Master of Laws

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 gives you the widest choice of modules. Modules can be selected from those available for students studying in International Trade and Commercial Law, and European Trade and Commercial Law, Corporate Law and International Law and Governance.

Having completed your taught modules, you will undertake an extended dissertation of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 words in length, under the supervision of a member of staff who is an expert in your chosen field of research. Teaching is by a mixture of lectures and smaller, student-led, seminars or tutorial groups. The dissertation is pursued by independent research.

Students attending the course are drawn from a broad range of countries, and their previous academic or professional experiences enrich the course. The Law School hosts a number of research centres, including the Institute for Commercial and Corporate Law, the Durham European Law Institute, the Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, Law and Global Justice at Durham and the Human Rights Centre. You are encouraged to participate in all their 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 Corporate Law
• Advanced Issues in International Economic Law
• Advanced Issues of International Intellectual Property Law
• Advanced Law of Obligations
• Corporations in an EU Context
• Competition Law
• Cross Border Commercial Litigation
• Electronic Commerce
• Fundamentals of International Law
• Fundamental Issues in International Legal Governance
• Global Environmental Law
• Global Institutions
• International and Comparative Corporate Insolvency Law
• International Co-operation in Criminal Matters in Europe
• International Counter Terrorism: Theory and Practice
• International Humanitarian Law
• International Protection of Human Rights
• International Trade Law & Policy
• International Sales Law
• International Tax Law
• Introduction to Corporate Governance
• Introduction to EU Law
• Introduction to Intellectual Property Law
• Law of Oil and Gas Contracts
• Law of the Sea
• 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.