Course description

Johannes Rost

The course focuses less on specific English legal issues and more generally on critical analysis, legal theory and background information.

This has been very useful for a broader understanding of the subject, especially as I will not be working in the UK.

Johannes Rost / Intellectual Property Law LLM Graduate

The LLM in Intellectual Property (IP) Law gives students an in-depth understanding of the law concerning intellectual property and patents in modern business.

Our IP experts take you through the economic, social and philosophical aspects of IP law development and encourage students to critically analyse the current legal framework.

You will gain advanced knowledge in IP law and concomitant policy, and learn about national and international grant enforcement and defence of intellectual property rights on a multi-jurisdictional basis.

Aims

¿ Develop students' understanding of the law concerning intellectual property and patents in modern business.¿ With experts in intellectual property law, students examine the economic, social and philosophical aspects of IP law development, advancing their knowledge in IP law and concomitant policy, and learning about national and international grant, enforcement and defence of intellectual property rights on a multi-jurisdictional basis.¿ Connect the wider IP profession to important industry sectors such as life sciences, healthcare, communications and information technology.

Special features

Our award-winning careers service offers you all-year-round dedicated postgraduate support including employability sessions, and advice for those aspiring to a PhD and career in academia.

Teaching and learning

We use various teaching methods across the course to enable you to participate in debate and hone the analytical and reasoning skills vital to legal and business professionals.

Coursework and assessment

Most course units are assessed by standard methods - either one unseen written examination, or one coursework essay, or a combination of these two methods of assessment.  The assessment method of each individual course unit is listed in the course unit description on The School of Law website.

The course has a compulsory research component, in which students have to submit a 14,000 to 15,000 words dissertation (60 credits). The research element of the course is supported by weekly research methodology lectures delivered throughout semesters one and two designed to improve students' legal writing and research skills. For specialised streams, dissertation topic must be within those streams while for general LLM dissertation topics must be within one of the modules chosen by the student.

Course unit details

You will be doing 180 credits in total, 120 of which will be taught modules and the remainder 60 credits in the form of a dissertation.

The LLM course will typically offer around 30 different course units in any one year, and will always reflect a wide range of subjects across the legal spectrum. There will usually be course units offered on such diverse topics as international trade and corporate law, financial services regulation, European law, international economic law, intellectual property law, human rights law, corporate governance, and law and finance in emerging markets.

Course units are of the value of 15 or 30 credits. You will be required to select course units to a total of 120 credits, and so must choose a minimum of four course units or may be able to choose a maximum of eight course units to make up your course of study.  This involves taking one core course unit ( International Financial Services Regulation ) of 30 credit value, and the remaining 90 credits from an approved list of commercial law options.

The course has a compulsory 14,000 to 15,000 words dissertation (60 credits). The taught element of the degree programme will total 120 credits and the research element of the degree programme will total 60 credits i.e. you will study 180 credits for a master's programme. The dissertation must be within the area of one of the units you have chosen. The research element of the course is supported by weekly research methodology lectures delivered throughout semesters one and two designed to improve your legal writing and research skills.