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International Business Law - LLM

Currently viewing course to start in 2023/24 Entry.

The LLM International Business Law meets the current demand for specialist knowledge and skills in a rapidly expanding field. The course provides you with the opportunity to explore the legal regulation of the world of international business, and you will acquire knowledge and understanding of the aspects of substantive and procedural law....

  • Level Postgraduate Taught
  • Study mode Full Time
  • Location City Centre
  • School School of Law
  • Faculty Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences

Overview

The LLM International Business Law meets the current demand for specialist knowledge and skills in a rapidly expanding field. The course provides you with the opportunity to explore the legal regulation of the world of international business, and you will acquire knowledge and understanding of the aspects of substantive and procedural law.

You will study all the key areas of International Business Law:

Core taught modules:

  • International Corporate Law
  • Transnational Commercial Law
  • Corporate Criminality and Tax Evasion
  • Advanced Legal Research Methods

Two optional modules from the list below:

  • International Intellectual Property Law
  • Conflict Resolution in Business
  • Global Comparative Competition Law
  • Corporate Compliance
  • Comparative International Corporate Insolvency Law

LLM Masters Stage:

  • Dissertation/Live Project/Placement

Professional Placement option

For our International Law LLM degrees, you will have the opportunity to take the Professional Placement version of the course, which is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability and transferable skills. The placement experience will allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.

You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study, with support from our Careers+ team as well as advice and guidance from your School.

Please note that placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course.

For full details, please click here.

This course is open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The course will also provide you with the opportunity to critically examine different systems of law at a higher level. The critical analysis skills that you will develop while studying on this course will enhance your employment opportunities in the legal and business sectors, as well as enabling you to acquire a strong basis for progression to doctoral studies.

The course aims to develop your ability in analysing and evaluating the principal features of international business law. You will study the major concepts, values, principles and rules that dictate the discipline.

You will communicate complex and abstract ideas in an articulate and confident manner, as well as learning a host of transferrable skills that will stand you in good stead for when it comes to securing employment.

Why Choose Us?

  • You will learn from an outstanding and dedicated teaching team.
  • You don’t need a degree in Law to be eligible to study this course.
  • The course covers transnational jurisdictions, so it is international in scope
  • You will have an opportunity to enhance your employability skills by completing an internship. Placement opportunities are also available at a range of European companies
  • Our Law Clinic can give you opportunities to volunteer with local charitable legal advice providers and to work alongside legal professionals undertaking pro-bono work, allowing you to make a genuine difference to the lives of Birmingham residents.
  • You will be able to benefit from the newly-introduced postgraduate loans. For more information, visit UCAS. 

Find out more

Studying with us during the Covid-19 pandemic

The University has put in place measures in response to Covid-19 to allow us to safely deliver our courses. Should the impact of the pandemic continue in future years, any additional or alternative arrangements put in place by the University will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.

OPEN DAY

Join us for an on-campus open day where you'll be able to explore our campus and facilities in person. Booking for the next event isn’t open yet. Register your interest below and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.

Next Event: Saturday 24 June

Register Your Interest

Entry Requirements

Essential Requirements
Typical Offers (UK Students)

Minimum 2:2 class UK degree or international equivalent in any subject area.

Additional information for EU/International students
Essential

Applications from international applicants with equivalent qualifications are welcome. Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept.

In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table.

English language requirements 2020/21
IELTS

6.5 overall with 6.0 minimum in all bands

If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information.

Other accepted qualifications Visit our English language page

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: LLM

Starting: Sep 2023

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 year
  • £8,500 in 2023/24
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £9,350 in 2023/24

Award: LLM

Starting: Jan 2024

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 15 Months
  • £8,500 in 2023/24
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £9,350 in 2023/24

International students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: LLM

Starting: Sep 2023

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 year
  • £16,870 in 2023/24
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £18,557 in 2023/24

Award: LLM

Starting: Jan 2024

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 15 Months
  • £16,870 in 2023/24
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £18,557 in 2023/24

If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead.

Access to computer equipment

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms.

Printing

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment.

Field trips

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees.

Access to Microsoft Office 365

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation.

Key software

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research.

Key subscriptions

Subscriptions to key journals and websites and available through our library. We also offer access to Westlaw, Lexis, HeinOnline and other legal databases.

Free Adobe Creative Cloud Licence

Students studying on a course with a requirement to use Adobe software can request a free licence to install the entire suite of applications on up to two personal devices.

Excess printing (optional)

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet.

Books

Some modules may suggest that you purchase a key textbook. All module key texts will be in the University library, but in limited numbers. Many students choose to purchase a copy.

Optional field trips

This course may include the option of additional trips that may enhance your experience.

Accommodation and living costs

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

Personal statement

Students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.

Your postgraduate personal statement is going to shine a light on your personal experience, academic success, personal skills and any other factors that will support your application for further study.

Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:

Your passion and motivations

Studying a postgraduate course usually means you want to specialise in something. So what’s driving you?

Why this course?

Show that you’ve researched the course offering. What is it about this particular course that appeals to you? Is it the lecturers? The modules? Etc.

What makes you a good postgraduate candidate?

Tutors want to know that you can handle postgraduate study, so show them how your undergraduate experiences or work life has equipped you for a more advanced level of study. Key areas to address are research and group work but this can vary depending on your chosen course.

Relevant academic or work experience

Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills? How do these specifically relate to the course you are applying for?

You should also mention your future plans and how a postgraduate qualification fits in. Try to look beyond your postgraduate study – do you plan to jump straight into a specific career or follow your studies with a research degree? Lastly, use plain, professional English and, where possible, utilise the language of your chosen industry.

Get more information on writing personal statements.

Course in Depth

Modules

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:

All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.

Download course specification

Download now

Our LLM is taught by an outstanding team of professionals. You must complete six taught modules and either a dissertation, project or placement.

All modes offer a coherent, staged and progressive learning structure in which you will benefit from teaching which is informed by the research expertise of our academic team. Our approach is experiential and practice-led and will give you opportunities to apply your learning and to develop skills to enhance your employability and career.

This course will support you in becoming an independent learner during the teaching, learning and assessment process. During induction we will support you in developing key study skills.  Throughout the course you will have the chance to complete activities which will enable you to practice legal skills including legal research, problem-solving, advocacy and drafting in order to develop and practice.

These activities also enable you to practice transferable skills including structuring and presenting arguments, working independently or in teams to complete tasks, oral and written communication, and time management. These skills will be valuable whatever your final choice of future career.

During the September and January terms you will study three 20-credit modules, thereafter you will study one 60-credit module: the LLM dissertation/placement/project module. The 20-credit Advanced Legal Research Methods module (studied in the January term) is delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment, providing maximum flexibility.

Throughout the two terms there will be regular facilitated workshops which are interactive sessions designed to develop your knowledge, understanding and critical evaluation of directed pre-reading, with an emphasis on peer-led learning to develop your skills in legal analysis and evaluation.

We expect you to attend all teaching sessions as well as to read and prepare before these sessions. Good preparation will enable you to get the most from your contact time and will help you become an autonomous learner. Advance preparation is also a critical skill which you must develop if you wish to succeed in business or professional practice. 

When you progress to the dissertation/placement/project there will be regular one-to-one sessions with your supervisor.

Employability

Employment Opportunities

You will have the opportunity to undertake a placement or complete a project as an alternative to a dissertation.

In addition we have active, student-led Legal, Mooting and Debate Societies. Our Student Mooting Society is one of the most successful in England, with our students reaching five finals in the past six years, regularly beating teams from some of the country’s most prestigious universities.

We also have a staff and student led Pro-Bono Unit that provides legal advice to the public.

International

The School of Law at Birmingham City University is home to students from a wide number of countries studying on traditional degree programmes and short-term international courses both at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

A legal education at Birmingham City University is widely recognised and many of our international students return to their home country to either pursue legal practice or requisite professional qualifications in their jurisdiction.

As a law student you will not only develop and refine knowledge in discrete areas of English and international law but also develop key transferable skills designed to enhance your employability profile. Many international students have travelled thousands of miles to study at Birmingham City University and the School offers you an engaging and diverse study experience based in the city of Birmingham which is the second largest city in the UK.

Due to our proximity close to the legal and business district of the city we enjoy strong links with Birmingham Law Society and law firms around the West Midlands. The benefit of these links is passed directly onto you so that you can enhance your network of contacts whilst seeking relevant legal practice experience to enhance your employability profile.

More information for International students

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Facilities & Staff

Curzon facilities eatery
Curzon facilities staircase
Curzon facilities student hub

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and have spent £260 million on learning facilities.

The Curzon Building

This course is based at the City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other Law, Business and Social Sciences courses.

The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.

The facilities at the Curzon building include two bespoke Law Courtrooms, replicating a Crown court and a Magistrates court. These rooms will play a key part in your learning experience, allowing you to try your hand in mock court cases, whilst also being the venue for our Mooting and Debating Societies.

On top of this, the Curzon building houses an extensive Law library, with books covering every aspect of Law history.

The Curzon Building also features:

  • An impressive library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
  • Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
  • A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
  • Accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free
  • Shared facilities with the wider campus including the Parkside Building and Millennium Point

Our staff

Dr Ewan Kirk

LLB Course Director / Deputy Head of Law School / Associate Professor

Ewan is the LLB Course Director in the School of Law, responsible for the suite of LLB courses that run in the School of Law. He joined the university in 2001 after completing his PhD in Copyright Law and the Internet. He is also the Deputy Head of the Law School.

More about Ewan

Suresh Birdi

Senior Lecturer in Law

Suresh Birdi is a Senior Lecturer in law in the School of Law at Birmingham City University and is the director of the LLM International Business Law course. Suresh’s qualifications include an LLB from the University of Wolverhampton where he received an award for the most outstanding student in the European Union law module, gaining recognition...

More about Suresh

Dr Alan Ma

Lecturer

Dr Alan Ma is a lecturer in Law at Birmingham City University. He is dual-qualified in Engineering and Law with in-house and private practice experience. He is a qualified (non-practising) solicitor in England and Wales and Scotland. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

More about Alan