Master of Laws (LLM)

This program provides an opportunity to develop an advanced knowledge of corporate law. There is a (compulsory) foundation course providing a solid grounding in the subject. Having completed your choice of taught modules, you will then undertake an extended dissertation on a corporate law topic of your choice, supervised by a member of staff with expertise in their chosen subject area.

Teaching is by a mixture of lectures and smaller, student-led, seminar or tutorial groups. The dissertation is pursued by independent research with individual supervision. Students attending the program are drawn from a broad range of countries, and their previous academic or professional experiences enrich the program

The School is host to the Durham Institute of Commercial and Corporate Law, and you are encouraged to participate in its many activities. The Library has extensive holdings of corporate law materials.

Course Structure

Students must study modules in Current Issues in Company Law and Applied Research Methods in Law. You must also choose a number of additional taught modules, from a large body of optional modules. Finally, a dissertation must be completed, on a topic chosen by you in consultation with your allotted supervisor.

Core Modules

• Current Issues in Company Law
• Applied Research Methods in Law
• Dissertation (of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 words).

Optional Modules

Candidates shall also study and be assessed in modules such as those from the following list to the value of (when added to the core modules chosen above) at least 120 credits. Please note: not all modules necessarily run every year, and we regularly introduce new modules.

• Comparative Corporate Governance
• Corporate Compliance
• Corporations in an EU Context              
• Introduction to Corporate Governance
• Introduction to Corporate Insolvency Law
• Introduction to Intellectual Property Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• International and Comparative Corporate Insolvency Law
• Takeover Regulation in the EU
• International Sales Law
• Advanced Issues in International Economic Law
• Advanced Issues of Intellectual Property Law
• EU Competition Law
• Commercial Fraud
• Introduction to EU Law
• Advanced Law of Obligations
• Law of Oil and Gas Contracts
• International Trade Law & Policy