LLM/PGDip/PGCert International Business Law

The School of Law at Middlesex University is ranked in the Top 100 globally and 2nd in the UK for Law in the ‘Times Higher Education Young University Ranking 2022’. In addition, we were ranked 6th in the UK as one of the most international universities, with 46% of our students travelling to the UK to study with us.

Middlesex is dedicated to   providing students with the skills and abilities sought after by a wide range of employers, from legal firms to domestic businesses and international corporations. By undertaking this programme, you will gain a comprehensive knowledge of international business law equipping you with a systematic and critical understanding of relevant topics, such as, international trade law, the international sale of goods, and international commercial litigation and arbitration.

Reasons to study the LLM/PGDip/PGCert International Business Law at Middlesex University

Studying at Middlesex will maximise your academic potential and refine your problem-solving skills in a transnational context through the acquisition of a critical understanding of complex legal, economic, cultural, ethical and political issues informing international trade relations and transnational business.

This programme will enhance your professional development and horizons as you gain skills which you will be able to transfer to a variety of professional sectors, including the legal profession, policymaking, the corporate sector, governmental bodies or academia.

The School of Law at Middlesex University has assembled a team of globally-respected academics who provide not only insight and practical direction but also access to a considerable network of contacts and connections, most notably internship opportunities within international and domestic organisations:

• Dr Sara Hourani, Senior Lecturer in Law, specialises in International Commercial Law, with a focus on the interface between international commercial arbitration and new technologies, spaning digital and online dispute resolution, with a particular interest in blockchain and smart contract arbitration.
• Dr Mariette Jones, Senior Lecturer in Law, has research interests in corporate governance and corporate responsibility, civil liability and tort, as well as comparative law.
• Dr Hamisi Junior Nsubuga, Senior Lecturer in Law, focuses on corporate law, international business law, comparative insolvency law (UK, USA and emerging economies) and banking and financial law and regulations and is a member of the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency, and Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL International) and the Commercial Law Reform Network Nigeria.
• Dr Eneless Nyoni, Lecturer in Law, has a background in contract law, global trade law, the World Trade Organisation, and international trade law.
• Dr Eliza Watt, Senior Lecturer in Law, specialises in cyber law, in particular cyber surveillance, privacy and data protection, as well as cyber security, cyber espionage, cybercrime, internet governance, international sale of goods law, commercial law, and international commercial arbitration.

Course highlights

• We will advance your knowledge of international business law in a fast-changing global marketplace and an ever-globalised world.
• You will study with teaching staff who are engaged in major research across relevant fields of law, from international sale of goods to law and policy of the WTO and international commercial litigation and arbitration.
• You will learn alongside students from across the globe in one of the world's greatest cities.

What you will study on the LLM/PGDip/PGCert International Business Law

Full-time LLM (1 year, 180 credits)

• Four core plus two optional modules are completed over terms one and two, with a Dissertation period in term three.

Part-time LLM (2 years, 180 credits)

• Four core plus two optional modules are completed over three taught terms, plus a Dissertation period.
• Two modules in term one, two modules in term two, and two modules in the first term of the following academic year.

Full-time PG Diploma (1 year, 120 credits)

• You will study four core modules plus two optional modules to be completed over terms one and two
• Three modules will be taken in term one and three modules in term two

Part-time PG Diploma (2 years, 120 credits)

• You will study four core modules plus two optional modules to be completed over three or four taught terms
• In Year 1, you will study two modules in term one and two modules in term two
• In Year 2, you can choose to study:
  • Two modules in term one or
  • One module in term one and one module in term two or
  • Two modules in term two.

For all pathways, attendance may be required during the day and/or evening, depending on your choice of modules.

Modules

Each module is worth 20 credits, except the Dissertation and Work Integrated Learning modules which are worth 60 credits each. The Work Integrated Learning module may be chosen to replace the Dissertation with prior agreement.

In addition to the law modules listed below, students can study one of the following modules from international politics, criminology or sociology, either in term one or two.

Term one: Sustainable Development and Human Rights; Environmental Law and Governance; Migration Theories and Approaches

Term two: Politics of Globalisation

See the detailed course specification for more information about typical course content: course specification.

If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.

How you will learn the LLM/PGDip/PGCert International Business Law

You will gain knowledge and understanding through a stimulating combination of lectures, seminars and presentations which are used to communicate core information, develop themes and ideas, and student participation through interactive exercises, while also providing opportunities for peer- and self-assessment. You will also be required to engage in intensive programmes of structured reading and research, and to present your findings orally and in writing.

Skills training, particularly through our Legal Research Skills module, will equip you with the intellectual tools necessary for postgraduate work, including the identification of appropriate materials, critical and analytical reading, and both writing skills and conventions.

Learning and teaching on all modules is informed by a critical approach that encompasses relevant aspects of the ethical, social, professional, historical and cultural contexts within which the law operates. Ethics are specifically embedded in some modules and you will be provided with the opportunity to understand the ethical dimensions of your own research.

Those students accepted on the Work Integrated Learning modules will engage with decision-makers in our partner organisations and develop new skills in research, writing, IT and networking.

How you will be assessed on the LLM/PGDip/PGCert International Business Law

In order to present students with a more authentic form of assessment, Middlesex University has elected to move away from the examination model and has adopted an approach which reproduces the skills and tasks that are performed in the workplace. This commitment to professional alignment includes a varied mix of assessment styles such as: oral presentations, coursework, peer-marking, literature reviews and, where appropriate, a dissertation or report-writing.

Teaching and learning from 2023

We have developed new approaches to teaching and learning for the 2022/23 academic year, and have resumed the majority of our teaching on campus.

Your timetable will be built around on campus sessions using our professional facilities, with online sessions for some activities where we know being virtual will add value. We’ll use technology to enhance all of your learning and give you access to online resources to use in your own time.

Outside of these hours, you’ll be expected to do independent study where you read, listen and reflect on other learning activities. This can include preparation for future classes. In a year, you’ll typically be expected to commit 1200 hours to your course across all styles of learning. If you are taking a placement, you might have some additional hours.

Definitions of terms

• Live in-person on campus learning – This will focus on active and experiential sessions that are both:
  • Led by your tutors including seminars, we’ll schedule all of this for you
  • Student-led by you and other students, like small group work and presentations.
• Live online learning – This will include lectures, tutorials and supervision sessions led by your tutor and timetabled by us. It also includes student-led group work that takes place online


• Tutor set learning activities – This covers activities which will be set for you by your tutor, but which you will undertake in your own time. Examples of this include watching online materials, participating in an online discussion forum or reading specific texts. You may be doing this by yourself of with your course mates depending on your course and assignments. Outside of these hours, you’ll also be expected to do further independent study where you’ll be expected to learn, prepare, revise and reflect in your own time.

How you will be supported on the LLM/PGDip/PGCert International Business Law

You will have a strong support network available to you to make sure you develop all the necessary academic skills you need to achieve your full potential on your course.

You will have access to both one-to-one and group sessions for personal learning and academic support from our Library, Learning Enhancement and IT teams. In addition, our Welfare teams are also able to offer financial advice, and personal wellbeing, mental health and disability support.

How the LLM/PGDip/PGCert International Business Law will support your career

This programme prepares students for a wide range of careers in public and private sector organisations, multinational companies and inter-governmental bodies requiring specialist knowledge in private and public international law frameworks regulating commercial and trade transactions, as well as mechanisms involved in the resolution of commercial disputes. Previous graduates have also continued their higher education studies via a PhD.

As well as access to the University's Employability Service students are offered specialist advice by the Programme Leader and other contributors to the programme, including guidance on how to enter and pass recruitment processes for national and international organisations. Students have access to the support services offered by the Clinical Legal Education programme and are invited to attend career-focused workshops, skills sessions and events.

Our team of renowned lecturers will provide the latest thinking and practice on legal issues. Our students benefit from their considerable network of contacts and connections within their sectors, notably for internship opportunities within international and domestic organisations, as well as a range of local companies providing professional legal services.