Introduction
Underlining your commitment to energy Law, this specialised programme is located in Europe's largest energy hub and designed with built-in professional qualifications that help you develop in-demand skills and expertise to gain a competitive advantage.
The LLM Energy Law with Professional Skills offers a practical alternative, with hands-on learning and job-focused training in lieu of a dissertation.
It provides graduates with the knowledge and the full range of skills required to play a key role in the coming decades as the world seeks to meet growing energy demand and the consequent need for unprecedented levels of investment. You gain an in-depth understanding of energy Law and policy, as well as knowledge of corporate governance and responsibility.
Our students on this Master’s benefit from structured course content designed to support the development of broader personal and professional competencies. Opportunities to develop concrete, industry-sought skills are incorporated into the degree course and acquired alongside and during the study of Energy Law.
For example, intensive case-study based exercises in the fields of project finance and project management add relevance and allure to your CV. Upon completion of the Professional Communication component, graduates demonstrate understanding of a range of professional communication issues, including, intercultural and interdisciplinary communication, leadership and hierarchy and gendered discourse. Graduates are well placed to operate in a complex, globalised working environment and to progress quickly to leadership roles.
The programme's hallmarks include strategically using professionals as adjunct faculty, as well as on-the-ground industry contacts.
Key Programme Information
At a Glance
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Degree Qualification
- LLM
- Duration
- 1 Year / 2 Years
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September or January
What You'll Study
The information below applies to the 1 year full time / 2 year part time on campus learning LLM programme which runs in September and January. You will find information about other ways to study this programme in the next section on this page.
- Semester 1
-
Introduction
The information listed below is for September start students. Information for January starts can be found under "Other Ways to Study".
All students must take two LS50xx courses and two LS55xx courses.
Compulsory Courses
All candidates must take:
- Critical Legal Thinking and Scholarship (LS501T)
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This compulsory course provides students from diverse legal and educational backgrounds with a common understanding of the core research, analytical, and writing skills which would be required to excel in LLM-Taught courses. It commences with a few lectures and progresses to working within smaller groups in a workshop environment and finally to the submission of an individual assignment. It also incorporates elements such as library workshops to provide students with hands-on experience with the resources available for course and dissertation work.
Optional Courses
Four optional courses must be selected. Two should be selected from semester 1 and two from semester 2.
Alternatively, one of your four choices could be selected from another LLM programme (excluding LS501E, and LS551K).
- Oil and Minerals for Good (LS501D) - Credits: 30
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The course examines the relationship between law, energy and natural resources, ethics, governance and development at the national and international levels on the one hand and variable developmental outcomes, particularly the resource curse phenomenon, on the other hand. The course then proceeds to apply advanced academic and experiential knowledge to formulate the fundamentals for overarching legal frameworks that will enable the good exploitation and development of energy and natural resources, thereby producing enduring benefits for all key stakeholders.
- Energy, Innovation and Law (LS501F) - Credits: 30
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Students will explore the law and regulation which is relevant to innovation across the energy sector (taken in its widest sense). We will consider intellectual property, UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol, government initiatives, competition, human rights, and oil and gas licensing. We will focus on the impact of these fields on business, reward, sharing, sustainable growth, energy security, and the relationship between private rights, raw materials and the wider public interest. Sessions will be interactive and you need not have studied any of these fields before – although we will move quickly. Assessment is by essay, exam and group presentation.
- Low Carbon Energy Transition: Renewable Energy Law (LS501H) - Credits: 30
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A transition from reliance on fossil fuels to low-carbon renewable energy is essential for mitigating climate change and for making energy supplies more sustainable. The course considers the challenges and concerns that this fundamental change in the nature of energy supplies gives rise to, and explores laws role in addressing them. The course examines the legal regimes for promoting renewable energy at international, EU and UK levels, and considers how law can be used to address significant constraints on the growth of renewable energy including difficulties with grid access and public opposition to wind energy development.
- Oil and Gas Law (LS5076) - Credits: 30
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The petroleum industry brings together the most powerful public and private actors in the form of states and trans-national corporations. Oil and gas law has the task of arranging the resultant relationships and of ensuring that the legitimate interests of each side are protected. Following a series of introductory lectures, students will participate in interactive seminars considering topics drawn from the state control, contracting and regulatory aspects of oil and gas law. This course is available to LLM students on programmes other than the specialist LLM Oil and Gas Law programmes.
- Semester 2
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Optional Courses
- Principles of Environmental Regulation (LS551A) - Credits: 30
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The purpose of this course is to introduce the main principles of environmental law. The course analyses the challenges of environmental protection from the perspective of international, European and national law. Besides the conceptual analysis of the main principles of environmental law and methods of regulation, the course focuses on the delicate interaction between the principles of economic law (e.g. the right to property, the protection of investments, free trade) and environmental protection. Is there a conflict between economic law and environmental law or are these fields of law mutually reinforcing?
- Corporate Environmental Liability (LS551L) - Credits: 30
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Corporate environmental liability is a significant area of concern not only for those corporations engaged in activities which exhibit environmental risk but society as whole. An efficient, effective liability regime must be present to ensure that corporations do not shirk their financial liabilities. The course draws attention to the conflicting goals of corporate law (i.e. the limitation of liability) and environmental law (i.e. ensuring that polluters pay for damage caused) and encourages students to consider and develop solutions to this problem. Whilst the course focuses on EU environmental law, many of the concepts covered are relevant to other jurisdictions.
- Legal and Environmental Issues for Unconventional Hydrocarbon (LS551U) - Credits: 30
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This course undertakes a study of unconventional sources of petroleum. utilising the seminar method of learning, where practical, real-life examples are used, this course will enable students to explore the key legal and environmental issues related to the development and transport of unconventional hydrocarbons.
- International Investment Arbitration In the Energy Sector (LS5585) - Credits: 30
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The complex interaction between investment protection and the sovereign right of states to regulate has been most acute in the energy sector. On the one hand, investors require strong guarantees that states will respect the “rules of the game” that constitute the basis of their investments. On the other, states can be tempted to interfere with foreign energy investments because of their particular strategic and social importance. This course aims to analyse if existing investment disciplines are adapted to the specific regulatory risks that investors face in the energy landscape of the 21st Century.
- Downstream Energy Law (LS5594) - Credits: 30
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The supply of electricity and natural gas – as network-related industries – presents specific regulatory challenges. These challenges are of particular importance in the context of the liberalisation of these sectors, i.e. the restructuring of these industries from monopolies to competitive markets. Will liberalised electricity and gas markets ensure security and reliability of energy supply? Will consumers be adequately protected against potential abusive behaviour of dominant market players? Is liberalisation compatible with the objectives of decarbonisation and environmental protection? The purpose of this course is to explore the law and policy framework governing energy supply in a liberalised market environment.
- Low Carbon Energy Transition: Nuclear Energy and Carbon Capture and Storage (LS551J) - Credits: 30
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Nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage are seen by some governments as key contributors alongside renewable energy to the decarbonisation of energy supplies. However, significant risks of harm to the environment and human health and challenges with securing investment and overcoming public concerns are associated with the use of both technologies. The seven seminar course examines legal responses to these risks and challenges at international, European Union and national levels, critically considering their adequacy for tackling the difficulties with employing nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage as part of a low carbon energy transition.
- Semester 3
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Compulsory Courses
- Energy Law Professional Skills (LS5907) - Credits: 60
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This course allows students the opportunity to deploy the knowledge they have gained in the taught courses on the LLM Energy Law with Professional Skills programme in intensive exercises designed to develop their professional skills. It aims to provide students with an insight into specific processes which form the practical context for the legal and regulatory knowledge and skills gained during the taught courses. It also informs them about how the regulatory context affects the planning of projects and the conduct of processes leading to their authorisation and implementation.
Course Availability
We will endeavour to make all course options available; however, these may be subject to timetabling and other constraints. Please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
How You'll Study
Teaching is organised on a modular basis. There are two 12-week semesters, the first beginning in the second week of September, the second at the end of January.
Learning Methods
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Research
- Seminars
- Tutorials
Assessment Methods
By course work, by written examination, or by a combination of these, as prescribed for each course. The degree of LLM shall not be awarded to a candidate who fails to achieve a CGS grade of D3 or above in the specified dissertation course, irrespective of their performance in other courses: such candidates may, at the discretion of the Examiners, be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.
Why Study Energy Law with Professional Skills?
- A top quality learning and development experience.
- A winning combination of academic rigour with a professional edge.
- Achieve an internationally recognised and respected postgraduate degree in one of the most dynamic areas of Law.
- The advanced education attained on this programme translates into marketable skills, particularly valuable in today's highly competitive job market.
- Learn from the best and engage with top academics shaping policy.
- Our Academics provide thought leadership to industry and government on key pervasive and emerging issues. So you can be confident that you're investing in a learning experience that is shaped by staff at the forefront of the latest expert thinking.
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
Normally, a 2.1 honours degree (or equivalent) in Law will be required to be accepted onto this programme. Relevant practical experience in a related field will also be beneficial.
English Language Requirements
All students entering the University must provide evidence that they can use English well enough to study effectively at the University of Aberdeen.
Details of our English language entry requirements can be found on our English Language Requirements webpages. This programme requires that you meet the College of Arts and Social Sciences Postgraduate Standard level of English proficiency.
If you have not achieved the required scores, the University of Aberdeen offers pre-sessional English courses. Further details are available on our Language Centre website.
Nationals of some English-speaking countries or those who hold degrees from some English-speaking countries may be exempted from this requirement. Details of countries recognised as English-speaking can be found on our English Language Requirements webpages.
Document Requirements
You will be required to supply the following documentation with your application as proof you meet the entry requirements of this degree programme.
- Degree Transcript
- a full transcript showing all the subjects you studied and the marks you have achieved in your degree(s) (original & official English translation)
- Personal Statement
- a detailed personal statement explaining your motivation for this particular programme
- Reference
- a reference letter from your university discussing your academic ability
International Applicants
Fees and Funding
You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.
| Fee category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Home / EU / RUK Students | £7,400 |
| Tuition Fee for 2017/18 Academic Year | |
| International Students | £18,000 |
| Tuition Fee for 2017/18 Academic Year |
International non-EU Applicants
Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen
Additional Fees
- In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips. Any additional fees for a course can be found in our Catalogue of Courses.
- For more information about tuition fees for this programme, including payment plans and our refund policy, please visit our InfoHub Tuition Fees page.
Funding Opportunities
The SFC Postgraduate tuition fee scholarship may be available for those classified as Home/EU fee status students for this programe. Visit the scholarship page for more information.
Our Funding Database
View all funding options in our Funding Database.
Careers
You can become qualified to practice energy and environmental law as a consultant or you can consider joining energy companies to assist them to meet their regulator requirements for submission of permits from various governments around the world.
Career Opportunities
- Environmental Lawyer
- Lawyer
Our Experts
Information About Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. Staff changes will occur from time to time; please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
Contact Us
- Address
-
School of Law
University of Aberdeen
Taylor Building
Aberdeen
AB24 3UB