Environmental Law and Sustainable Development - LLM/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

The LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development consists of nine modules in total, including a dissertation of up to 15,000 words.

To gain the Postgraduate Certificate, you will study two compulsory modules (Research Methodsand International Environmental Law) and two optional modules.

To gain the Postgraduate Diploma, you will complete the necessary modules to gain the Certificate (as above), one further compulsory module (Natural Resources Law) and another three optional modules.

To achieve the LLM, you will complete the necessary modules to gain the Diploma (as above) and also write a dissertation.

Core modules

• Research Methods we will develop your approach to legal research by introducing you to key skills and concepts.
• International Environmental Law covers international legal principles and concepts relating to environmental protection in the context of wider political, ecological and economic issues.

Option modules

You will choose two modules from the following options:*

• Globalisation and the Law - introduces you to what globalisation means in economic, political, cultural and social terms, and the legal consequences that derive there from. You will assess whether international law is equipped with instruments and institutions to regulate the consequences of globalisation.
• International Human Rights Law - examines the development of human rights protection in international law. We will consider the philosophical origins, as well as the international and regional legal instruments and institutions that provide support for human rights.
• International Environmental Law - covers international legal principles and concepts relating to environmental protection in the context of wider political, ecological and economic issues.

If you are continuing onto the Diploma or LLM, you will then take the following compulsory module:

• Natural Resources Law - examines the legal regulation related to natural resources, looking at the sources and legal concepts applicable to natural resource activities, with a particular focus on the oil, gas, water and forestry sectors.

You will also choose three option modules from the list below:*

• World Trade Organisation Law - examines the laws, law-making and adjudicative institutions of the World Trade Organisation. Particular attention is given to the procedures for dispute resolution and other 'covered agreements' relating to international economic law.
• European Environmental Law and Policy - looks at how EU environmental law has developed alongside international environmental law and how it has influenced national environmental laws within the EU.
• Shipping Law - gives you an understanding of the issues, constraints, interests and risks involved in the shipping industry and the role that sea transportation plays in international trade.
• Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility - focuses on the difference between the concepts of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, enabling you to assess the effectiveness of corporate governance and self-regulatory schemes.
• International Employment Law - centres on employment law in an international context. The module relates to many of the themes explored in the materials of the International Labour Office (ILO), in particular globalisation, flexicurity (flexibility v security), human rights and sustainability.

Or one option*, not listed above, offered on any of the other LLM courses.

Dissertation

Finally, if you are undertaking the full LLM, you will need to write a 15,000 word dissertation. This needs to be an original piece of work. You can satisfy this requirement by:

• carrying out empirical work that has not been done before
• synthesising issues not put together before
• looking at topics that people in the discipline have not looked at before
• examining existing knowledge in an original way, or
• bringing new evidence to bear on an old issue.

You don't need to meet all of these criteria. Your dissertation topic must broadly relate to your LLM award.

* Option modules are dependent on numbers so may not all run every year.

Please also note this structure is for the full-time course delivery only. For part-time delivery, the same modules will be studied. However, the structure will differ.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

The flexible nature of the course allows you to study with us full or part time. The course involves both extensive independent research and discussion in the context of workshops, designed to encourage the development of your critical, analytical and reflective skills. You will be expected to prepare for each workshop and to participate actively in discussion with your tutors and peers.

You will also have access to course and module information through our online Blackboard system.

For more details see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.

Full-time attendance

The full-time course takes one year, with approximately six to nine contact hours a week. However, as independent study is fundamental to the course, the total study time should be around 36 hours a week.

Part-time attendance

The flexible part-time route takes two to three years. You will usually have around three hours of contact with your tutors a week, depending on the route you are following, and you should spend between 12 and 18 hours a week studying independently.

Dedicated support

You will receive a high level of support both during your studies and after you have graduated. You will be allocated an LLM academic tutor to support you throughout the course. We also organise events to help you plan your career after the LLM.

Taught modules on the LLM Environmental Law and Sustainable Development course are assessed through a combination of written coursework assignments and oral presentations. The culmination of the course is a dissertation of up to 15,000 words, which constitutes an original contribution to the corpus of legal knowledge within an area of environmental law.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.