Course Summary
The exploration, extraction, sale and distribution of natural resources, including fossil fuels and minerals, is a massive undertaking. It is a highly regulated industry with legal implications at every stage of the process. This new course gives a comparative, socio-legal approach.
This distinctive master’s course examines upstream and downstream regulatory trends in oil, gas and minerals in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, placing this in the context of the broader economic, technological and environmental and sustainability issues that have an impact on the industry.
You will learn how the law interacts with business, politics and finance in a sector that is under constant scrutiny.
If you are a law graduate, legal professional, or graduate in another subject who works in – or is hoping to work in – the mining, energy or natural resource sector or a related field, this master’s degree will be a wise choice.
If you want to keep on working and earn while you learn, you can do so, as all of our classes take place in the evening and lectures are also made available as podcasts and posted online.
HOW YOU'LL LEARN
As a master’s student you will be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study and research using archives, libraries and databases such as JSTOR. You will need to be motivated and disciplined, but you will be taught and supported by leading academics throughout the course.
You will be based in the home of our law department, University Square Stratford (USS), which provides state-of-the-art study facilities.
Our brand-new Stratford library is open 24/7 in term time and, as one of our postgraduate students, you will have access to the prestigious library of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Russell Square, with its unrivalled collection of law books and documentation.
A lot of your formal learning will take place in workshops, seminars and lectures, where you will discuss and debate issues with your fellow students with the support of our dedicated, research-active staff.
You will also benefit from our guest lecturer programme, with the chance to network with leading legal minds and business management experts through regular seminars and events which we host in our centres, research groups and forums.
As a research-based course you will be completing coursework rather than doing exams. This will include essays, reports and presentations, culminating in your dissertation.
Many of our students undertake a placement with a legal practice or a regulatory body while they are here – and we will encourage and help you to find somewhere suitable
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The global energy business is valuable, essential and sometimes controversial, with a huge role for legal professionals in regulation, commercial transactions, dispute resolution, policy formulation and legal research.
On this course you will study energy law within the broader context of international trade and regulation, the environment, renewables and energy technology, covering areas that are of big interest to firms, governments, consumer groups, lobbyists, and environmentalists.
You will assess how, for example, energy and environmental policy translates into practice, how the energy market operates and the legal implications of carbon emissions, sustainability and climate change.
You will study two core modules, which will give you a solid grounding in oil and gas policy and law and the regulation and governance of energy markets.
You can then choose two further modules from a choice of 12, including International Environmental Law, International Law and Business, International Corporate Governance and Financial Risk Management.
A 15,000-word dissertation is a compulsory element of the course, and you will be able to develop your own ideas by researching a relevant topic of most interest to you.
YOUR FUTURE CAREER
This specialist LLM is a very useful and sought-after qualification if you have studied law before and want to take the next step in becoming a solicitor or barrister.
If after taking this master’s course you decide that a legal career is for you but you did not study law as an undergraduate, you will have to take a law conversion course to embark on your journey. This LLM course is not a qualifying law degree.
As a graduate in LLM Energy and Natural Resources you will be well placed for a career in the energy or minerals industry. Your options include oil or mining corporations, law firms, regulatory or standards bodies, finance or research institutions or environmental groups.
You could help to draw up contracts, advise on mergers and acquisitions, ensure regulatory compliance – or take an associated role in the industry, such as structuring of projects or operations management.
As a graduate from this course, you will have strong research skills and the ability to analyse and apply critical thinking to any legal or business problem.
You will have high-level communication skills, be able to work as part of a team, debate, make a case and deliver a presentation.
To enhance your career prospects, we run a dedicated employability programme for students in the School of Business and Law. Called 'Employ', it includes employability workshops, skills training sessions, guest speaker events, voluntary work, student ambassador roles and work experience opportunities.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal
My name is Kavisha Prince Anthony, and I always had a dream of studying abroad. Thankfully, that dream came to life since I applied to the Study Advisor. I was able to receive my visa within four days. I also had some visa refusals in the past; I had about six UK visa refusals in the past, but thankfully, it was not an issue since the Study Advisor was able to make things work this time. I highly recommend Study Advisor for your dreams of going abroad, whether it be the UK or any other European country there is.