application.
- Harding International Legal Scholarship (LLM)
One of our newer scholarships, encouraging International students to study our LLM Programmes. Awards of up to £5,000 as a fee waiver with a focus on supporting employability in the sector.
- College of Arts and Law Masters Scholarship (LLM)
CAL Postgraduate Scholarships offer awards of up to £10,000 for postgraduate courses in the College of Arts and Law.
- Kalisher Trust Scholarship (LLM)
The mission of the Kalisher Trust is to encourage and support talented students who may find the costs of reaching the Criminal Bar prohibitive. This is a full scholarship for Home fee status students and a £6,000 grant towards living expenses.
- MSc Responsible Data Science Scholarships
The Office for Students, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, Accenture and our industry partners offer a number of £10,000 scholarships available to applicants from groups currently underrepresented in the AI and data science fields. These can be used towards tuition fees or to alleviate financial barriers to study.
- Other scholarship opportunities
For a comprehensive list of all the awards on offer at the University please consult the undergraduate or postgraduate funding databases.
Career Opportunities
Our graduates move onto a diverse range of careers, with many going on to work in top law schools and law firms. Some examples of where our recent graduates have gone on to work include Linklaters LLP, 5 Pump Court Chambers, Bar Pro Bono Unit, and Squire Patton Boggs. A number of our postgraduate students go directly from Birmingham to complete the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course.
Links to the Legal Profession
The Law School maintains strong links with the professional world, through our network of alumni and contacts in the barristers’ and solicitors’ professions. These links allow us to put on a series of law careers events throughout the academic year.
Each autumn, the University hosts the Law Fair, in which we welcome over 50 law firms, including some of the largest law firms in the world, to the University's Great Hall. The attendees represent law firms of all sizes and most areas of practice.
Each year, the Law School hosts an “Employability Fortnight”. The events that run in this fortnight have included an Applications Process Panel Session, a Midlands Circuit Court Visit followed by an Inner Temple Drinks Reception in the evening, an Alternative Dispute Resolution Workshop by Herbert Smith, and dedicated Careers Advice Drop-in Sessions.
The Careers Network
The Careers Network organizes regular events including presentations by top law firms and the annual Law Fair. It also runs workshops to help students prepare effective applications and to prepare for their next move. Its events on non-law careers, including journalism, marketing, and working with charities, can be of interest to law students.
Mooting
The Law School organizes a range of mooting opportunities and students have the opportunity to participate (a moot is a mock trial of a legal issue). The Moot Room is a state-of-the-art courtroom, complete with audio-visual equipment for recording moots. The Law School operates four mooting competitions, and students regularly represent the University at regional and national competitions, with notable success.
Program delivery
Birmingham offers small-group teaching on the LLM, and students opting for popular modules with large groups of students will receive (where possible) additional teaching time: classes will be split into two separate seminar groups so as to provide an equal opportunity for class interaction compared to those in smaller modules.
The LLM pathways enable you to develop expertise in a range of subjects. You will acquire a systematic understanding of these along with a critical appreciation of the problems that arise in these fields. You will be encouraged to demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge together with a practical understanding of how established research techniques are used to create and interpret knowledge.
Teaching Year
We have three teaching terms per year, the autumn, spring, and summer terms. Term dates can be found on our website.
As a full-time student, you will typically take three modules in each of the first two terms, followed by your dissertation. If you are a part-time student, you will typically take three modules each year, followed by your dissertation.
Each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework and assignment preparation.