MA Environmental Law and Sustainable Development

• You should hold a law honours degree (minimum 2:2) from a recognised Higher Education institution or equivalent from a recognised overseas institution.
• Candidates who have successfully completed the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or the Common Professional Examination (CPE) will also be considered for admission onto the course.
• Non law graduates will also be considered for admission if they have relevant experience or if they have a degree in a related area of study such as business, politics or international relations.

English Language Requirement:

• IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all components

Core modules

• Research Methods we will develop your approach to legal research by introducing you to key skills and concepts.
• International Environmental Law  covers international legal principles and concepts relating to environmental protection in the context of wider political, ecological and economic issues.
• Natural Resources Law - examines the legal regulation related to natural resources, looking at the sources and legal concepts applicable to natural resource activities, with a particular focus on the oil, gas, water and forestry sectors.

Option modules

You will choose two modules from the following options:

• Globalisation and the Law - introduces you to what globalisation means in economic, political, cultural and social terms, and the legal consequences that derive there from. You will assess whether international law is equipped with instruments and institutions to regulate the consequences of globalisation.
• International Human Rights Law - examines the development of human rights protection in international law. We will consider the philosophical origins, as well as the international and regional legal instruments and institutions that provide support for human rights.
• International Environmental Law - covers international legal principles and concepts relating to environmental protection in the context of wider political, ecological and economic issues.

You will also choose three option modules from the list below:

• World Trade Organisation Law - examines the laws, law-making and adjudicative institutions of the World Trade Organisation. Particular attention is given to the procedures for dispute resolution and other 'covered agreements' relating to international economic law.
• European Environmental Law and Policy - looks at how EU environmental law has developed alongside international environmental law and how it has influenced national environmental laws within the EU.
• Shipping Law - gives you an understanding of the issues, constraints, interests and risks involved in the shipping industry and the role that sea transportation plays in international trade.
• Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility - focuses on the difference between the concepts of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, enabling you to assess the effectiveness of corporate governance and self-regulatory schemes.
• International Employment Law - centres on employment law in an international context. The module relates to many of the themes explored in the materials of the International Labour Office (ILO), in particular globalisation, flexicurity (flexibility v security), human rights and sustainability.

Dissertation

You will need to write a 15,000 word dissertation. This needs to be an original piece of work. You can satisfy this requirement by:

• carrying out empirical work that has not been done before
• synthesising issues not put together before
• looking at topics that people in the discipline have not looked at before
• examining existing knowledge in an original way, or
• bringing new evidence to bear on an old issue.