LLM Corporate Governance / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

Taught by Manchester's corporate governance and corporate social responsibility experts, this LLM provides you with specialist knowledge about the law of conducting business in today's globalised society.

The course examines the major theories concerning the nature of corporations, the concerns driving corporate governance law and practice, and reform proposals.

You will evaluate the effectiveness of current corporation governance processes in setting and pursuing objectives, both nationally and internationally. In addition, you will define your expertise in this field by examining the evidence for European and global convergence of corporate governance practices and the ways in which this might evolve.

Aims

  • Provide you with specialist knowledge about the law of conducting business in today's global society.
  • Deliver insights into major theories concerning the nature of corporations, and the concerns driving corporate governance law and practices.
  • Understanding the effectiveness of current corporation governance processes in setting and pursuing objectives, both nationally and internationally.
  • Exploring the evidence for European and global convergence of corporate governance practices and the ways in which this might evolve.

Special features

We work in partnership with institutions outside the higher education sector to enable you to produce research with a wider relevance and to develop your knowledge and expertise.

We are dedicated to shaping policy-making and practice in diverse areas; from national healthcare guidelines, to influencing police procedures in countries such as Norway, Australia and Brazil.

Teaching and learning

Our taught postgraduate courses include classes and a programme of assessed work. These are particularly suitable if you want to gain specialist knowledge in your chosen subject area.

You may continue your studies in order to pursue an academic career, or go on to pursue your chosen field.

Coursework and assessment

All course units are assessed by either one unseen written examination, or one coursework essay, or a combination of these two methods of assessment.

The course will be 180 credits in total and has a compulsory research component. 120 credits will be taught course units and the remainder 60 credits in the form of a 14,000-15,000 word dissertation.

Your dissertation must be within the area of one unit you have chosen. The research element of the course is supported by weekly research methodology lectures delivered throughout semesters one and two designed to improve your legal writing and research skills. For specialised streams, dissertation topic must be within those streams, and general LLM dissertation topics must be within one of your chosen units.

Course unit details

You will be doing 180 credits in total, 120 of which will be taught course units and the remaining 60 credits in the form of a dissertation.

The LLM course will typically offer around 30 different course units in any one year, and will always reflect a wide range of subjects across the legal spectrum. There will usually be course units offered on diverse topics, such as:

  • international trade and corporate law;
  • financial services regulation;
  • European law;
  • international economic law;
  • intellectual property law;
  • human rights law;
  • corporate governance;
  • law and finance in emerging markets.

Course units are worth 15 or 30 credits each. You will be required to select course units to a total of 120 credits. You must choose a minimum of four course units or choose a maximum of eight course units to make up your course of study.

The core course units for semester one are:

  • The Principles and Practice of Corporate Governance
  • Transnational Corporate & Capital Markets Law.

The taught element of the degree will total 120 credits and the research element will total 60 credits, in total, you will study 180 credits for the master's course. 

Your dissertation must be within the area of one unit you have chosen. This will be supported by weekly research methodology lectures delivered throughout semesters one and two, designed to improve your legal writing and research skills.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Transnational Corporate & Capital Markets Law LAWS70081 30 Mandatory
The Principles and Practice of Corporate Governance LAWS70362 30 Mandatory
LL.M Dissertation LAWS70990 60 Mandatory
Academic Skills for Legal Studies LAWS50000 0 Optional
International Banking Law LAWS63071 30 Optional
Intellectual Property Law LAWS70101 30 Optional
The Regulation of International Finance LAWS70352 30 Optional
International Law and Practice of Securities Markets LAWS72021 30 Optional
International Investment Law LAWS72042 30 Optional
International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation Law LAWS77082 30 Optional

Scholarships and bursaries

Manchester Alumni Scholarship Scheme:

The Manchester Alumni Scholarship Scheme offers a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees to University of Manchester alumni who achieved a first-class bachelor's degree and are progressing to a postgraduate taught master's course.

Manchester Humanities International Excellence Scholarship:

The University of Manchester is proud to offer scholarship awards to exceptional international students commencing their postgraduate studies across subjects in its Faculty of Humanities from September 2022

Manchester Master's Bursary:

The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study and allocates 75 awards of £4,000 each year.

Postgraduate loans for master's students

If you're coming to Manchester this year to begin postgraduate study, you could qualify for a loan from the UK government.

For more information on our awards, see fees and funding or search the University's postgraduate funding database .

What our students say

Meet some of our postgraduate students studying for a master's in International Law, Healthcare Ethics and Law and Financial Law in Student Spotlights .

Facilities

You will be supported by the first-class resources you would expect of a top law school.  

In addition to the networked study spaces at the Williamson Building, you can access a specialist moot courtroom, enabling you to hone your debating skills in a realistic court setting.  

There is also The University of Manchester Library , which houses a substantial collection of law books and periodicals, as well as texts to support all the degrees we offer.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk