LLM International Economic Law / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

The LLM in International Economic Law offers you an opportunity to gain specialist expertise in a very important area of international law and global commerce. 

Developing countries require more lawyers educated in this area, as the economic development of such countries necessitates deepening involvement in international trade and investment processes and their underpinning legal structures. 

This course provides you with the core knowledge and understanding of the background to international economic law, the transactional conditions conducive to its development, and the specific and general problems which threaten the success of individual transactions.

Aims

  • Develop specialist training in all aspects of international trade regulation, transactional requirements and the problems that threaten the success of trade. 
  • Equip more lawyers with the tools in international trade process and legal structure to further global development.
  • Provide you with a good understanding of international trade, the transactional conditions conductive to its development and the specific and general problems which threaten the success and integrity of individual transactions. 
  • Develop research and legal writing skills in the writing of a dissertation.

Special features

The Department works 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 run by Manchester academics 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

Most course units are assessed by standard methods - either one unseen written examination, or one coursework essay, or a combination of these two methods of assessment.  The assessment method of each individual course unit is listed in the course unit description. 

The course will be 180 credits in total and has a compulsory research component. 120 credits will be taught modules 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 while for general LLM dissertation topics must be within one of the modules chosen by the student.

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 a maximum of eight course units to make up your course of study. This involves taking one core course unit (International Sale of Goods) of 30 credit value. 

The course will be 180 credits in total and has a compulsory research component. 120 credits will be taught course units and the remaining 60 credits in the form of a 14,000-15,000-word dissertation. The taught element of the degree will total 120 credits and the research element of the degree programme will total 60 credits. In total you will study 180 credits for a master's.  

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
Global Economic and World Trade Law LAWS67031 30 Mandatory
LL.M Dissertation LAWS70990 60 Mandatory
International Investment Law LAWS72042 30 Mandatory
Academic Skills for Legal Studies LAWS50000 0 Optional
Postgraduate Competition Law in an International Context LAWS60172 30 Optional
International Sale of Goods LAWS63051 30 Optional
International Banking Law LAWS63071 30 Optional
Transnational Corporate & Capital Markets Law LAWS70081 30 Optional
Intellectual Property Law LAWS70101 30 Optional
Copyright Law and Policy LAWS70292 30 Optional
The Regulation of International Finance LAWS70352 30 Optional
The Principles and Practice of Corporate Governance LAWS70362 30 Optional
International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation Law LAWS77082 30 Optional
Displaying 10 of 13 course units

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

At The University of Manchester Law School, students are supported by the first-class resources of a top law school. In addition to the networked study spaces at the Williamson Building, you can access a specialist moot courtroom, enabling future legal minds to hone your debating skills in a realistic court setting.  

You also have access to 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