LLM Public International Law

• Principles of International Law & International Organisations: this unit will provide you with a sound grounding in the principles underpinning international law. You’ll be encouraged to understand theory of international law, structures of international legal obligations and the subjects of this international legal order. Secondly, you’ll examine international organisations and their role, purpose and relationship with states. You’ll familiarise yourself with institutions, their origins and structures as well as challenges faced within the globalised world.
• International Criminal Law & Justice: You’ll be encouraged to review the law in light of developments at international criminal justice institutions, most notably the International Criminal Court, but also within the wider framework of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. You will gain an awareness and knowledge of international criminal law and procedures whilst being mindful of the demands of Realpolitikin the quest for justice.
• International Human Rights Law: This unit will provide you with an understanding of the substantive content of international human rights law and a critical appreciation of the relationship between international and regional human rights law. To enable you to evaluate the effectiveness of international law in regulating conduct in terms of human rights compliance and how this compliance is enforced.
• Dissertation: The dissertation provides an opportunity to conduct research on an area of law associated with the knowledge and skills gained during the course. You’ll develop further skills in critical thinking, evaluate new and existing relevant research and enhance your conceptual understanding of law.

Choose three of the following option units:

• Corporate Law: Theory & Practice: This unit will expose you to the theoretical basis of corporate law. You’ll examine key issues in contemporary corporate law and learn to evaluate corporate law issues from key theoretical and practical perspectives.
• Regulation & Policy of International Commerce: You’ll be introduced to key concepts of English commercial law forms and discuss several developments of the regulatory frameworks that control commercial practices.
• International Cyber Law & Governance: This unit will provide you with a thorough grounding and critical appreciation of online policy, regulatory scope for online activities and strategic impact on business decisions.
• International & Comparative Intellectual Property Law: Gain an understanding of the international framework of IP law and national IP law in major jurisdictions has become indispensable for professionals working in the context of modern economy. This unit will provide you with a thorough grounding and critical appreciation of both international and national IP law.
• Regulating Informational Interests: The unit provides knowledge and understanding of the wider legal context associated with the creation, collation, processing, communication and storage of information.  It specifically addresses the disruptive impact of modern technologies on existing legal and regulatory categories and frameworks and will enable you to identify current and future areas of disruption, and to critically evaluate the use, success and appropriateness of law and regulation as a response mechanism to the management of ‘Informational Interests’.
• International Law of the Environment: This unit will examine the particular sectors of environmental policy that are the subject of international legal regulation and obligations. This will involve an appraisal of how international legal regulation has developed in these areas, taking into account various challenges, legal and political, that have been influential in shaping their respective evolution. It will also focus on selected legal topics concerning the implementation of international environmental law. In particular, it will consider various relatively recent developments in international environmental law that have served to broaden participation beyond the level of the nation state as regards the monitoring and enforcement of international environmental protection obligations.
• Public Diplomacy & International Relations: The unit embeds the practice of diplomacy in the multi-polar international relations settings and will give you an opportunity to explore different contexts, dimensions and actors involved in both state-centred and non-state actors’ acts of diplomacy. You will explore: the historical development of the field and the international system and their links with diplomacy practice; how international relations theory can help us to understand international politics and the various positions and perspectives on current global issues; dynamics of exercising power in international relations; security policy and practice, including humanitarian and post-conflict interventions; theoretical approaches and transnational political economy perspectives on world politics. 
• Discourse, Rhetoric & Power: This unit aims to expose the political character of social relations and practices by discovering the centrality of rhetoric and the construction of meaning in their constitution, institutionalisation, and contestation. You will develop an understanding of such insights from a variety of perspectives, as well as their implications for critical political analysis.
• Political Communication & Campaigning: This unit provides an overview and critical appraisal of the academic study of political marketing, campaigning and reporting in the context of a diversified and international media environment. You will explore the historical development of political communication, by political parties, by mainstream media and via social media. 
• Social Theory & Political Communication: This unit highlights the wider theoretical underpinnings of analysis of political communication and provides an introduction to the broader contextual and conceptual basis in which political communication is conducted.  It draws on a range of social and political theory to highlight key concerns to scholars of political communication. These are framed around discussions of power, the nature of the economy and society; the role and function of democracy; the gendered nature of social and political relations; the nature and role of technology; the role of ideology and hegemony; and the public. 
• Corporate Crime & Compliance: During this unit you will examine key issues in contemporary law on corporate crime and enforcement in the international context. You will evaluate issues in corporate crime and enforcement from key theoretical and practical perspectives.

*Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

We encourage applications from individuals with excellent research, analytical skills and enthusiasm for debates. We are looking for self-managed learners who are happy to work hard to meet the demands of this rewarding course.

Furthermore, we seek individuals with a keen interest in developing new skills and who will draw upon their existing experiences to enhance their legal expertise and careers prospects.

We’ll be selecting the candidates for this course by looking at their applications – there are no interviews or additional selection activities. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. For more information, take a look at our post graduate how to applypages. 

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject.
• For post-experience and professional qualifications, there may be additional entry requirements set by the association or institute that ultimately administers the qualification in question. The qualification description on the course information pages should tell you what these are but please get in touch with the Future Students Enquiry team if you are in doubt.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow. Some of these are based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (three years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%  
• Nigeria:  Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4 
• China:  Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above 
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade 2.5 or above 
• USA: US Bachelor’s degree (four years), with a 2.5 GPA or above  

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in all other components or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

Roles our graduates have gone on to include:

• Associate Director
• Judges Assistant
• Patent Associate
• Senior Lawyer.

• Law
• Management
• Local government.

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Our fees commitment means your tuition fees are fixed at the price quoted.
• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study. 
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while your are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances. 
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Student Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
• Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you ar eliving in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately. 
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

We offer a range of scholarships to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit our funding pages for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. For September 2025 and January 2026 entry, a £5,000 deposit is required. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment/ There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit.

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Alison's main research interests are in corporate crime and history and law. She has written two books on corporate criminality, Corporate Criminality and Liability for Fraud (Routledge 2018), and Regulating Bad Business Practice: Mapping a Framework for Legal Intervention (Edward Elgar), co-authored with Prof Christopher Harding, Aberystwyth and is an active member of the Criminal Law Reform Now Network. Alison is currently supervising a PhD student researching parent and group corporate liability and is the Programme Leader for the LLM. She leads Criminal Law and Trusts Law units at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and teaches Corporate Crime on the Level 6 Criminal Justice unit.

Dr Melanie Klinkner is an international law scholar and author of the Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation. She led an Arts and Humanities Research Council Research Leaders Fellowship for the creation of mass grave protection guidelines with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) as project partner. In addition, she is the Principal Investigator on a Global Challenges Research Fund project on how to humanise the process of mass grave protection and investigation from the representative perspective of victims’ families.

Together with Dr Howard Davis, she is the author of the monograph ‘The Right to the Truth in International Law’ (published by Routledge, 2020). During Trinity Term 2018 she was a Research Visitor at Oxford University's Bonavero Institute of Human Rights. Since February 2021 she is a member of the 'Panel of Experts on Missing Persons' for the ICMP. At Bournemouth University she teaches public international law, international criminal law and international human rights law.