Overview
Shaping professional futures
With over 30 years of expertise, LSBU Law has shaped the professional futures of thousands of law students. This course offers a mixture of international human rights law, development studies and refugee studies modules. You'll explore contemporary debates in the context of specific countries and themes.
You'll gain knowledge of the protection of international human rights within the context of international development and refugee practice and the role of a rights-based approach to international development practice.
Why Law at LSBU?
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- Ranked 12th overall in the UK for Teaching Quality in Law (Sunday Times 2022)
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- Expert academics – our teachers are qualified solicitors and barristers, passing on their insights, real-world case expertise and passion for law.
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- Outstanding facilities – with complete online support and access to a personal law e-library worth £6000.
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- The School of Law enjoys strong links with the South London Law Society, and cooperates with them to provide a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for local practitioners and members of the Society.
| ModeFull-time | Duration12 months | Start dateSeptember | Application code3669 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
Location
London South Bank University student union is located at 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA.
If you are visiting our Southwark Campus, you may wish to use our downloadable campus map (PNG File 466 KB). For information on accessibility, see our DisabledGo access guides. See our location page for more details.
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Entry Level Requirements
- An LLB (Hons) Law degree at 2:2/Bachelor degree equivalent to UK Second Class Honours Lower Division.
- UK graduates with a non Law degree (2:2) and relevant knowledge and experience.
- Individual applications for accreditation of prior learning and experience will be considered in accordance with the FAHS Policy on APL and APEL.
- We welcome equivalent qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.5, Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.
Choose your country
Select country here:
United Kingdom
£9045
Tuition fees for home students
International
£16900
Tuition fees for international students
Tuition fees are subject to annual inflationary increases. Find out more about tuition fees
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Full-time
full-time
LLM International Human Rights And Development (FT) - Year 1
UK fee: £9045 International fee: £16900 AOS/LSBU code: 3669 Session code: 1FS00
For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for postgraduate students.
See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 391 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).
Possible fee changes
The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.
The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.
Postgraduate loan (PGL) for Masters study
If you are starting a Masters course, studying either full- or part-time, you may be entitled to apply for a postgraduate study loan. Find out more at our postgraduate fees and funding section.
Scholarships
We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on funding your studies on the scholarships and fee discounts page.
Fee status
Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.
International students
The course is not currently open to international students.
International (non Home) applicants should follow our international how to apply guide.
Home/EU applicants
| Mode Full-time | Duration 12 months | Start date September | Application code 3669 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
Postgraduate students and research students should apply through our dedicated application system. Full details of how to do this are supplied on our How to apply section for postgraduate students and our How to apply section for research students.
See our admissions policy (PDF File 1,043 KB) and complaints policy (PDF File 516 KB).
Accommodation
Students should apply for accommodation at London South Bank University (LSBU) as soon as possible, once we have made an offer of a place on one of our academic courses. Read more about applying for accommodation at LSBU.
Finance
It's a good idea to think about how you'll pay university tuition and maintenance costs while you're still applying for a place to study. Remember – you don't need to wait for a confirmed place on a course to start applying for student finance. Read how to pay your fees as a postgraduate student.
Postgraduate Application Service
Book a session with one of our specialist Postgraduate Advisors. Over a one on one Advice Session they'll advise you on postgraduate degrees at LSBU that match your interests and experience.
Prepare to start
We help our students prepare for university even before the semester starts. To find out when you should apply for your LSBU accommodation or student finance read the How to apply tab for this course.
Enrolment
Before you start your course we’ll send you information on what you’ll need to do before you arrive and during your first few days on campus. You can read about the process on our Enrolment pages.
Preparatory Reading List
- Steiner, H.J. et al (2008): International human rights in context: law, politics, morals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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Semester 1 Core (September-Middle of January)
- Contemporary issues in development (COMPULSORY)
The module aims to provide a comprehensive and detailed introduction to the contemporary challenges facing developing countries in the coming years. Topics vary from one year to the next, but currently the focus is on issues of poverty and poverty reduction; aid and its effectiveness; debt and debt servicing; governance and transparency; the environmental impact of development; patterns of inequality; the impact of urbanisation; and more generally, on changing economic relations within the world economy following the 2008-9 global crisis and subsequent events. The course also assesses the main developing strategies followed by selected middle and low-income countries, with detailed case studies drawn from Asia, Africa and Latin America. It also examines these topics from a gender perspective.
Aims: The module aims to introduce students to the analysis of general issues of development by focusing on selected subjects amenable to an interdisciplinary approach. Topics are selected for their contemporary relevance and for their importance to the future development of developing countries. They are also areas around which there exist thorough, detailed and accessible bodies of literature. - International law and human rights (COMPULSORY)
You'll study core subjects such as the nature and development of international law, sources of international law, the subjects of international law, international institutions and the international protection of human rights. The aim of this module is to develop your intellectual, practical and transferable skills in the context of International Public Law and the protection of human rights. - Research methods (COMPULSORY)
This module is essential to understanding the development, implementation, and analysis of graduate level research in legal studies. It is designed to assure that you have a comprehensive knowledge of research design development, and the ability to review and understand journal articles in various subjects of common law. The ultimate purpose of the Module is to encourage you to become engaged in independent legal research in order to be able to submit successfully the dissertation of 15,000 words by the end of the course. You'll build on the research skills already acquired in undergraduate studies by covering topics such as literature review, research presentation and research evaluation, with an emphasis on practical exercises. - International Human Rights & Development (COMPULSORY)
Students will study Human Rights and Development in the context of specific countries and themes. Lectures will introduce students to key topics such as the UN procedures and Human Rights Activism. Students will then research these topics in the context of a specific country (such as Myanmar, Nigeria or Pakistan) and theme (such as Forced Labour, Fair Trial, Torture or Violence against Women). Seminar discussion will be based on students’ research on their selected country and theme. There will be an emphasis on developing effective strategies for combating human rights abuses. Assessment is by a single piece of Coursework.
Semester 2 Core (End of January - Middle of May)
Semester 2 Options (End of January - Middle of May) -Students must undertake two optional modules
- Comparative Law –Legal Traditions of the World (OPTIONAL)
Students study and compare key concepts of two or more major legal systems of the world – Arabic, Chinese, Civil Law and Common Law. They study the basic underlying philosophies and methods of each legal system and key topics such as Law making & judicial decision making, Human Rights, the rule of law, contract and commercial law and dispute resolution. Students can also take part in an intensive study visit abroad. This allows them to analyse and evaluate the similarities and differences of approach between the different legal systems. Students then choose one of these topics as the subject for a written coursework researching, analysing and evaluating the different approaches between the different legal systems. - International Business, Human Rights & CSR (OPTIONAL)
The module examines issues in the field of business and human rights and the international context of corporate social responsibility, which is of central importance in an era of increasing globalization. The module will assess the intersection of transnational business operations and efforts to promote international human rights. The module begins with a review of the international debate on corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and traces the emergence, within the UN, of the "Protect, Respect and Remedy" Framework. Cases and mechanisms are examined through which corporations might be held accountable for their impact on human rights. The module also examines the ways in which both domestic and international legal systems seek to regulate the problem of corruption and bribery, looking at the Bribery Act 2010 and the United Nations Convention against Corruption. - International Criminal Law (OPTIONAL)
This module focuses on the legal principles that have emerged within traditional notions of international law and criminal law and will analyze the developing international standards, cooperation, and enforcement mechanisms aimed at preventing and prosecuting certain types of criminal activity. This module will examine the substantive crimes that have evolved in the field of international law and will emphasize the interpretation and application of international standards in the context of criminal prosecutions. - International Refugee Law (OPTIONAL)
The objective of the Module is to enable students to place the law in its context and develop a critical appreciation of the law’s content, application and possible reform. Students will learn the centrality of law in protecting the rights of refugees - in this field, perhaps more than any other, actions are often motivated on the basis of humanitarianism: refugees are assisted out of a benevolent and charitable spirit. This has pernicious consequences, including disempowering the refugees and forced migrants and creating a haphazard, unreliable system of assistance. Understanding that all forced migrants are the holders of rights, and part of an international regime of protection, is the essential basis on which to take forward work in this field.
The module begins with an introduction to the basic principles of international law that are central to understanding how international refugee law operates. Next, students will examine how refugee law is “brought to life” through a discussion of the relevant domestic and international institutions and mechanisms. The last four classes deal with the substantive content of international refugee law: students will learn who a refugee is; they will learn about non-refoulment, and a possible right to asylum; about exclusion and cessation; and about international law relating to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The final section of the course will examine specific issues in refugee law: the overlap between refugee protection and trafficking, gender based persecution; they will learn about the international legal regimes that apply to refugees at sea, and to the trafficking of people; also, the common European asylum system will be reviewed and critically assessed compared to other systems of refugee protection.
The course will conclude with a debate on the future directions of international refugee law.
Semester 3 Core ( Middle of May - September)
- LLM Dissertation June-September (COMPULSORY)
The Dissertation module requires completion of a 15000 words Master's level dissertation in an area consistent with, and appropriate to (and, if relevant, the specialist pathway within) the degree being sought. You'll be required to virtually independently conceive, plan and execute an appropriate piece of research based on firm academic foundations. In doing so, the dissertation is required to address an issue or matter of some importance within the areas and/or disciplines encompassed across the Master's degree being sought.
Please note that although most optional modules run, we do not guarantee to run every optional module each year. Not all option combinations are available due to timetabling restrictions.
Careers
Employability Service
At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:
- An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
- Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.
Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.
You'll graduate with the necessary knowledge and skills to work in the fields of law, human rights and development (either in the UK or abroad) as advisors, experts, researchers and policy makers.
With a background in law, you might practise in human rights, immigration and asylum, and public law.
With a development studies background you might go on to practice in the NGO sector employing a rights-based approach to development.
Through our growing pool of visiting fellows and professors, the Law Department has developed a strong network of contacts with leading law practitioners in the UK. Many members of the Law Department are practitioners, or retain strong links with the legal profession. We enjoy strong links with a number of leading European Law Faculties, including Universitie Cergy Pontoise in France, INHOLLAND University in the Netherlands and Zagreb University in Croatia.
Recent guest lecturers:
- Ko Aung, Burma Human Rights Campaigner;
- Vera Baird, QC, MP;
- Joel Bennathan, QC, Barrister;
- Sir Geoffrey Bindman, Solicitor;
- Imran Khan, Solicitor;
- Roger Smith, Director of Justice.
Teaching and Assessment
LSBU Law has a strong set of experts, consultants and international advisors in the field of Human Rights and hosts a number of annual events and conferences.
Head of the Law Department, Andy Unger, has worked as a consultant in former communist countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia. In the South Caucuses, his most recent working has been with the British East-West Centre, designing and supervising the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded projects offering human rights training to lawyers and justice officials in the region.
Senior Lecturer in Law, Caron Thatcher, has observed elections in many parts of the former Soviet Union including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and also in Russia itself and monitoring the final election of Mr. Putin in 2004.
