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Public International Law LLM

Part of: Law

The Public International Law LLM will offer you a unique opportunity to study the role and place of law in international affairs. Questions of international law are an increasingly important part of domestic litigation in almost all jurisdictions.

 

  • Be taught by top class academics with extensive experience in the study and application of international law
  • Your fellow students will come from the UK and more than 80 other countries, each able to draw on prior academic and professional experience from different jurisdictions 

Study options

Starting in
September 2025
Location
Mile End
Fees
Home: £19,800
Overseas: £31,500
EU/EEA/Swiss students

What you'll study

Modules for the LLM in Public International Law cover a wide range of issues related to international law and governance, including the rights of the child, conduct of hostilities, international tax law, climate change law, terrorism migration and human rights. Please note that not all modules will be available in any one year.

You will be offered a varied selection of taught modules from which you can choose, enabling you to gear your qualification to set you on your desired career trajectory. You do not have to choose your modules until you have had the opportunity to learn about them in greater detail during your comprehensive induction period.

You will have voluntary access to an excellent series of lectures in Critical Thinking and Writing in Law to help you to improve your writing and research in law skills.

We only allow one application from our range of LLM programmes so please ensure you apply for your main programme of interest. Please note you can request to change programme at offer stage via your MYSIS admissions portal and also request this after enrolment via the School of Law Taught Programme office.

Join the Queen Mary Network and speak to our community about this programme.

Structure

You will need to complete 180 credits in total:

Full year programme:

  • 150 credits of taught modules
  • 30 credits by dissertation of 10,000 words

Please see the academic year plan for an idea of the structure of the programme and key periods of assessment.

Masters Open Evening

Masters Open Evening

Join us at Mile End campus for our next postgraduate open event on Wednesday 5 February 2025 and see why Queen Mary is the perfect place to take your academic or professional journey to the next level.

Register now

Modules

Assessment

  • You will be assessed by a range of methods combining examinations and coursework which will be fully explained in your student pack available during induction.
  • For your dissertation, you will undertake more self-directed research and writing work with the support of an allocated supervisor.

FAQs

Read our FAQs for more information about applying to us.


                Murathan Arslancan, Public International Law LLM (2022)

I would definitely recommend this course for those who want to work in international organisations or for foreign services in their countries since this programme does not only offer modules on conventional topics like “The Law of Treaties”, “Use of Force in International Law” but also on new hot topics such as “International Environmental Law”, “Climate Change Law”, “Cybercrime”, “AI, Human Rights and Migration”.

Murathan Arslancan, Public International Law LLM (2022)

Teaching

You will be taught by a mixture of formal lectures and small group seminars. The seminars are designed to generate informed discussion around set topics, and may involve student presentations and group exercises as well as open discussion.

You will have a team of advisers to support you, including the LLM and Research Directors, your dissertation supervisor and your module convenors.

 

Where you'll learn

Facilities

  • Free access to online databases and collections including: LexisNexis, Westlaw, Justis, Eur-lex, Hein-Online and many more
  • The Postgraduate School of Law Centre in Lincoln's Inn Fields and the Graduate Centre at Mile End
  • Queen Mary’s excellent Law Library and European Documentation Centre
  • Access to the University of London’s Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) and the Library at Senate House

Campus

Teaching is primarily based at the School of Law's Mile End campus. Being one of the largest self-contained residential campuses in London, the Mile End campus houses the University's library and is located on the doorstep of London’s legal district. Our academics and students interact with leading legal professionals, many of whom regularly teach and take part in our seminars and conferences.

Depending on the modules you choose, you may also have classes at Lincoln's Inn Field or at one of the Queen Mary central campus locations (Charterhouse Square or West Smithfield).

Administration for this programme is based at Lincoln’s Inn fields.

About the School

The School of Law

The School of Law is part of Queen Mary University of London, a member of both the University of London and the Russell Group. The School was ranked 7th in the UK and 32nd in the world by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023, and 10th in the UK and 50th in world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 by subject.

The School of Law has consistently been ranked in the top 10 law schools in the UK for the quality of our research and teaching, and many of our internationally recognised staff act as advisers to governments, industry and NGOs, both nationally and internationally.

The School's central focus is on the role of law and its institutions in contemporary international society. The School of Law is divided into two organisational units: the Department of Law and the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS). The School of Law hosts the largest and most diverse LLM programme in the UK.

 

Contact us

School of Law

Career paths

This programme will enhance your career options by allowing you to specialise in the highly relevant area of international law. There is a very high rate of employment of our students within six months of graduation. We have specialist career advisers who organise events and assist with finding internship opportunities at UK and international law firms and other employers.

You can expect to develop or pursue a career in a career in private legal practice, diplomatic service, or to work with non-governmental organisations. Graduates have gone on to work as:

  • Counsel at the World Bank Group
  • an Instructional Designer at the top law e-learning company

After graduating from Queen Mary, you join our network of alumni from over 100 countries, and get access to exclusive benefits and networking opportunities.

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The LLM at Queen Mary is structured quite flexibly, giving students the opportunity to maximise on teaching whilst also having the time to pursue other co-curricular activities. As a result, whilst I am pursing my LLM, I am also working with Queen Mary’s Legal Clinic (qLegal) and the Global Institute of Law as a Research Fellow.

Tanya Leila Shaar, Public International Law LLM (2022)

Fees and funding

Full-time study

September 2025 | 1 year

Conditional deposit

Home: Not applicable

Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits

Part-time study

September 2025 | 2 years

The course fee is charged per annum for 2 years. Note that fees may be subject to an increase on an annual basis - see details on our tuition fees page.

Conditional deposit

Home: Not applicable

Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits

Queen Mary alumni can get a £1000, 10% or 20% discount on their fees depending on the programme of study. Find out more about the Alumni Loyalty Award

Funding

There are a number of ways you can fund your postgraduate degree.

School of Law scholarships

The School of Law offers a range of scholarships for Law Masters programmes each year. Full details are made available on the law funding page from October – November each year.

Other sources of funding

Our Advice and Counselling service offers specialist support on financial issues, which you can access as soon as you apply for a place at Queen Mary. Before you apply, you can access our funding guides and advice on managing your money:

Entry requirements

UK

Degree requirements

A 2:1 or above at undergraduate level in Law or a degree with substantial law content.

Law graduates with a 2:2 honours degree who also have other legal qualifications and/or substantial professional legal experience may also qualify.

Other routes

Non-law graduates with a minimum second class honours degree, that have also obtained a Merit (or 60 per cent) in the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) recognised by the UK professional bodies, may also qualify. Non-law graduates may also be considered on the basis of exceptional professional experience (of at least five years) in a legal area or an area directly related to their programme of study.

Find out more about how to apply for our postgraduate taught courses.

International

English language requirements

All postgraduate programmes in this school have non-standard English language requirements.

For the English language requirements for this course, see programmes with non-standard English language requirements .

Visas and immigration

Find out how to apply for a student visa.

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