Law - International Commercial & Business Law

Overview

The LLM International Commercial and Business Law is designed as a research-led programme for graduates from law and related disciplines who aim to specialise in commercial law, international trade and cross-border business transactions from a socio-legal perspective. It will help you understand and master the highly dynamic and complex legal and regulatory regimes governing international business and the global economy. If you aim for a career in corporate, financial or commercial law, our programme will equip you with solid knowledge and an advanced understanding of the key principles, rules and practices in areas such as corporate governance, corporate law, competition law, financial law, and trade law. With support from leading academics throughout this LLM, you will be able to develop a broad set of relevant skills that will allow you to contribute to legal problem solving in key areas of commercial and business law.



Thanks to our diverse staff and student body you will have a unique opportunity to meet lecturers and peers with different experiences and backgrounds, enabling you to expand your own perspective and understanding further. In previous years students have joined the programme from both the UK and around the world, significantly contributing to the discussions in class and group work.



The School’s world-leading academics specialise in a range of relevant areas, including:

• International and Transnational Commercial Law, including international commercial and financial transactions, Conflicts of Law/Public International Law, harmonisation and regionalisation of commercial law, and commercial litigation and arbitration.

• Competition Law, including European and Comparative Competition Law

• International Trade Law, including World Trade Organisation Law, international economic law, dispute settlement, and regional and national trade laws and policies.

• Legal Aspects of Innovation and New Technologies, including blockchain and smart contracts.

• Corporate Governance and Compliance, including comparative corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.

• International Financial Regulation, including regulatory changes in the aftermaths of the East-Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis, regulating finance in key jurisdictions and in global financial centres and tax havens, deepening financial integration and financial fragmentation, the role of law and technology in finance, and the transition to sustainable and digital finance.



Course Structure

Students may enrol on a full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) basis.



The Masters is awarded to students who successfully complete all taught modules (120 CATS points) and a research dissertation (60 CATS points).



Course Details

The programme is delivered through a series of taught modules and culminates in the submission of a dissertation on an original topic.

The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.



Year 1

Core Modules

• Approaches to Legal Research (10 credits)

• World Trade Law (20 credits)

• International Competition Law (20 credits)

• Dissertation (International Business Law) (60 credits)

• International Corporate Governance (20 credits)



Optional Modules

• Advanced International Trade Law and Policy (20 credits)

• International Commercial Law (20 credits)

• Business and Human Rights (20 credits)

• (Metaverse Law) Copyright, Trademarks & Immersive Technologies (10 credits)

• Dissertation in Practice (60 credits)

• International Financial Law (20 credits)

• Critical Approaches International Economic Law (20 credits)

• Platform Regulation: IP Enforcement & Content Moderation (10 credits)

• Corporate Environmental Law (20 credits)

Graduate

Applicants with a primary Law degree: Normally a strong 2.2 Honours degree in Law (with a minimum of 55%) or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree in Law with less than 55% (or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) along with a minimum of 2 years relevant experience may be considered.



Applicants with a primary degree in a relevant/cognate subject: Normally applicants with a 2:1 Honours degree or above (or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in Social Sciences, Humanities or a cognate discipline.



Applicants with a minimum of a 2:2 Honours degree (or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) along with a minimum of 2 years relevant experience may be considered.



Exemption from these requirements may be considered for those applicants who hold a Master's degree in a relevant subject (or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.



Admission under Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) may be considered for this course. The University's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy provides guidance on the assessment of experiential learning (RPEL). Please visit http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicy for more information.



International Students

Please see International Student's link below.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 29th August 2025.



In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal.



Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.

Assessed coursework

Dissertation

1 year (Full-time)

2 years (Part-time)



Contact Teaching Hours

Small Group Teaching/Personal Tutorial

8 (hours maximum)



In addition to 6-8 hrs of teaching per week, students should set aside 10-12 hours per module for reading and preparation to engage meaningfully in classroom discussions, group work and other forms of active engagement.

Entry Year: 2025/26

Career Prospects

Introduction

Our LLM programme will prepare you for a career in law with specialisation in international commerce and business. It also enables students to develop research skills that will prepare you for pursuing a PhD and an academic career in international business law. Students are actively supported by our School’s Employability and Placement Officer and by the University’s dedicated Careers Service which provide students with opportunities to engage with employers and help them to boost their employability:

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/