International Law

The MA in International Law allows students to study international law and its application in a broad range of legal areas, including commerce, criminal law, humanitarian law, environmental law, and human rights. All SOAS courses are designed not only to introduce students to the general fields of law, but also to provide an understanding of how generic legal structures and processes may operate in non-Western social and cultural settings.

All teachers on courses offered at SOAS are experts in their designated field. Many have years of experience advising governments, international organisations or non-governmental organisation, and many also have been or continue to be legal practitioners.

Duration: One calendar year (full-time); Two or three years (part-time, daytime only)

Please note that all MA students need to take a two week Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods course before the teaching term begins.

Students are required to take three taught courses and a dissertation as follows:

• At least two courses from the list below
• The third option may be chosen from the MA General List, an approved language or can be from the list below
• Dissertation (10,000 words), on a topic related to the specialism of the degree (15PLAC999)

• Chinese Constitutionalism - 15PLAH043 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Climate change law and policy - 15PLAC154 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Colonialism, empire and international law - 15PLAH025 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Foundations of international law - 15PLAH021 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Gender, Armed Conflict and International Law - 15PLAH035 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2014/2015
• International environmental law - 15PLAC118 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Justice, reconciliation and reconstruction in post conflict societies - 15PLAC123 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• International Labour Law and Equality Rights - 15PLAC169 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• International law and global orders - 15PLAH019 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• International laws on the use of force - 15PLAH020 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• International protection of human rights - 15PLAC119 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Law and policy of international courts and tribunals - 15PLAH026 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Law, human rights and peace building: the Israeli-Palestinian case - 15PLAC133 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Law of international finance - 15PLAC135 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Multinational enterprises and the law - 15PLAC140 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• The law of armed conflict - 15PLAH022 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• World Trade Organisation Law - 15PLAH038 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

Upper second class honours preferably in a related disciplineEnglish language requirementsIn order to ensure that SOAS students have a sufficient standard of English to study effectively, we require overseas students to submit evidence, during the application process, of their current level of proficiency.Score for Unconditional EntryIELTS: Overall 7+ with at least 7 in all sub scoresTOEFL: iBT105+ with at least 25 in all sub scoresPearson Test of English - Academic: Score of 75 or above with at least 70 in all sub scores English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 TOEFL iBT® test: 105 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

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Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Scholarships and Bursaries

There are some scholarships and bursaries available for postgraduate students. These are very competitive and early application is advised.

· The Ahmad Mustafa Abu-Hakima Bursary (programme must include studying the history of the modern Arab world)

· AKS Postgraduate Bursary (in Korean Studies)

· Bernard Buckman Scholarship (MA Chinese Studies, for UK/EU fee paying students)

· The Canon Collins Scholarships at SOAS. There are two scholarships available available in 2013-14 for study at SOAS. These scholarships are for Masters study in any subject field. Open a national of and resident in one of the following countries:
Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The application process normally opens in December and closes in February, for study commencing in September the following year. Please go to the Canon Collins website and click "Apply for A Scholarship" and then "Canon Collins Scholarship for Masters Study in the UK" for further information on how to apply.

· Commonwealth Shared Scholarship (for students from African Commonwealth countries)

· D.G.Hall Scholarship (Taught Masters programmes at SOAS, for applicants holding a Burma/Myanmar passport)

· Felix Scholarships (for Indian students)

· Ferguson Scholarships (for African nationals from an African Country)

· HSBC SOAS Scholarships (MA Sinology & MA Chinese Literature, for UK/EU fee paying students)

· Kamran Djam Scholarships (MA Iranian Studies)

· Professor Stuart Wilson Scholarship (MA South East Asian Studies)

· Standard Chartered Scholarships (for a range of full-time Taught Masters programmes. The programmes relate to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East/NorthAfrica)

· Tibawi Trust Awards (for Palestinian students currently enrolled in a programme at SOAS)

· SOAS Master's Scholarships - Faculty of Arts & Humanities - (for any full-time taught masters programme in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities)

· SOAS Master's Scholarships - Faculty of Language & Cultures (for the full-time MA Gender Studies, MA Postcolonial Studies, MA Linguistics, MA Applied Linguistics & Language Pedagogy, MA Language, Documentation and Description, MA Translation Theory and Practice (Asian and African Languages)

· SOAS Master's Scholarships- Faculty of Law and Social Sciences (for any full-time master's programmes in the Department of Development Studies, Economics, Law, Politics & International Studies and Financial & Management Studies)

· Tallow Chandlers and M. W Beer scholarship (MA) (MA Anthropology of Food, for UK/EU fee paying students)

· William Ross Murray Scholarship (LLM, for students from a developing country)