Swansea University
School of Law
The University and the School of Law
Swansea University is a traditional British university, founded in 1920. Winner of the inagural Times Higher Education Supplement Award for The Best Student Experience, Swansea University has once again made the Times Higher Education Supplement’s top 10 for the UK’s best student experience in 2009. Swansea University is a thriving academic community of some 12,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students reading and researching a broad spectrum of subjects. The Law School traditionally performs well in the national Student Survey conducted annually. For example, both in 2008 and 2009 Surveys the School was ranked first among the law schools in Wales.
The University is located on the coast, nestled within beautiful swathes of parkland west of the city centre and within easy reach of the picturesque fishing village of Mumbles.
The School of Law is a dynamic law school and hosts five specialist research centres: the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law, Richard Price Centre, Hywel Dda Institute, the Centre for Environmental and Energy Law and Policy and Centre for Criminal Justice and Criminology. Within these centres, world-leading academic research is undertaken by academics with international reputations.
Postgraduate courses and teaching
Postgraduate legal education at Swansea embraces both supervised research and taught specialist LLM degrees in International Maritime Law, International Commercial Law, International Trade Law, International Commercial and Maritime Law, International Business Law and Law and Globalisation. The degrees are of interest to domestic, European and international students. Our LLM programmes attract students from all over the world. Teaching methods are geared towards our students’ needs, conducted mainly through seminars and tutorials in small classes. All LLM courses are assessed by a combination of coursework and examination, with a 50% weighting normally given to each component in the final total assessment. To supplement the academic programme, the School runs a ‘Guest Lecture Scheme’ designed to enhance the practical and professional experience of our LLM students by introducing them to professionals from the City, policy makers, lawyers and insurers.
Postgraduate teaching, research excellence and job prospects
In the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment conducted by the UK Quality Assurance Agency, the teaching in the School was awarded the highest rating possible of ‘Commendable’, confirming the excellent standard of teaching.
Members of the School’s LLM team are active in research and are at the cutting edge of their discipline, publishing books and articles at the highest level. Consequently, in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008), an evaluation of the quality of research underway across the UK higher education institutions, 95% of research conducted in the Law School has been recognised to have achieved an international standard. This breadth of international level research activity was attained by only 11 of the 67 law schools taking part in the RAE exercise.
The School enjoys close links with many City law firms. For example, one of our professors on the LLM programme was a senior partner, and is now a consultant with, Ince & Co, a leading London law firm, well known for its expertise in international trade, insurance and shipping law. The Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law provides training programmes for London City solicitors, P & I (protection and indemnity) Clubs and shipping organisations. The Swansea LLM is well known internationally. Many of our graduates secure employment shortly after completing their degrees. Several international firms keep a close relationship with the School and regularly send representatives for guest lectures and graduate recruitment purposes.
Scholarships and funding
Swansea University offers postgraduate scholarships, advertised annually and awarded on a competitive basis. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at admissions@swansea.ac.uk.
Entry requirements
Candidates are required to have a good initial degree in law or a cognate discipline. A candidate may also be admitted by showing proof of relevant experience in the proposed area of study, such as professional, commercial, business or financial experience. Overseas candidates will be expected to satisfy the requirements of proficiency in the English language.
LLM courses
’...a strongly campus-based lifestyle; a stylish campus, near sea, or city, or mountains; generous accommodation either on campus or in a student community close by; a wealth of cultural activity on campus; lots of high-quality sports provision – and a sound academic reputation! An impossible dream? Well, without going too far over the top, we have to say Swansea has it all…’ The Potter Guide to Higher Education
Contact
Professor B Soyer
Director of Taught Master Schemes
School of Law
Swansea University
Singleton Park
Swansea SA2 8PP
T +44 (0)1792 295125
F +44 (0)1792 295855
E LLM@swansea.ac.uk
W www.swansea.ac.uk/law
