MA in International Law

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or part-time

The SOAS MA in International Law provides a diverse and unique range of courses that interrogate critically the theory and practice of international law and explore cutting edge topics of contemporary significance particularly as they relate to the global south: refugee law and the migrant crisis; climate change and natural resources; the rights of women; gender and armed conflict; international criminal law; the law of armed conflict; multinational enterprises and human rights; sustainable development; and conflict resolution, peace-building and transitional justice.

At SOAS you will not only gain fresh insights into the fundamentals of international law; you will have the opportunity to engage with issues that reflect the research specialisms of our expert teaching staff.

How Do We Teach? How Do You Learn?

The MA in international law adopts an innovative, interdisciplinary, and critical approach to teaching and learning that draws on the wider international community of academics, legal practitioners and NGOs both in London and internationally. The various courses deploy a range of innovative teaching and learning methods including student-led research conferences, student blogs; meet-the-author book review sessions; film reviews; re-enactments of historic international legal events; international law mooting or pleading; and simulated peace negotiations.

In addition to your chosen courses, as an international law masters student, you will join the International Law Master Class. This is a non-assessed course designed to build a research community and nourish your legal research and writing skills, your powers of critical thinking, and your international legal imagination. The Master class meets fortnightly and, in any year, may comprise: a walking tour of the international legal geography of London; an archival tour of the international legal history of London; a classroom tour of critical approaches to international law; a practitioner’s tour of contemporary cases in international law; dissertation speed dating; dissertation boot camp; writing retreats; and, uniquely, the opportunity to shape your own learning by selecting topics and speakers at the cutting-edge of international legal scholarship as part of the Afternoon Teas series of the Centre for the study of Colonialism Empire and International Law.

Why SOAS?

International Law occupies a central place in the SOAS School of Law and the SOAS School of Law occupies a central place in the wider international law community in London and internationally. The School of Law is home to the Centre for the study of Colonialism, Empire and International Law (CCEIL) ­– a hub for inter-disciplinary collaboration and research on international law and its historical and contemporary relationship to colonialism and empire. The Centre (together with the LSE) is also the institutional home of the London review of international law. As a post-graduate student on the international law masters programme, you will become a member of the Centre and join a vibrant research community of international legal scholars and a diverse community of students from all over the world. Together with our Doctoral students, you will play a role in CCEIL’s research and other activities: hosting the Student Salon; assisting with CCEIL’s events, and organising Afternoon Teas as part of the International Law Master Class. You will also benefit from the various collaborations with other research communities in the Law School, at SOAS and beyond.

Why You?

This programme is ideal for graduates or professionals with no law background but an interest in the theory and practice of international law, particularly as it relates to the global south. You will join international alumni of graduates from the MA at SOAS many of whom are now working at the UN, in NGOs, in government, in policy work or in academia.

Please note that the MA is tailored to applicants who do not hold an LLB.

Structure

To facilitate the study of law, all MA students are required to attend a two-week Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods in September before beginning the MA programme.

Students must take modules to a total value of 180, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules. Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits.

Students who wish to graduate with a specialised MA are required to take at least 60 credits associated with his or her specialised MA, a further 30 credits within the School of Law (General Law Postgraduate Taught Module List), and a final 30 unit which can either be taken within the School of Law or from the Language Open Options or Non-Language Open Options pages with the MA Programme Convenor’s permission. The dissertation topic will be undertaken within the MA specialisation.

Please note: Not all modules listed will be available every year.

Dissertation

Students must complete a Dissertation (12,000 words) in Law, which should be on a topic relating to their chosen MA specialism.

• MA Dissertation in Law

Taught Component

• Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods

and

• Choose modules from the List A below to the value of 60 credits.

and

• Choose a module(s) from the List A or General Law Options below to the value of 30 credits.

and

• Choose a module(s) from the List of General Law Options below or from Postgraduate Open Options to the value of 30 credits.

List of Modules (subject to availability)

• List A
  • Climate Change Law and Policy
  • International Environmental and Sustainable Development Law
  • Law, Human Rights and Peace Building: The Israeli-Palestinian Case
  • Multinational Enterprises and The Law
  • Law and Natural Resources
  • International Protection of Human Rights
  • Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Post Conflict Societies
  • Colonialism, Empire and International Law
  • Foundations of International Law
  • Gender, Armed Conflict and International Law
  • Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics
  • Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies
  • International Criminal Law
  • International laws on the use of force
  • International Refugee Law
  • International Migration Law
  • Law and Postcolonial Theory
  • Law and Policy of International Courts and Tribunals
  • Law and Society in Southeast Asia
  • Law, Rights & Social Change
  • Mapping International Law in London: International Legal Geography in the Capital of Empire
  • The Law of Armed Conflict
  • The Law of International Trade and/or Financial Regulation
• General Law Options
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics
  • Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies
  • Human Rights and Islamic Law
  • International Commercial Arbitration
  • International Human Rights Clinic
  • International Investment Law
  • Islamic Law (MA/LLM)
  • Law and Development in Africa
  • Law and Society in Southeast Asia
  • Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
  • Law, Rights & Social Change
  • Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods
  • International Migration Law
  • International Refugee Law
  • Law and Society in South Asia
  • Mapping International Law in London: International Legal Geography in the Capital of Empire
  • Law, Environment and Social Justice
  • Law and Justice in Contemporary China
  • Climate Change Law and Policy
  • Colonialism, Empire and International Law
  • Comparative Constitutional Law
  • Foundations of International Law
  • Human Rights Of Women
  • International Criminal Law
  • International Environmental and Sustainable Development Law
  • International Protection of Human Rights
  • Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Post Conflict Societies
  • Law and Natural Resources
  • Law and Policy of International Courts and Tribunals
  • Law and Postcolonial Theory
  • Law of Islamic Finance
  • Law, Human Rights and Peace Building: The Israeli-Palestinian Case
  • Multinational Enterprises and The Law
  • The Law of Armed Conflict
  • The Law of International Trade and/or Financial Regulation
  • Water Law and Development: Conflicts, Governance and Justice
  • Water Law: Justice and Governance

Open Options Note
Open options from the cross-faculty list will need the approval of deputy PG programme convenor (LLM or MA)

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.

Admissions and Applications

You can apply for this course via the online application form.

We aim to assess a complete application and provide a decision within a 5-week time frame. Overseas students who require a Tier 4 visa and wish to join SOAS should bear in mind visa applications can take several weeks, so you should apply as soon as possible.

Consideration of Application

The whole application, including transcript and references, is considered before a decision is reached. You are therefore advised to submit a complete application including references and transcript (where required). An incomplete application will add considerable delays to the decision-making process.

Students will receive an acknowledgement of their application. Each application is carefully considered and although we try and respond as quickly as possible, we do ask that students should expect to receive a response within five weeks of receipt.

Candidates who are available in the United Kingdom may be called for an interview. The absence of academic members of staff (or instance on study leave) may affect the timing of decisions.

Entry Requirements

Minimum second class honours preferably in a related discipline.

English Language Entry Requirements

You must be able to show that your English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete your course at SOAS. Please note that we take our English language requirements seriously and failure to meet them exactly may well result in your application to SOAS being rejected. It is not possible to negotiate if your scores are below our required levels, with the expectation that because they are 'close enough' they will be accepted. It is important that you plan appropriately, well in advance, so that your English language test comes in good time and so that you have time to retake the test if necessary. We do not accept reasons of inconvenience or financial hardship for not submitting or retaking an English test.

International students

For EU and International students who need a visa, if unconditional entry scores are achieved we accept qualifications from several countries, as well as a range of international qualifications and tests.

If a Tier 4 entry visa is required then a SELT, such as UKVI IELTS may be needed. For this reason, we recommend all Tier 4 visa students to choose the UKVI IELTS Academic test as the test of first resort.