International Law and Comparative Law

University of Aberdeen

United Kingdom, Aberdeen

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236

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Home/United Kingdom/Aberdeen /University of Aberdeen/International Law and Comparative Law

University of Aberdeen

United Kingdom , Aberdeen

Key Facts

Program Level

Bachelor

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Course Code

M130

Campuses

Aberdeen

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 48 month(s)

Tuition Fee

GBP 20,800 / year

International Law and Comparative Law

About

Introduction

Open for September 2025 applications.

This innovative degree provides a unique student learning experience through the comparative study of legal cultures, institutional and intellectual expectations of law, and state and international orders. It teaches law at a conceptual level, without focusing on one specific jurisdiction, and can help develop careers across international bodies, non-profit organisations, multinational companies and arbitration.

*Please note:

Applicants interested in a career as a Scottish solicitor are directed towards our other LLB programmes. This degree does not qualify candidates to take the Diploma in Professional Practice with a view to entry to the Scottish legal profession.

Study Information

At a Glance

Law is often seen from largely or purely from a particular jurisdictional or cultural standpoint. The LLB (Hons) International Law and Comparative Law programme is different.

At the outset of their studies, students become familiar with the levels at which law operates in a global context, including individual jurisdictions, states and the international order. Students then discover the ways in which cultural ideas about law cross traditional jurisdictional and state boundaries, dynamically shaping and reshaping notions of justice and legal practice in the process.

Using the tools of comparative law, students are trained to see law from a variety of different perspectives. Seeing law from such different perspectives fosters understanding and respect for the radically different assumptions of other legal traditions and cultures, enabling students to recognise and question the Euro-centric, Western assumptions that often underpin law as a form of political power.

The course ensures that students are grounded in some of the central ideas of civilian and common law traditions and given the tools to challenge the intellectual underpinnings of this contrast. Students will also see the ways in which clear understanding of differences between those traditions can facilitate powerful, transformative legal dialogues. The courses selected for the programme consider these themes in light of legal theory and black-letter law.

Part Time Study

Part time study options are available for this programme.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Qualifications

The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.

General Entry Requirements

2024 Entry

SQA Highers

Standard: AAAA or AAABB

Applicants who have achieved AAAA are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced may be required. Nat 5 English at C or better is required. Higher English is highly desirable.

Minimum: BBBB

Applicants who have achieved BBBB (or are on course to achieve this by the end of S5) are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced Highers will normally be required. Nat 5 English at C or better is required. Higher English is highly desirable.

Adjusted: BBBC

Applicants who have achieved BBBC, and who meet one of the widening participation criteria are encouraged to apply and will be considered for a conditional offer. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced Highers will be required. Nat 5 English at C or better is required. Higher English is highly desirable.

An HND in Legal Services may be considered for applying to Year 1 of some LLB programmes.

More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.

A LEVELS

Standard Offer: AAB

NOTE: English is highly desirable. GCSE in English or English Language at C or better, or equivalent, is required.

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall, including average of 5 at HL. Higher English is highly desirable.

Irish Leaving Certificate

5 subjects at Higher minimum required at H2, obtained in one sitting. Higher English is highly desirable.

2025 Entry

SQA Highers

Standard: AAAA or AAABB

Minimum: BBBB

Applicants who have achieved ABBB/BBBBB at Higher and meet one of the widening participation criteria above are encouraged to apply and are guaranteed a conditional offer for LLB degrees.

Adjusted: BBB

Applicants who have achieved BBB at Higher after S5, and who meet one of the widening participation criteria are encouraged to apply and will be considered for an adjusted offer for LLB degrees.

We would expect to issue a conditional offer asking for one additional A grade at Higher or alternatively two additional Highers at B grades.

Foundation Apprenticeship: One FA is equivalent to a Higher at A. It cannot replace any required subjects.

An HND in Legal Services may be considered for applying to Year 1 of some LLB programmes.

More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.

A LEVELS

Standard Offer: AAB

NOTE: English is highly desirable. GCSE in English or English Language at C or better, or equivalent, is required.

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall, including average of 5 at HL. Higher English is highly desirable.

Irish Leaving Certificate

5 subjects at Higher minimum required at H2, obtained in one sitting. Higher English is highly desirable.

The information displayed in this section shows a shortened summary of our entry requirements. For more information, or for full entry requirements for Law degrees, see our detailed entry requirements section.

English Program Requirements

English Language Requirements

To study for an Undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:

IELTS Academic:

OVERALL - 6.0 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0

TOEFL iBT:

OVERALL - 78 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21

PTE Academic:

OVERALL - 59 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59

Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency:

OVERALL - 169 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169

Career

Careers

This programme offers a unique student learning experience in the UK, by fostering the comparative study of legal cultures more generally. It offers a sophisticated legal education for those looking to work in the field of arbitration, or for supranational or international institutions such as those found in the UN or the EU, or for NGOs, individual governments or their civil services, or alternatively for international law firms and major multi-national companies.

*Please note:

This degree is not tied to the study of a particular jurisdiction or aimed for students who wish to study law with a view to legal practice. Students wishing to practice Scots law are directed to our other LLB programmes.