International Trade and Commercial Law

Entry requirements

A good 2:1 degree (or its equivalent) in law, or in a degree in which law is a major component.

Months of entry

October

Course content

This course offers students from a wide variety of backgrounds the opportunity to develop their legal knowledge and skills in some of the most intellectually challenging and practically relevant areas of trade and commercial law. The course has a particular emphasis on the international aspects of these areas of legal knowledge and practice.

During the first two terms of the course, you will study taught modules drawn from a wide variety of topics on international trade and commercial law. You then complete your studies by writing a dissertation on a topic chosen by you and supervised by a member of staff with expertise in your selected subject area. Teaching is a mixture of lectures and smaller, student-led, seminar or tutorial groups. The dissertation is pursued by independent research with individual supervision.

Students attending the course are drawn from a broad range of countries, and their previous academic or professional experiences enrich the course. The School is host to the Institute of Commercial and Corporate Law, and students on the LLM are encouraged to participate in its activities.

Course structure

You must study one compulsory module in Applied Research Methods in Law. You must also choose a number of additional taught modules, from a large body of optional modules. Finally, a dissertation must be completed, on a topic chosen by you in consultation with your allotted supervisor.

Core modules:

• Applied Research Methods in Law
• Dissertation (of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 words).

Examples of optional modules

Please note: not all modules necessarily run every year, and we regularly introduce new modules. The list below provides an example of the type of modules which may be offered.

• Advanced Issues in International Economic Law
• Advanced Issues of International Intellectual Property Law
• Advanced Law of Obligations
• Private International Law and China
• Corporations in an EU Context
• Cross Border Commercial Litigation
• Current Issues in Company Law
• Competition Law
• Electronic Commerce
• Global Financial Law
• International Commercial Dispute Resolution
• International Investment Law
• International and Comparative Corporate Insolvency Law
• International Banking Law
• Introduction to Corporate Governance
• Introduction to Corporate Insolvency
• Introduction to Intellectual Property Law
• Law of Oil and Gas Contracts
• International Trade Law & Policy
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Takeover Regulation in the EU

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.