MA Legal Studies (General Programme)
SOAS University of London
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 3 year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 17,000 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* full-time fees: UK £17,000; Overseas £24,650. Part-time 2 years fees: UK £8,500/year; Overseas £12,325/year. Part-time 3 years fees: UK £5,610/year; Overseas £8,135/year
Introduction
Mode of Attendance: Full-time or part-time
Our MA in Legal Studies programme gives students the opportunity to study at our vibrant School of Law with its unique focus on the legal systems and legal challenges of the Global South generally and Asia, Africa and the Middle East in particular. The programme allows students to create their own programme structure, choosing modules from a range covering comparative regional law, trade law, law and development, commercial law (including copyright and patent law), human rights, environmental law, Islamic law, dispute resolution, and international law.
All SOAS modules 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. In addition, students may be able to undertake modules outside of the School of Law, opening up SOAS’ array of world-leading options in languages, cultures, arts, humanities, politics, economics and finance, and beyond. Students complete the MA in Legal Studies by undertaking a dissertation, developing an extended research project on a topic of their own choice.
The MA may be taken full-time over a period of one year, or part-time over a period of two, three or four years.
Why SOAS?
Our MA in law teaching reflects our research strengths in the laws of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and in Islamic, international, human rights, commercial and trade, comparative, and environmental law. Much of our teaching concerns the critical study of law and the ways that law can be used to marginalise or to empower individuals and communities. In today’s globalised environment, our teaching also explores the study of the society in which the law operates, and the relationship of law to other structuring forces such as gender, sexuality, race, and economic status. All teachers on modules offered at SOAS are experts in their designated field, and many have years of experience advising governments, international and non-governmental organisations, or in professional practice. Undertaking the MA in law at SOAS brings you into the heart of a world-leading, one-of-a-kind law school to study the world’s most pressing legal issues.
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Ideal Students
Why you?
The MA in Legal Studies programme is ideal for those who wish to study law at a post-graduate level but do not already possess an undergraduate law degree. It is designed for those who wish to enhance their knowledge of law-related subjects to benefit their careers(e.g., journalists, NGO/INGO workers), and to expand their knowledge of, and critical engagement with, law, particularly as it relates to the Global South. You will join international alumni of LLM/ MA in law graduates at SOAS, many of whom are now working at the UN, in NGOs, in government, in private practice, in policy work or in academia. Since the MA in Legal Studies may be taken full-time or part-time, many students have been able to successfully combine their studies at SOAS with their existing careers.
Please note that all MA students are required to attend a two-week Law and Legal Methods Pre-sessional Module in September before they begin their MA.
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
To facilitate their study of law, all MA students are required to attend a two-week Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods in September before they begin their MA.
Students must take modules to a total value of 180, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules. Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits.
Students must take a minimum of 60 credits from the School of Law General Postgraduate Taught Modules List.
A further 60 credits can be taken from the same list, or from the SOAS Open Option Module List.
Finally, all students must complete the MA Dissertation in Law, a 12,000-word submission based on a Law topic of interest to the student.
Please note: Not all modules will be available every year.
Dissertation
Students must complete a Dissertation (12,000 words) in Law, which should be on a topic relating to their chosen MA specialism.
- MA Dissertation in Law
Pre-sessional Component
- Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods.
Taught Component
- Choose modules from the List of General Law Options below to the value of 60 credits.
and
- Choose a module from the List of General Law Options below or from Postgraduate Open Options to the value of 60 credits.
List of Linguistics Modules (subject to availability)
General Law Options
- Gender, Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies
- Human Rights and Islamic Law
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Human Rights Clinic
- International Investment Law
- Islamic Law (MA/LLM)
- Law and Development in Africa
- Law and Society in Southeast Asia
- Law and Society in the Middle East and North Africa
- Law, Rights & Social Change
- Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods
- International Migration Law
- International Refugee Law
- Law and Society in South Asia
- Mapping International Law in London: International Legal Geography in the Capital of Empire
- Law, Environment and Social Justice
- Law and Justice in Contemporary China
- Climate Change Law and Policy
- Colonialism, Empire and International Law
- Comparative Constitutional Law
- Foundations of International Law
- Human Rights of Women
- International Criminal Law
- International Protection of Human Rights
- Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Post Conflict Societies
- Law and Natural Resources
- Law and Policy of International Courts and Tribunals
- Law and Postcolonial Theory
- Islamic Law in Global Financial Markets
- Israel, Palestine, and International Law
- Multinational Enterprises and The Law
- The Law of Armed Conflict
- The Law of International Trade and/or Financial Regulation
- Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements (Law)
- Intellectual Property Law (PG)
- Human Rights of Women
- Law and Global Commons
- International Environmental Law I
- International Environmental Law II
- Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation (Law)
- Multinational Enterprises and the Law I
- Multinational Enterprises and the Law II
- Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy
- Comparative Company Law
- Israel, Palestine and International Law
- Palestine, Resistance, and the Law
- Alternative Dispute Resolution I
- Alternative Dispute Resolution II
- International laws on the use of force
- Gender, Armed Conflict and International Law
Open Options Note
Open options from the cross-faculty list will need the approval of deputy PG programme convenor (LLM or MA)
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.
English Language Requirements
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