PG Certificate in Law
SOAS University of London
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 4 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 new 60-credit Postgraduate Certificate in Law allows students to apply and enrol into existing LLM law half-modules on a full-time basis for one term (either Term 1 or Term 2) only. Students who successfully complete the 60 credits in a single term will be conferred the PG Certificate in Law.
The new Postgraduate Certificate in Law 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, without having to enrol for a full LLM. The structure of the Postgraduate Certificate in Law allows students to create their own programme of study, choosing from a wide array of 15-credit modules, including those in comparative law, international law, law and development, commercial and trade law, human rights, environmental law, Islamic law and dispute resolution. The Postgraduate Certificate in Law can only be taken full time over a period of one term, either Term 1 or Term 2 of the academic year.
Why SOAS
Our Postgraduate Certificate 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 LLM 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
The Postgraduate Certificate in Law programme is ideal for law graduates, JD students and legal professionals who wish to expand their knowledge of, and critical engagement with, law, particularly as it relates to the Global South, without committing to a full LLM programme. With the PG Certificate in Law you will join an international network of alumni of the School of Law 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 Postgraduate Certificate in Law is taken full-time in only one term, or part-time, many students will be able to successfully combine their studies at SOAS with their existing careers or studies at other universities.
Please note that the PG Certificate in Law is restricted to applicants who hold an UK law degree or international equivalent, as well as second and third year Juris Doctor degree students.
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Students must take modules to a total value of 60, consisting of four (4) taught modules worth 15 credits at Level 7 from the list below (subject to availability).
- Colonialism, Empire and International Law
- Comparative Constitutional Law
- Law, Environment and Social Justice
- Foundations of International Law
- Gender and the Law of War
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies
- International Environmental Law II: Biodiversity, Wildlife & Habitats
- International Criminal Law
- International Environmental Law II: Biodiversity, Wildlife & Habitats
- International Investment Law
- International Refugee Law
- Law and Global Commons
- Law and Postcolonial Theory
- Law and Society in Southeast Asia
- The Law of Armed Conflict
- Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation (Law)
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.
Program Outcome
Knowledge and understanding
Students will acquire specialist knowledge of the chosen subject areas of law.
This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, knowledge and understanding of the following:
- the theoretical and practical underpinnings of law;
- the context in which law is made, interpreted, adjudicated, and amended;
- the role played by law in different social and economic environments;
- the role and function of legal institutions;
- the weight and significance of different sources and methodologies.
Students will develop knowledge of how to locate relevant materials and assess their relevance and/or importance.
Intellectual (thinking) skills
- Students should develop rigour in the analysis and assessment of legal arguments.
- Students should develop the ability to understand, summarise and critically assess differing perspectives on theoretical debates.
- Students should develop independence of thought and the confidence to challenge the accepted wisdom.
- Students should learn to identify issues and formulate questions for further research through independent work.
- Students will be encouraged to bring to bear their own previous experience and knowledge in addressing legal issues in an interdisciplinary manner.
Subject-based practical skills
The programme will help students develop the ability to:
- Write clear research essays and dissertations.
- Research in a variety of specialized research libraries and institutes and online, and retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources.
- Present seminar papers and defend the arguments therein.
- Discuss ideas introduced during seminars.
- Develop essay and dissertation research questions.
- Read legal source materials rapidly and critically.
- Present legal arguments in moots and debates.
Transferable skills
The programme will enable students to:
- Communicate effectively in writing.
- Structure and communicate ideas and arguments effectively both orally and in writing.
- Read and comprehend significant quantities of reading rapidly and effectively and develop critical faculties.
- Find and use a variety of written and digital materials, especially legal materials, in libraries and research institutes.
- Present (non-assessed) material orally.
- Develop teamwork skills.
English Language Requirements
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