Learn to think globally, tackling the complex and ever-changing regulation of businesses in the UK, Europe, and across the world.
Our LLM International Commercial and Business Law is a specialist course covering contemporary developments and debates related to the traditional and emerging forms of legal governance of domestic, European, and international commercial and consumer markets. You will improve your knowledge of the key theoretical and practical issues in this field; as well as your skills of analysis, evaluation and problem solving.
The course covers the ways in which good corporate governance and competitive markets are promoted, as well as how legal and soft law rules and codes regulate:
At Essex we specialise in commercial law, public law, and human rights law. We are 4th in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014) and we are ranked 51st for Law in the World University Rankings 2021.
Our law course will develop your intellectual and critical faculties, encourage you to think independently and teach you to present rational, coherent, and accurate arguments orally and in writing. It will provide you with an excellent foundation for any career.
Placement year
LLM International Commercial and Business Law with Professional Placement offers a unique opportunity for you to gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The placement is undertaken between the taught part of the course and the individual project. Its aim is to allow you to acquire industry experience and, especially, develop an appreciation of how the skills acquired in the taught part of the course can be applied to real-world work.
You’ll be responsible for securing your own work placement, but if you change your mind and decide not to do your placement, or if you are not able to secure a placement, you can start your dissertation earlier and complete your Masters in the first year.
Your future
Our School of Law graduates have gone on to a wide variety of careers in international and intergovernmental organisations or employment with governments across the world, in commerce and banking, in non-governmental organisations and, as might be expected, in the legal profession and the judiciary.
During the year, we hold a careers session for our students in which we reflect upon our own careers and how they have been built as well as those from former students. We are always available to discuss career options and if you are interested in a particular area of the law, we can link you up with the relevant alumni to offer advice.
We also work with the university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution
September 2025
Colchester Campus
University of Essex,
Wivenhoe Park,
Colchester,
Essex,
CO4 3SQ, England
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
At Essex, students learn to think differently, find new ways of doing things and adopt new techniques for solving problems.