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Coursework Degrees

In our flagship Master of Laws (LLM) by coursework programme, a wide variety of courses is available, taught by the most highly-qualified academic faculty. All students are enrolled as Master of Laws (LLM) candidates, with the option to pursue concentrations in a variety of areas such as Corporate and Financial Services Law, Intellectual Property & Technology Law, International & Comparative Law, Maritime Law and Asian Legal Studies.

In order to obtain a concentration, students will have to complete 24 credits or 6 courses (out of a possible 40 credits or 10 courses) in a relevant subject area concentration. These students will then have the option of graduating with an LLM degree with the specific concentration indicated on their degree scrolls, or an LLM degree with no concentration indicated. Alternatively, students may opt from the outset to take any 40 credits of courses and graduate with an LLM degree with no concentration. The latter option affords maximum flexibility in course selection according to the student’s individual preferences and interests.

The following concentrations are available:

Corporate & Financial Services Law – this concentration includes electives in banking (domestic and international), company law and corporate finance, financial services and securities, and taxation. It enables students to acquire both a theoretical base and a practical expertise in the subjects involved. Singapore, as the commercial hub of Asia, is an ideal place for the pursuit of these subjects. 

Intellectual Property & Technology Law – this concentration focuses on legal issues raised by the rapid advancement of science and technology. The courses offered include traditional intellectual property law courses, including those on copyright, patents, designs, trademarks and confidential information; as well as others specifically focused on the relevant technologies, such as biomedical law, telecommunications law and internet law. 

International & Comparative Law – this concentration offers a good mix of public and private international law and comparative law subjects. There are courses that focus on trade, investment and commercial issues; as well as those covering subjects such as public international law, human rights and environmental protection. There are also specialized courses offering a comparative focus on the laws of major countries such as China, the U.S., the E.U. nations, India, Indonesia, Korea and Vietnam. 

Maritime Law – this new concentration enables students to obtain specialized knowledge in legal matters relating to commercial shipping, marine insurance, shipping regulation and ocean policy. These are areas of great importance to Singapore (given its status as a global port) as well as the region. Overseas students accepted into this concentration will normally do it full-time within one academic year. Students working for companies based in Singapore who are supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore will normally do the course part-time and complete it within two academic years. This flexibility is also open to students in the Graduate Diploma in Maritime Law and Arbitration, which is designed for the non-lawyer professional. 

Asian Legal Studies – this new concentration adds to the diversity of the NUS law school’s graduate offerings, and rides on the momentum generated by the Asian Law Institute (ASLI), established in the law school in 2003. This innovative concentration – one of only a handful available globally - allows students to study in depth the laws, legal systems, institutions and legal traditions of South, Southeast, and East Asia. It also affords the opportunity to focus on particular areas of law (e.g. commercial law, constitutional law and international law) as these are treated across the dynamic continent that is Asia. The concentration will enable students to understand not only the law in its wider socio-cultural context, but to appreciate its linkages with regional commerce, trade and politics.

We also offer a specialized LLM in International Business Law which is taught at NUS in Singapore and the East China University of Politics and Law in Shanghai.

In partnership with the New York University School of Law, we also offer NYU@NUS – a dual LLM degree programme pursuant to which students receive an LLM from NUS (with or without a concentration) and an LLM from NYU.

From August 2008, we are starting two double degree programmes with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy – the LLM-MPP and the LLM-MPA. For more information, please click here.