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International Law and the Environment LLM

International Law and the Environment LLM

Different course options

Full time | Keele University | 1 year | SEP

Study mode

Full time

Duration

1 year

Start date

SEP

Key information
DATA SOURCE : IDP Connect

Qualification type

LLM - Master of Laws

Subject areas

Environmental Studies International Law

Course type

Taught

Course Summary

The world is experiencing an unprecedented environmental crisis. New international norms, standards, institutions and practices have been established to address problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, or transboundary pollution. This LLM examines the ways in which international law governs the relationship between mankind and the natural world, and the ties between environmental regulation and other fields of law, such as trade or human rights law. You’ll learn about various transnational legal processes – from renewable energy directives, to the control of transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous wastes – designed to prevent and respond to environmental challenges.

COURSE SUMMARY

International law is an increasingly important field of study and practice. The regulation of financial markets, environmental protection, the management of migrations, or the prosecution of war criminals are all areas in which international law plays a central role.

On the LLM in International Law and the Environment, you’ll improve your understanding and awareness of environmental law, learning how to leverage the law to protect the environment and how organisations can adhere to it.

Keele School of Law is an internationally recognised centre for cutting-edge, socially relevant legal research, which tackles some of the most pressing challenges facing society today. Key research themes include: Social Justice and Human Rights; International and European Law; Ethics, Health and Social Care; Legal Education, Innovation, and Practice; Gender, Sexuality, and Law.

The wide range of staff expertise enables us to offer four specialist pathways in: Commerce and Business; the Environment; Human Rights; and Politics. This also considerably broadens the scope for potential interdisciplinary research topics; a fascinating range of dissertation topics chosen by past students covers areas as diverse as the law of the sea to the principles of state extradition.

You can also choose from a wide range of elective modules offered both within the Law School and other faculties, for example, Keele Business School. To complement your studies, you can study a modern language, including key UN languages such as French, Russian and Spanish.

Students frequently tell us one of the highlights of the course is the annual study trip to Geneva to see international law-making, diplomacy, arbitration and humanitarian efforts in action within organisations such as the WTO, UN’s European headquarters and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Modules

The production of a 15,000 to 20,000-word dissertation provides an exciting opportunity to work under the supervision of an expert in your chosen field of interest, demonstrating a level of knowledge and understanding far beyond what you have learned in class. You?ll be supported to develop the research skills needed to conduct an extended piece of work on a topic of your choice, analysing existing relevant research. Some students start the course with a clear idea about what they want to write about, but others find and develop particular interests as the course progresses. Examples of recent dissertation topics by students on this pathway include: international legal obligations for environmental standards; environmental refugees and international law; and environmental norms as erga omnes obligations.

Tuition fees

UK fees
Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

£8,900

International fees
Course fees for EU and international students

For this course (per year)

£17,700

Entry requirements

Students should have a first or second class honours degree (or foreign equivalent) in Law or a related discipline. Applications are welcome from current legal practitioners or any other person with appropriate professional qualifications and/or experience.