Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
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:
Two optional modules from the list below:
LLM Masters Stage:
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.
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.
Our Open Day for this course will take place in Spring 2021. Register now and we will contact you when the booking form goes live.
We explore how you can get a head start on your career with a postgraduate placement.
Typical Offers (UK Students) | ||
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Minimum 2:2 class UK degree or international equivalent in any subject area. |
Essential | ||
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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. |
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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. |
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Other accepted qualifications | Visit our English language page |
Don't meet our entry requirements? You could apply for courses at our International College.
Award: LLM
Starting: Sep 2021
Award: LLM
Starting: Jan 2022
Award: LLM
Starting: Sep 2021
Award: LLM
Starting: Jan 2022
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. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
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:
Studying a postgraduate course usually means you want to specialise in something. So what’s driving you?
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.
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.
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.
While there are no additional costs associated with purchasing text books, there may be other costs to you. If you are joining the course which has a professional body accreditation you may be required to pay membership or examination costs. For details of these costs, please click on the link below.
Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £50 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. All our students are provided with 100 free pages of printing each year to a maximum total value of £15.
Find additional costs for your course
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.
We offer further information on possible postgraduate financial support. This includes the type of loans, grants and scholarships available both from the government and from Birmingham City University.
Did you know that you will soon be able to apply for a postgraduate loan of up to £1,222 for some courses and options?
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:
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.
There is the opportunity to undertake a placement abroad as an alternative to a dissertation.
The LLM enables students to progress onto doctoral studies. A number of LLM studies have successfully obtained funding from the Midland 3Cities Doctoral Training Programme.
Didn't make it to an Open Day? You still have the opportunity to come and see what our postgraduate courses have to offer. If you would like to enquire about campus tour availability, just drop us an email.
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.
OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
“I cannot say enough how the LLM in Corporate and Business programme at BCU has enhanced my career prospect. Not only were the lecturers very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, the seminar style of the course delivery was both refreshingly engaging and academically stimulating. The programme contributed in no small way to me securing a fully funded studentship for my PhD.”
Mike Ogunmiluyi
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.
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.
Start in January and receive a £1500 scholarship on eligible courses.
Find out moreInternational students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies.
BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University.
Internship as a Trainee Attorney
I am from Lahore, Pakistan. I attained a Full Bright Scholarship Award for my Bachelors of Law from Quaid-e-Azam Law College, University of the Punjab. The institution is known for its education quality and state-of-the-art facilities.
After graduating, I quickly found an internship as a trainee attorney at ‘Kazmi and Rana Law Chamber’. The firm is renowned for its corporate and banking practices. While training at K&R Law Chamber, I took Punjab Bar Association’s examinations and passed with commendation. This enabled me to become a practising lawyer and appear in many of Punjab’s lower courts. After receiving the Punjab Bars Licence, I gained a position at the nationally renowned ‘Khosa Law Chamber’, working as an Associate.
Our students come from around the world but our international business law course is most popular with international students from:
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £260 million on new learning facilities.
This course is based at the City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other Law, Business, Social Sciences and English 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.
Dr Ozlem Ulgen is Reader in International Law and Ethics in the School of Law. She holds a PhD from the University of Nottingham and her research interests lie in the area of regulation of artificial intelligence and robotics.
Ewan Kirk is currently the Senior Personal Tutor on the LLB Programme within the Law School. Ewan currently teaches EU Law and Intellectual Property Law at undergraduate and postgraduate level. His areas of research interest include intellectual property law and internet law.
Suresh Birdi is a Senior lecturer in Law and is the course director for the LLM International Business Law Course. Suresh has taught upon many degree courses including LL.B, B.A, GDL, PGDL, LL.M and other short courses.
Dr Emilie Ghio is a lecturer in Law with sophisticated expertise in business, corporate and commercial law subjects and significant teaching experience at postgraduate and undergraduate level.
Dr Nwanneka Ezechukwu holds a PhD in law from the University of Nottingham. Her thesis focused on consumer protection in innovative payment services, particularly mobile payments. Her doctorate was awarded without corrections.