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Study information

Programme Specification for the 2019/0 academic year

LLM Commercial Law

1. Programme Details

Programme nameLLM Commercial Law Programme codePTL1LAWLAW12
Study mode(s)Part Time
Full Time
Academic year2019/0
Campus(es)Streatham (Exeter)
NQF Level of the Final Award7 (Masters)

2. Description of the Programme

Studying a Master of Laws in Commercial Law offers a rewarding learning experience with opportunities to deepen your understanding of a range of commercial law topics, and to improve skills necessary at all levels of professional engagement with contemporary and future challenges facing businesses around the world.

The Exeter LLM is a rigorous programme of postgraduate study designed for the most ambitious and capable students. Delivered by some of the eminent scholars in commercial law, our LLM in Commercial Law allows you to create a bespoke programme of learning addressing your specific academic and professional needs, readying you to fulfil your career ambitions or for doctoral study.

In order to enhance students’ research and learning experiences and to create a vibrant community of postgraduate students enrolled in this programme, students will be affiliated with one of the research centres for the duration of their programme. This will provide a forum where students can present their dissertation outline, promoting discussions and receiving constructive feedback from fellow students and members of academic staff.

3. Educational Aims of the Programme

1. To provide you with a comprehensive understanding of key issues arising in commercial law across national and jurisdictional borders.
2. To enable you to identify, locate and critically appraise legal materials from a multi-jurisdictional perspective and connect these to contemporary problems of commercial law.
3. To enable you to assimilate extensive documentary legal and non-legal materials; to extract from them the material points; and to make reasoned judgments autonomously as to their application to contemporary problems of commercial law.
4. To enable you to apply principles and rules of commercial law to solve and analyse practical problems in a cross-jurisdictional context.
5. To enable you to reason logically, supporting the analysis with authority.
6. To provide you with the necessary intellectual and practical skills, such as problem-solving and legal reasoning, to enable you independently to develop a reasoned approach to contemporary problems of commercial law.
7. To provide you with the opportunity to enhance and develop your writing skills by completing a dissertation, and your oral skills by presenting seminar papers and/or your dissertation outline.
8. To prepare you for employment in private practice, corporate or public employment by developing your transferable and problem-based learning skills.

4. Programme Structure

The LLM in Commercial Law is available to study over 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. Taught components of the degree are delivered over the first and second terms leaving the third term and most of the summer to research, write and submit your dissertation. All the students are required to attend and pass a week-long, intensive induction module prior to the commencement of the first term of the year.

During the programme you will be required to study taught modules and write a dissertation which together will total 180 master level credits. The dissertation, of up to 15,000 words, is worth 60 credits and can be written on a topic of your choice, under the supervision of an expert in your chosen field. Remaining credits are obtained from a combination of taught modules, the majority of which comprise 30 credits and are taught across the first two terms.

5. Programme Modules

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.

You will choose optional modules, up to a total of 120 credits, from a regularly updated selection of international law modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. 

Description of the individual modules are given in full on the College website.

Students are also able to select up to 30 credits of modules taught in other departments at the University, for example on topics such as international relations, politics, business or ethics, subject to approval.   

Stage 1


Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
LAWM640 Dissertation 60Yes

Optional Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
LAWM044 Trademarks 30No
LAWM067 Carriage of Goods by Sea 30No
LAWM075 Copyright Law 30No
LAWM080 International Banking Law 30No
LAWM081 International Investment Law and Arbitration 30No
LAWM084 International Arbitration 30No
LAWM087 Competition Law 30No
LAWM089 Consumer Protection 30No
LAWM100 Mergers and Acquisitions 30No
LAWM101 Patent and Design Law 30No
LAWM105 Corporate Law and Governance 30No
LAWM112 Financial Markets Law and Regulation 30No
LAWM128 International Tax Law 30No
LAWM711 Environmental and Energy Law 30No
LAWM714 Oil and Gas 30No
LAWM132 WTO Law and Society 30No
LAWM130 International Commercial Law 30No
LAWM131 Artificial Intelligence and the Law 30No

6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of key elements of commercial law
2. Demonstrate the ability and skills to apply principles and rules of commercial law to solve and analyse contemporary problems of commercial law.

Weekly seminars

1. Essay or exam as appropriate

2. Essay or exam as appropriate

Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

3. Demonstrate the ability and skills to identify, locate and critically appraise legal materials and connect these to contemporary problems of commercial law.
4. Demonstrate the ability and skills to assimilate extensive documentary legal and non-legal materials; to extract from them the material points; and to make reasoned judgments autonomously as to their application to contemporary problems of commercial law.

Active engagement in seminar discussion

Formative assessment

3. Essay or exam as appropriate

4. Essay or exam as appropriate

Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

5. Demonstrate the ability to reason logically and support the analysis with appropriate authority.
6. Apply the intellectual and practical skills, such as problem-solving and legal reasoning, in developing a reasoned approach contemporary problems of commercial law.
7. Apply advanced writing skills by completing a dissertation, and oral skills by presenting seminar papers and/or your dissertation outline.

Active engagement in seminar discussion

Formative assessment

5. Essay or exam as appropriate

6. Essay or exam as appropriate

7. Dissertation

7. Programme Regulations

Classification

Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.

8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning

9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning

Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.

10. Admissions Criteria

Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.

11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.

(http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/fullcontents/)

12. Indicators of Quality and Standards

The programme is not subject to accreditation and/ or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).

13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards

The University and its constituent Colleges review the quality and standard of teaching and learning in all taught programmes against a range of criteria through the procedures outlined in the Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) Manual Quality Review Framework.

14. Awarding Institution

University of Exeter

15. Lead College / Teaching Institution

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)

16. Partner College / Institution

Partner College(s)

Not applicable to this programme

Partner Institution

Not applicable to this programme.

17. Programme Accredited / Validated by

Not applicable to this programme.

18. Final Award

LLM Commercial Law

19. UCAS Code

Not applicable to this programme.

20. NQF Level of Final Award

7 (Masters)

21. Credit

CATS credits

180

ECTS credits

90

22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group

23. Dates

Origin Date

11/03/2019

Date of last revision

11/03/2019