University of Glasgow

The University

The University of Glasgow is one of the world's top 100 universities and is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world. Founded in 1451, it has spent the last half-millennium earning an international reputation for research innovation, making connections with experts in global business, and inspiring thinkers, from eminent scientist Lord Kelvin to the father of economics, Adam Smith. Building on such vast experience, it’s no surprise that Glasgow is in the top 1% of the world’s universities today (Times Higher Education Supplement World Rankings).

Ranked in the top ten in the UK for research, and a member of the elite Russell Group of 20 major research universities, Glasgow provides an education that inspires respect from employers and satisfaction from students. Welcoming more than 15,000 undergraduates, 4,900 postgraduates and around 5,000 adult learners each year, it attracts students from Iceland to India, from Cardiff to Korea and from South America to the south of England. Finding community within diversity, the University’s students come from more than 120 countries around the world to build friendships and networks that last a lifetime.

The Law School

The study of law in Glasgow has a long and illustrious history. Distinguished alumni include eminent judges, politicians and scholars, as well as many others. Today, we remain one of Scotland's leading law schools, with just over 1,000 students and over 40 academic staff. The School provides a welcoming and intellectually stimulating environment for students, staff and academic visitors alike. At the last UK Research Assessment Exercise, we were awarded a rating of 5, indicating the high quality of research conducted by our staff, and we are home to a number of Research Centres. We also offer a very varied teaching programme at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and have adopted a number of innovative approaches to teaching.

The School is situated in the historic Stair Building, at the heart of the University's beautiful Gilmorehill campus in the West End of Glasgow.

As a University of Glasgow postgraduate student, you will be part of a dynamic and ever-increasing community of students. In the School of Law, we are committed to offering you the best academic experience possible.

The Program

The Master of Laws (LLM) is obtained by one year's full-time study, or two years' part-time study. We offer four specialised LLM programmes, in addition to the general LLM:

LLM in Corporate and Financial Law
LLM in International Commercial Law
LLM in International Competition Law and Policy
LLM in International Law

A specifically tailored two-week induction programme at the beginning of the academic year offers non-UK students useful information and guidance not only on learning methods, skills and assessment processes, but also on non-academic aspects of living in the city and studying at the University of Glasgow.

Social activities involving both staff and students are integrated into the programme.


LLM in Corporate and Financial Law

Our programme in Corporate and Financial Law brings together two important branches of the law that give rise to connected and overlapping legal issues. The increasing complexity of financial markets and instruments demands that the modern lawyer understands the structure and interplay of these two branches of the law. The interplay arises across the entire spectrum of the corporate lifecycle: in venture capital funding, issuing debt, initial public offers, governance arrangements, takeovers and insolvency. In each instance a clear view of the legal issues must be informed by an understanding of the corporate and financial law, ‘soft-law’ and market practice.

The LLM in Corporate and Financial Law is designed to meet the need for an in-depth understanding of these issues. It offers students a range of options that cover both the private law focus on the structuring of individual transactions and the public law focus on the regulation of financial institutions and markets. There is a strong international dimension to the programme in the form of comparative analysis, reference to international treaties and ‘soft law’ and consideration of the role of international institutions. There is also a strong focus on the theory and practice of regulation in the financial sector.

Options: Commercial Banking; Corporate Finance; Corporate Governance; Corporate Restructuring; Debt Finance and Security; Financial Regulation; International Capital Market Regulation; International Merger Control; Investment Structures and Funds

The programme is led by Professor Iain MacNeil who will be pleased to respond to any enquiries. I.MacNeil@law.gla.ac.uk


LLM in International Commercial Law

As the European Single Market and global markets continue to develop, specialist lawyers in commercial law are increasingly in demand. New developments in e-commerce and a shift towards the global marketplace mean that new legal skills and knowledge are constantly required in many public and private sector jobs. Commercial law has been a strength at Glasgow for many years.

It is designed for students who are interested in aspects of the law relating to the world of business and commerce. The range of courses offered on the programme provides a sound academic basis for students considering careers in commercial legal practice, whether in the UK or overseas, as well as those considering careers in areas such as banking, international trade and regulatory bodies. While the courses are based primarily on the law in the United Kingdom, there is a substantial international element to the programme: in some courses this arises from the use of international legal sources (such as conventions) while in others it arises from the nature of the transactions under consideration or a comparative analysis of the law in the UK. This offers the opportunity to learn about the law in the UK while also developing a broader international perspective.

Options: Carriage of Goods by Sea; Company Law; Competition Law Enforcement; Conflict Aspects of Commercial Law; Copyright in the Digital Environment; EC Trade Law; Financial Regulation; Intellectual Property Law; International Competition Law and Policy I; International Competition Law and Policy II; International Economic Law; International Environmental law; International Investment Law; International Merger Control; International Sale and Finance; Law of Commercial Banking

The programme is led by Professor Rosa Greaves, R.Greaves@law.gla.ac.uk


LLM in International Competition Law and Policy

This LLM takes a truly international approach to competition law, examining in particular the law of the European Community and the United States, but considering also the international developments at the supranational levels and the law in other jurisdictions. We offer four competition law courses with wide international coverage, giving the choice to students to focus their entire LLM studies on competition law courses.

The School has expanded its strength in competition law in recent years. Today, the School’s strength in this area is formidable. The team is Professor Mark Furse, Professor Rosa Greaves, and Dr Sandra Marco Colino. Professor Furse is the author of several key texts in the field and has recently published a new book: The Law of Merger Control in the EC and UK. Practitioners and enforcers of the law will give guest lectures to support and enhance the course.

Options: Competition Law Enforcement; International Competition Law and Policy I; International Competition Law and Policy II; International Economic Law; International Merger Control; Intellectual Property Law; Copyright in a Digital Environment.

The programme is led by Professor Mark Furse, email: M.Furse@law.gla.ac.uk


LLM in International Law

A distinctive feature of this programme is the unique blend of courses that offer an in-depth analysis of international law topics while locating these within a wider legal context. The international law programme is taught by a team that truly understands international issues: it consists of staff from the UK, Canada, Germany and Uzbekistan.

The programme consists of courses that primarily address the ‘public order’ dimension of the international legal arena. The courses offered as part of this programme cover such subject areas as international organizations, inter-state disputes, world trade, human rights, international criminal justice, and global economic order. They are aimed mainly at those students who have a career interest in government work (and the public sector in general), the international civil society, and academia.

Options: European Human Rights Law; Foundations of International Law; Globalisation, Constitutionalism and Human Rights; International Criminal law; International Economic Law; International Investment Law; The Settlement of International Disputes; United Nations Law.

The programme is led by Professor Christian Tams, C.Tams@law.gla.ac.uk


General LLM

The general LLM allows you to choose from the full range of master’s courses available at the School of Law. You have the opportunity to put together a programme of study that suits your own academic needs and which you may use to build on for future employment or academic specialisation. This allows for student flexibility in drawing on the academic and practical expertise available in the Law School.

For details of courses available, see individual programme entries.


Teaching and assessment

All LLM programmes are structured so as to require students to take four taught courses. The courses are normally assessed through the combination of course work and an examination which takes place at the end of the second semester. Teaching is based on a seminar method and class sizes are limited to a maximum of 25 participants. Students are also required to write a supervised dissertation on an approved topic during the summer after the end of teaching and exams.

In order to be eligible for a named specialist award the candidate is required to take at least three subjects which are relevant to the award area, and to submit a dissertation approved as falling within the area.

For full details of all the degrees offered by the School of Law, please see our website www.law.gla.ac.uk

Entry Requirements

Applicants must have a good first degree in law, or a first degree with a least 50% of the credits in law. Applicants must also demonstrate proficiency in English: the minimum standard is British Council IELTS band 6.5, with no component less than 6.0, or a TOEFL score of 577 (paper-based test), 237 (computer-based), 92 (ibt). Once admitted, students may be required to take a language class as part of their programme.

Further details please see: www.law.gla.ac.uk

Application Procedure

Applications can be made online at: www.gla.ac.uk/studying/pg.

Tuition and Fees

The School of Law offers a £2500 reduction on the overseas fees charged to applicants from the EEA who are non-EU nationals who come to the University of Glasgow to study for an LLM degree.

For details of fees, please see www.gla.ac.uk/services/registry/fees/

Financial Aid

The School of Law offers three scholarships to non-EU/EEA nationals who hold unconditional offers from the University of Glasgow to study for one of the LLM programmes offered by the School of Law. The scholarships, tenable from September 2009, take the form of a £4000 reduction from the overseas fee charged to non-EU/EEA nationals. The Scholarships will be awarded to the strongest applicants.

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2009. All non-EU/EEA applicants will be considered for the scholarships. Decisions will be made by 20 June 2009.

Further details please see: www.law.gla.ac.uk

Location

The City of Glasgow

As the only UK destination to feature in the Lonely Planet’s top 10 world cities list for 2008, it’s no surprise that Glasgow is home to the largest student population in Scotland. Glaswegians’ reputation for friendliness means that wherever the University’s students come from, they soon treat the city as their second home.

With three airports within 45 miles of the city, Glasgow offers easy access to the world, as well as life within one of Europe’s most exciting centres for culture.

Situated in the central belt of Scotland on the River Clyde, Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city, with a population of 600,000. It has more parks than any other city in Europe. It is an official Unesco ‘City of Music’, a rare accolade. Glasgow has excellent national transport links and an international airport 20 minutes from the city centre.

The University of Glasgow combines the benefits and security of a campus-style environment with close proximity to vibrant city life

• fantastic shopping in a city named the best place to shop outside London’s West End for the last four years running
• a legendary live music scene
• 14 museums displaying some of Europe’s richest collections, many for free
• a network of 27 sports centres, as well as three international football stadia
• a thriving collection of artists and galleries, including major collections by the city’s most famous architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh
• around 700 pubs, bars and nightclubs
• churches, mosques, temples and synagogues within easy reach
• 15 theatres and concert venues spanning innovative new work as well as traditional favourites
• countless local, national and international festivals celebrating everything from folk music and live art to food and film.

Want to find out more about studying at Glasgow? Then why not read a guide specially written by Lonely Planet which tells you all about our great city and of course the University.
www.gla.ac.uk/about/lonelyplanet