Overview
The Brunel Master of Laws (LLM Law) is a flexible programme that enables graduates to specialise in a particular area of English or international law, or to obtain proficiency across a range of legal disciplines.
Our wide choice of elective modules, including in-demand subjects such as trade law, intellectual property, and human rights, allows you to tailor your own programme to your legal interests and career objectives.
In a legal job market where many employers are looking for candidates with advanced, specialised training, your LLM Law will improve your career prospects whether in a law practice, business, government or academia.
Course content
Your Masters LLM consists of optional modules and a 15,000 word dissertation on a legal topic of your choice. Full-time students should complete four modules per term, excluding the dissertation. Part-time students should complete two modules per term, excluding the dissertation.
You can gain valuable work experience while studying postgraduate law at Brunel. Optional work placements (6-12 months) and internships (4-12 weeks) are available and you can choose to start your course in January or September and study full-time or part-time, depending on your needs and specific requirements.
Compulsory
- LX5500 - Dissertation A 15,000 word assignment to enable you to acquire a well-developed knowledge and understanding of an area of law within the scope of your programme and to improve skills in legal research and writing.
Optional
- LX5528 - International Environmental LawThis module allows you to study and assess the core legal provisions and principles relating to the environmental law of the International community of States and the European Union, and to study and assess developments in specific areas or sectors of concerned with environmental protection.
- LX5543 - International Criminal LawThis module aims to develop your analytical skills in relation to the function, scope and operation of the international criminal justice system and its likely future development, as well as to enable you to apply the law to various situations.
- LX5650 - Contemporary Themes in Intellectual Property Law and PolicyThis module covers the contemporary issues arising around Intellectual Property Law and Policy. It adopts an international and comparative analysis to observe the role of intellectual property right in the knowledge-based economy and society, its shifting boundaries, overlapping aspects and trends towards harmonisation and globalisation as well as internationalisation of enforcement of IP rights.
- LX5663 - Comparative Corporate Law
This module deals with key issues of corporate law from an international perspective and focuses on theoretical and practical underpinnings of modern corporations that are applicable across the globe.
- LX5664 - Principles of Corporate Law
This module builds on a general understanding of the foundations of UK corporate law and examines particular topics, in particular corporate governance, protection of minority shareholders and directors’ duties.
- LX5608 - International Human Rights and Islamic LawThe main aim of this module is to introduce you to comparative perspectives on Islamic law and human rights, drawing upon English language scholarship in the field. This exercise, it is intended, would provide an understanding of the Sharia and its compatibility with modern international law in general and human rights law in particular.
- LX5609 - Theory of International Financial RegulationThis module addresses the function and significance of national and international financial markets; the international legal framework for international financial markets; the role of international financial organisations; and national financial regulation in a global context.
- LX5613 - World Trade Organisation (WTO) LawProviding a thorough understanding of the basic rules in the world trading system under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and considering them in their economic, historical and political context. This module allows you to critically analyse the theoretical and political bases of trade liberalisation and the institutional background to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the WTO.
- LX5616 - Privacy and Data ProtectionThis module aims to provide you with essential knowledge about the theoretical rationales and policy arguments for both privacy and data protection.
- LX5617 - Principles of International Commercial ArbitrationProviding an understanding of the general principles of international arbitration and a comparison of the main alternative dispute resolution processes – arbitration, mediation and adjudication, this module allows you to critically analyse the use of arbitration to resolve international business and commercial disputes.
- LX5655 International Commercial LawIn this module you will be introduced to the general framework of international commercial law, the law of international sale contracts and related matters, including cross-border dispute resolution, transport, and broader social concerns such as labour and corruption.
- LX5624 - Internet Law I - Substantive Legal IssuesThis module intends to examine the nature of the Internet and its impact on commerce. It covers subjective legal issues of Internet Law and it analyses relevant international regulatory framework in response to the development of new technologies.
- LX5629 - Public International LawProviding a detailed overview of the international legal system for you to study and assess the development and practice of International law generally, analyse current issues in international law, and to evaluate the efficacy of the international legal system and recommend strategies for improvement.
- LX5634 - European System of Human Rights ProtectionProviding a detailed overview of the European Convention of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights and the other European mechanisms of human rights protection for students to study and assess the development and impact of the ECHR as well as other European instruments on human rights, examine the implementation and enforcement of the ECHR and the other European human rights instruments, and to evaluate the efficacy of the ECHR and other mechanisms of human rights protection to date and recommend strategies for improvement.
- LX5635 - Foundations of International Human Rights LawProviding a detailed overview of international human rights law in context (placing it within public international law) for you to study and assess the development and impact on States of international human rights principles and rules, examine the implementation and enforcement of international human rights, especially within the UN human rights regime, and evaluate the efficacy of the human rights project to date and recommend strategies for improvement.
- LX5646 - International Intellectual Property LawThis module will focus on the international developments in Intellectual Property law. You will review the policy implications of the globalisation of intellectual property rights. This will include the study of WIPO treaties and the TRIPs Agreement as well as bilateral and multi-lateral agreements (such as ACTA).
- LX5544 - Comparative Criminal JusticeProviding you with a comprehensive understanding of the core elements of pre-trial and trial criminal procedures in common law systems (with reference mainly to English and United States law, but also taking examples from Canadian, Australian, Indian and Hong Kong law) and civil law systems (with reference mainly to French law, but also taking examples from German and Greek law, and the law of Eastern European countries).
- LX5612 - World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Human Rights LawThis module aims to allow you to understand that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is often accused of, at best, not paying enough attention to human rights or, at worst, facilitating and perpetuating human rights abuses particularly its impact on poor people within developing States. It also aims to allow you to undertake a detailed analysis of the main human rights concerns relating to the WTO. These include the alleged democratic deficit within the WTO and the impact of WTO rules on the right to health, labour rights, the right to food, and on questions of poverty and development.
- LX5614 - Theory and Practice of International Human RightsA module that provides comprehension of the role and significance of international human rights in economics, social and political contexts, including the implementation and enforcement of international human rights.
- LX5619 - Practice of International Financial RegulationThis module addresses the function and significance of national and international financial markets; the international legal framework for international financial markets; the role of international financial organisations; and national financial regulation in a global context.
- LX5621 - Philosophical Foundations of Intellectual PropertyThis module will focus on the theoretical framework and rationale of IP rights.
- LX5653 - European and International Media LawThis module will prepare you to deal with a variety of complex legal aspects of media law and regulation from comparative and international legal perspectives. It will be particularly useful and will provide an attractive alternative for IP students less interested in patent law and wishing to deepen their understanding in the area of soft IP.
- LX5625 - Internet Law II - Resolving Internet-related Legal Issues and DisputesThis module intends to examine the nature of the Internet-related legal issues and its impact on finding appropriate dispute resolution methods to revolve them effectively. It discusses possible solutions to the contemporary/topical legal issues and provides detailed and critical discussion on both the theoretical and practical aspects of dispute resolutions that are geared to correspond with those contemporary legal issues.
- LX5641 - Regional Systems of Human Rights Protection: Americas, Africa, AsiaProviding a detailed overview of the American and African human rights frameworks, as well as the emerging Asian human rights framework, allowing you to study and assess the development and impact of States on these regional human rights principles and rules, examine the implementation and enforcement of these regional human rights, and to evaluate the efficacy of these regional human rights frameworks to date and recommend strategies for improvement.
- LX5652 - Principles of International Investment ArbitrationThis module aims to provide an understanding of the law governing international investment arbitration.
- LX5553 - The Migrant, The State and the LawThis module aims to provide a critical and theoretical overview of the central features of migration and refugee law and policy. You will assess the legal and political processes behind the construction of ‘the migrant’ and ‘the refugee’ as ‘others’ in relation to ‘the state’. You will also examine formulation, implementation and enforcement of refugee and migration law and policy at the international, regional and state level.
- LX5649 - International Dispute SettlementThe main focus of the module will be on the private international law problems that will arise in a context of commercial disputes with an international element. The specific objectives of the course are to provide advanced instructions in several aspects of private international law that are of particular relevance to international commercial litigation, and to examine critically jurisdictional rules that will be applied by the courts in respect of commercial disputes with an international element.
- LX5555 International Commercial Law
In this module you will be introduced to the general framework of international commercial law, the law of international sale contracts and related matters, including cross-border dispute resolution, transport, and broader social concerns such as labour and corruption
- LX5658 Banking and Tech LawRecently, banks and other financial institutions have made considerable investments in financial technologies. This is inevitably changing the industry from a business and regulatory perspective. This module will provide you with an in-depth knowledge of the interplay between the banking industry and the technological world.
- LX5657 Governance, Regulation and ComplianceThis module will introduce you to the foundations of compliance in a financial institution and financial department of a corporation, while also providing a comprehensive inspection of governance and regulatory risk approaches.
- LX5672 - Corporate Responsibility, Sustainability and ESG
The module examines and critically analyses corporate responsibility, and the requirements of Sustainability and ESG in modern business and the international dimensions of these concepts.
- LX5673 - Intellectual Property and New Technologies
The module will address issues born from the interaction of intellectual property and the new technologies: Information Technologies (IT), the digital environment and the Internet, biotechnology. It will cover copyright protection for works belonging to Information Technology, Digital Copyright, Patent protection, Artificial Intelligence, Data Protection and Blockchain.
- LX5674 - Patents and Trade Marks
The module aims to provide students with essential knowledge about UK patent and industrial design law in the context of EU and international obligations.
- LX5675 - Copyright and Allied Rights
The module aims to provide students with essential knowledge about UK copyright law and trademark law at both EU and international level.
- LX5647 - Business and Human RightsThis module addresses the links between business (broadly understood) and human rights. It seeks to identify how corporations (including supply chains), investment, trade liberalisation, sovereign debt and intellectual property affect the enjoyment of human rights.
- LX5666 Artificial Intelligence, Law and EthicsThis module is designed to explore the legal and ethical concerns raised by AI and innovations centred on it. It covers topics including the ethical compatibility of AI-driven decisions, AI and Credit Scoring, AI and Public Law including Administrative and Judicial Decisions. The aim of the module is to provide students a solid understanding of the most significant legal, policy and ethical debates in these area by examining advanced literature, statutes, judicial and administrative decisions and soft laws (guidelines and recommendations).
- LX5665— International Humanitarian Law
The module will introduce theoretical and practical foundations of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), enabling students to become familiar with the historical, moral, and political sources of this branch of international law.
This module will take a critical approach at the rules that govern the conduct of hostilities, with an emphasis on the humanitarian aspect of the legal protection that is applied to certain protected groups (e.g. non-combatants and civilians).
Students will also be able to make the necessary connections with human rights law in times of conflict, and the underlining rationale for the protection of certain groups/individuals in armed conflicts.
We will start this module by looking at the historical development of this set of rules, and essentially questioning the morality of the laws of war followed by fundamental principles that govern IHL.
Geneva Conventions, paying particular attention to the rights of lawful combatants and civilians and then examine specific contemporary issues in relation to the protection offered by IHL in armed conflict: human rights, the environment, and cultural property.
This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
You will leave Brunel with a firm grounding in law and with solid legal knowledge, allowing you to be flexible in your future choices. The Master of Laws LLM will prepare you for work in the corporate world and government as well as legal roles in the humanitarian, corporate, civil and criminal fields.
Our students in recent years went on to pursue careers in range of high-profile organisations such as White and Case LLP, Lloyds Banking Group, Trade Mark Wizards, European Parliament and National Commission on Rights of Child.
Brand new work placements and internships: You can now gain valuable work experience while studying postgraduate law at Brunel. New optional work placements (12 months) and internships (6-12 weeks) are available from September 2021 on this course.
UK entry requirements
- A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification in Law or a related subject (International Relations, Political Science, Criminology, and Criminal Justice).
Other related subjects and qualifications will be considered.
EU and International entry requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£13,750 full-time
£6,875 part-time
£1,385 placement year
International
£23,000 full-time
£11,500 part-time
£1,385 placement year
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
You'll be taught by experts in your field of study, and you'll have the opportunity to interact and engage with academics and your fellow students throughout your programme.
Your programme will consist of a variety of learning and studying activities, including lectures and seminars which will be delivered in person on campus. These will be supported by a number of online learning and studying activities when appropriate to provide a rich and dynamic experience. At LLM level students will study four 15 credit modules each term for two terms across the academic year.
Each module will have on average eight two-hour in person contact time per week in seminars, workshops or lectures. After the end of the taught part of the Programme, there is the dissertation. All students will also have the opportunity to seek guidance during the feedback and consultation hours of their lecturers (2 1-hour slot every week).
Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental levels.
All lectures, seminars, and other social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. Online activities will be used to support your learning when appropriate. It is expected that students will regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience.
You'll be taught by experts in your field of study, and you'll have the opportunity to interact and engage with academics and your fellow students throughout your programme.
Your programme will consist of a variety of learning and studying activities, including workshops, lectures and seminars which will be delivered in person on campus. These will be supported by a number of online learning and studying activities when appropriate to provide a rich and dynamic experience. On each taught module students will have in person workshops, seminars or lectures for two hours per week on average during the teaching terms. There will also be supervision sessions for the dissertation, and an opportunity to engage and seek guidance from lecturers during their feedback and consultation hours. Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental levels.
All lectures, seminars, and social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. Online activities will be used to support your learning when appropriate. It is expected that students will regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Brunel has a strong research status. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) rated the majority (72.7%) of our research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. Our research was rated 58th globally for research impact. This robust culture provides a dynamic space for students to learn and contribute to current knowledge.
Your Master of Laws LLM modules will be delivered through seminars, with two hours of teaching per module a week alongside your own self-directed study.
You’ll also learn through:
- research centre activities and research trips
- contributing to newsletters
- making oral presentations
- attending law film screenings
- participating in debating events and reading group sessions.
You'll receive your timetable in advance of the course starting. Part-time study is based on a full-time timetable, with one less module per semester.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
All modules are assessed through a variety of diverse and authentic assessment methods. Guidance and support is offered to all students ahead of the assessment periods. General and personalised feedback is also available after the assessment periods and the publication of the results.