Our MA in Legal Studies programme gives students the opportunity to study at our vibrant School of Law with its unique focus on the legal systems and legal challenges of the Global South generally and Asia, Africa and the Middle East in particular. The programme allows students to create their own programme structure, choosing modules from a range covering comparative regional law, trade law, law and development, commercial law (including copyright and patent law), human rights, environmental law, Islamic law, dispute resolution, and international law.

All SOAS modules are designed not only to introduce students to the general fields of law, but also to provide an understanding of how generic legal structures and processes may operate in non-Western social and cultural settings. In addition, students may be able undertake modules outside of the School of Law, opening up SOAS’ array of world-leading options in languages, cultures, arts, humanities, politics, economics and finance, and beyond. Students complete the MA in Legal Studies by undertaking a dissertation, developing an extended research project on a topic of their own choice.

The MA may be taken full-time over a period of one year, or part-time over a period of two, three or four years.

Why SOAS?

Our MA in law teaching reflects our research strengths in the laws of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and in Islamic, international, human rights, commercial and trade, comparative, and environmental law. Much of our teaching concerns the critical study of law and the ways that law can be used to marginalise or to empower individuals and communities. In today’s globalised environment, our teaching also explores the study of the society in which the law operates, and the relationship of law to other structuring forces such as gender, sexuality, race, and economic status. All teachers on modules offered at SOAS are experts in their designated field, and many have years of experience advising governments, international and non-governmental organisations, or in professional practise. Undertaking the MA in law at SOAS brings you into the heart of a world-leading, one-of-a-kind law school to study the world’s most pressing legal issues.

Why you?

The MA in Legal Studies programme is ideal for those who wish to study law at a post-graduate level but do not already possess an undergraduate law degree. It is designed for those who wish to enhance their knowledge of law-related subjects to benefit their careers(e.g., journalists, NGO/INGO workers), and to expand their knowledge of, and critical engagement with, law, particularly as it relates to the Global South. You will join an international alumni of LLM/ MA in law graduates at SOAS, many of whom are now working at the UN, in NGOs, in government, in private practice, in policy work or in academia. Since the MA in Legal Studies may be taken full-time or part-time, many students have been able to successfully combine their studies at SOAS with their existing careers.

Please note that all MA students are required to attend a two-week Law and Legal Methods Pre-sessional Module in the September before they begin their MA.

If you would like to study within a specialism instead of a general study in the MA in Legal Studies, please make sure to check the specialism pages for the MA programmes in environmental law and sustainable development; human rights law; international law; and Islamic law.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

To facilitate their study of law, all MA students are required to attend a two-week Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods in the September before they begin their MA.

Students must take modules to a total value of 180, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules.  Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits.

Students must take a mimimum of 60 credits from the School of Law General Postgraduate Taught Modules List.

A further 60 credits can be taken from the same list, or from the SOAS Open Option Module List.

Finally, all students must complete the MA Dissertation in Law, a 12,000 word submission based on a Law topic of interest to the student.

Please note: Not all modules will be available every year. Please see the individual module page for information.

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

Contact Hours

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

More information is on the page for each module.

Knowledge & Understanding

• Through attendance in all classes, independent and group study, and class preparation.
• In some subjects through non-assessed as well as assessed coursework.
• Through in course lectures/ seminars and through coursework.
• Through a compulsory but non-assessed presessional course on law and legal method.

 Intellectual (thinking) Skills

•  Through courses which introduce information and ideas that need to be assessed critically and analysed in context. Students are encouraged not
• simply to summarise evidence and arguments but also develop their own assessments as to the relative value of different strategies/ arguments/evidence.
• Through independent dissertation and course work which entail selecting,designing and refining topics [with advice and assistance from tutors] and elaborating precise research questions/hypotheses.
• Through the structure and content of courses of an interdisciplinary nature.

Subject-based Practical Skills

• Through the writing of long essays and dissertations.
• Through regular seminar presentations.
• Through seminar discussion.
• Through independent work for essays/ dissertations.
• Through independent work, departmental dissertation guidance notes and meetings, and meetings with supervisor.
• Through required regular readings for weekly seminar discussions.
• Through the holding of moots and debates in the law and legal method seminars and in some of the taught courses.

Transferable Skills

• Through preparation for seminars, writing of long essays and other coursework, dissertation and examinations.
• Through individual and /or joint seminar presentations and class participation.
• Through preparation for seminars, through discussion in seminars, through correction of course work by tutors and through preparation of answers to exam questions.
• Through the formation of study groups.

 Assessment

• Through unseen examinations. Long essays,course work and dissertations may also be used/ required.