How does the law respond to the most serious atrocities across the globe? What are the laws that govern war and armed conflict? To what degree is the Permanent International Criminal Court and other internationalised tribunals effective in holding individuals accountable for the most serious crimes; genocide, war crime and crimes against humanity?

These are just some of the crucial questions you address in a bespoke LLM equipping you with advanced knowledge and skills in the field of international criminal law. You will gain foundational knowledge in both international human rights law and the law on armed conflict. These modules offer much needed context and enable you to gain a holistic understanding of the international legal system. With this background, you will acquire specialist knowledge and skills in the principles of international criminal law and procedure often considering the law from various perspectives; prosecution, defence, and victims to name only a few. Recognising that in a globalised world crime is no longer confined to the territory of one State, you will also examine transnational criminal law given the increasing number of cross-border crimes such as terrorism, trafficking, and cybercrime. Your knowledge and skills will be informed by a diverse range of approaches to studying law; theoretical, doctrinal and comparative.

Taken together, this comprehensive course will help you understand and tackle the legal challenges in the course of establishing accountability, peace, and respect for human rights.

The course emphasises practical skills and how to overcome dilemmas frequently experienced by practitioners in client-facing and litigation settings, as well as examining the procedural difficulties that tribunals such as the International Criminal Court often face. During the course, you will undertake activities from the perspective of the prosecution, defence, victims counsel and the judicial bench (i.e., judges). There will also be several opportunities for you to listen to guest lectures and engage in interactive talks with external practitioners that have experience of working in internationalised tribunals.

Notably, teaching on this LLM and able to share extensive practical insight will be Sir Howard Morrison QC KCMG. Sir Howard is a Visiting Professor who has had an extensive judicial career both in the UK and internationally including serving as a Judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and as an Appellate judge at the International Criminal Court for over twelve years. During this time Sir Howard served as a judge in a number of high-profile cases involving the most serious crimes of international concern, such as the trial of Radovan Karadzic. He is currently an Independent Adviser to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova and will be providing independent and expert legal advice to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General in relation to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes committed in Ukraine.

Designed by a team of academics with a combination of research and practical experience, the LLM Law (International Criminal Law and Practice) is tailored to meet the needs of individuals who are currently employed, or indeed aspire to work in the field of international criminal law, but also other areas of domestic and international legal practice, including the Bar, with international organisations such as the UN, for civil society and non-governmental organisations, and at the civil service, as well as in academia should you be keen to engage in further doctoral studies.

It is not necessary to have an undergraduate law qualification and there are no jurisdictional restrictions, so you will be part of a diverse and intellectually stimulating cohort. You will learn from each other’s experiences in a relaxed and collaborative environment.

Northumbria Law School is one of the largest law schools in the UK, and you will be taught academics with an international reputation for research in the field of international criminal law and related fields. You will benefit from our strong links with the Northeast legal community and be able to seek guidance from staff that continue to be engage in legal practice.

You will study alongside a diverse cohort of LLM Law framework students, and have the flexibility to choose modules which inspire you and support your career aspirations.

In the first semester, students will undertake modules in Research for Advanced Legal Studies, International Human Rights Law and International Law and Armed Conflict.

The first of these modules offers a critical introduction to (international) legal research methods and legal writing. It is designed to ensure that you will be able to confidently embark on legal research on your Masters programme whatever your academic background or jurisdiction. Your lectures are designed to refresh and develop your understanding of legal research techniques, referencing and evaluating sources.

In your module on the law of armed conflict, you will learn about international law as a response to armed conflict – meaning both the law governing the use of force (the jus ad bellum) and concerning the conduct of hostilities (the jus in bello or international humanitarian law (IHL)). This will inform your understanding of what is meant by a ‘war crime’, and how individual criminal responsibility can arise during armed conflict and cases of belligerent occupation. The module will also provide you with an introduction to the practice of modern international humanitarian law and its procedural elements.

In the final module of semester one, you will learn about the structure of modern international human rights law and its practice, the origins of the international human rights law system, and its relationship to the development of international criminal law. In particular, you will gain an understanding of international human rights law as a response of the international community to serious humanitarian abuses such as genocide, torture, slavery, and enforced disappearance. This will inform your understanding of modern international human rights practice and its capacity to prevent such abuses from taking place.

In the second semester, students will study international criminal law, international criminal procedure and transnational criminal law.  

In the first of those, you will develop your critical and comparative understanding of the substantive law on international crimes. You will focus on the core crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression as defined in the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). You will also learn different methods and techniques of comparative law and its significance to the development of international criminal law (ICL). The module will take a critical look at the elements of crimes, the attribution of individual criminal responsibility, and modes of perpetration and participation from comparative and international criminal law perspectives.

In the international criminal procedure module, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of international criminal procedure, from the initiation of an investigation to the appeals process. The module will focus on the International Criminal Court’s legal process and allow you to compare and contrast procedures at hybrid international tribunals such as the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia. By the end of the module, you will be able to appraise possible improvements and reforms to international criminal procedure.

Finally, you will receive a substantive introduction in the area of transnational criminal law. The module specifically focuses on 4 key areas of transnational crime; transnational organised crime, human trafficking, cyber-crime and terrorism. You will consider the mechanisms of state co-operation with respect to transnational crimes, such as mutual legal assistance and extradition and considers key questions in relation to jurisdiction. You will also study the workings of bodies dedicated to the promotion of inter-state co-operation such as Eurojust, Europol and Interpol.

On completion of your taught modules, you will then draw on your knowledge and complete a self-chosen independent dissertation. With guidance by supervisors with expertise in your area, you will develop and demonstrate your use of legal research, your skills of critical analysis and evaluation of your research and your ability to communicate your knowledge arguments and conclusions in an extended form of academic writing.

You will learn through in-person lectures, seminars and group work, all supported by advanced TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning). You will have access to our eLearning platform Blackboard, where you can re-watch all Panopto-recorded lectures and read workshop presentation slides at your own pace. You may even be able to undertake your dissertation only from home – in the UK or internationally – through the Blackboard Collaborate function. Your assessment throughout will be coursework-based, with no exams.

Please note that to graduate with your specialist bracketed award you must undertake at least two taught modules within that specialism and base your final research project on a topic in that area. It will be possible to switch specialism after the first semester if your contextual module was relevant to your new choice. If you don’t meet these conditions, you will graduate with an LLM Law.

The teaching staff at Northumbria Law School have a remarkable international reputation. They are carrying out cutting-edge research in established and emerging areas of law, and many are respected practitioners as well as theorists.

Lecturers on this course have a wide range of expertise and experience in areas across the modules you will study. Staff have published their research in leading academic journals and presented their work around the world. Areas of particular expertise among the teaching team include the use of force, humanitarian intervention, human rights regulation and monitoring, the jurisdiction of the ICC, propaganda, hate speech and misinformation, gender-based violence and comparative and Islamic approaches to international criminal law, and much more. You will be able to rely on staff for advice and guidance for your independent dissertation.  

All students will be allocated a personal tutor who can offer support in relation to both academic and pastoral issues during your time on the LLM programme.

Northumbria Law School provides first-class teaching in a world-class environment. You will be based in our award-winning City Campus East building, which houses our mock courtroom and Student Law Office as well as an array of lecture theatres, classrooms and a dedicated postgraduate study area.

It is also home to our specialist Law Practice Library, which contains practitioner materials as well as a wide variety of journals, databases, and law reports. The range and depth of resources reflects our position as the largest law school in the North East region.

The 24/7 University Library achieves some of the highest levels of student satisfaction in the UK, and has held the Cabinet Office accreditation for Customer Service Excellence since 2010.

You will be immersed in research-rich learning from the outset of your studies. The lecturers who lead each specialism are at the forefront of research in that area, and will take every opportunity to engage you in their ongoing work.

You will also develop your own skills as a researcher, learning to critically reflect on your own and others’ work, challenge your own thinking, and justify your own work in the context of wider theories and practice.

The Legal Research Project in semester three is your opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of legal research on a topic you’re truly passionate about, guided by a tutor with relevant expertise. This dissertation will allow you to contribute to the creation of new knowledge within International Commercial Law.

You will graduate from this course with independence of thought, boundless curiosity and a talent for collaboration – traits valued by every employer.

The International Criminal Law and Practice specialism will potentially make you more competitive for employment as a legal practitioner; both in England and Wales but also abroad in the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, or work in the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia (e.g., as legal officers, analysts, expert advisers or counsel).

The pathway is also designed for those who wish to work for international organisations such as the United Nations (UN) or civil society/campaigning groups such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, as well as careers in civil service (e.g., The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office). Given the research emphasis of this pathway, the LLM is also designed to prepare students for a career in academia more generally including as a route to This course is also an excellent route to PhD study if you are seeking an academic career within the field of law.

If you already have a qualifying UK law degree, this course will help you to enhance your CV with a specialism so that you stand out when competing for training contracts or pupillages.

If you are joining us from another legal jurisdiction, you will be able to apply your specialist skills and knowledge in your home country, contributing to local priorities for growth in relevant areas. For students from countries that follow the Bologna Process and require two year of postgraduate study, it will be possible to study the LLM framework twice, choosing a different specialism each time. You will qualify for an alumni discount on the second year.

Students who have qualifications or careers in related areas such as finance will acquire valuable contextual understanding that helps them stand out among their peers