Introduction
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
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Degree Qualification
- LLB
- Duration
- 48 months or 96 months
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September
- Location of Study
- Aberdeen
- UCAS Code
- M130
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.
What You'll Study
Students will explore the following topics:
- Institutional structures of law at the jurisdictional, state and international levels
- Foundations of public law in constitutional democracies, including relationships between states and their citizens
- The traditional contrast between the great global civilian and common law traditions, and the problems with that contrast
- Ideas and expectations of law stemming from civilian legal traditions
- Ideas and expectations of law stemming from common law thought
- Critical understanding of the ways in which civilian and common law thinking can operate in practice
- The rich diversity of legal traditions that existed prior to the European Ages of Exploration
- The Euro-centric nature of legal analysis, and how to spot and critically analyse European and Western assumptions concerning law and legal orders
- Reflective study of comparative law methodology
- Critical understanding of international legal orders
- Fostering the capacity to reflect critically on students own legal methods, assumptions and culture, in a manner consistent with decolonising the curriculum
- Year 1
-
Compulsory Courses
Foundations of Public Law (LS1031)
Foundations of Legal Cultural Comparison (LS1532)
- Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002)
-
This course, which is prescribed for level 1 undergraduate students and articulating students who are in their first year at the University, is studied entirely online, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across the first 4 weeks of term.
Topics include University orientation overview, equality & diversity, MySkills, health, safety and cyber security, and academic integrity.Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
- Foundations of Private Law (LS1022)
-
15 Credit Points
The course provides firstly a map of private law as drawn from the institutional scheme. It then progresses to an equivalent of the medical student’s study of anatomy in the sense that, concentrating on the law of property and obligations, it examines the main concepts of private law and how they operate together as a system to solve everyday legal problems.
- A World Full of Law: Legal Cultures Before the Age of Exploration (LS1030)
-
15 Credit Points
This course presents legal history over several millennia and from many different original cultures. This course carries the student through a legal adventure, exploring a wide range of legal systems around the globe and throughout human history.
The course covers the origins of law from Africa, South Asia, East Asia and beyond. From those beginnings, it traces how legal cultures emerged, evolved, or transformed. The course will explore the interplay of law and religion over the centuries. The goal of the course is to enable students to become aware of the wonderful diversity of legal systems before the Era of Exploration.
- Foundations of Common Law with English Criminal Law (LS1533)
-
15 Credit Points
The common law tradition is one of the major legal traditions of the world. This course briefly introduces students to the conceptual and institutional structures of the common law tradition. This in turn introduces the fundamentals of the modern English legal system and its practical operation. A large section of the course then turns to the practical operation of English law through study of English Criminal Law.
- Delict and Unjustified Enrichment (LS1536)
-
15 Credit Points
This course introduces students to two of the key branches of the Scots law of obligations, namely delict (which governs legal liability for situations such as the negligent infliction of harm upon others and defamation) and unjustified enrichment (which is concerned with questions such as, if I pay you money in error, am I entitled to demand that you return it?).
Optional Courses
Plus 30 credits from courses of choice.
- Year 2
-
Compulsory Courses
Introducing Comparative Constitutional Law (LS2043)
Legal Theory (LS2544)
Introducing Comparative Private Law (LS2545)
- Eu Institutions and Law (LS2026)
-
15 Credit Points
This course examines the law of the European Union and its relationship with the legal systems of the United Kingdom. Lecture topics include the composition and function of the EU Institutions, sources and effects of EU Law, state liability and judicial review. Other topics covered include human rights in the EU, the fundamental freedoms, and competition law. Each lecture topic includes consideration of the evolving relationship between the legal systems of the United Kingdom and the European Union.
- Public International Law (LS2032)
-
15 Credit Points
The course aims to systematically and critically introduce the foundations of Public International Law (PIL). The history, nature, legal personality, statehood and recognition, sources, the law of treaties and how PIL interacts with domestic law are considered in-depth. These are followed by topics such as jurisdiction, sovereignty, the role of the United Nations, the law of state responsibility and peaceful settlement of disputes between states. The contents of the course are designed to enable students to understand why and how international law regulates the behaviour of its actors with respect to some specific subject areas.
- Private International Law (LS2532)
-
15 Credit Points
This course introduces the student to the three core questions of Private International Law:
1) Jurisdiction: when do the Scottish courts have jurisdiction over a dispute that has one or more cross-border elements?
2) Applicable law: which country’s law is applicable to cross-border legal relations and disputes?
3) Recognition and enforcement of judgments: what are the effects of foreign judgments in Scotland?
Throughout the course, students will develop an understanding of how Scots Private International Law deals with legal relations that are not exclusively contained within Scotland. It helps students develop a skillset that will enable them to resolve the questions that arise due to a legal relation or dispute having a cross-border element.
Moreover, the course enables students to appreciate the role Private International Law plays in a broad swath of scenarios, ranging from litigation involving the civil liability of Scottish corporations for wrongdoings committed overseas (such as violations of labour standards), to consumer protection disputes, international child abduction cases, and cross-border inheritance, to give but a few examples.
This is an exempting course for the Faculty of Advocates exam on Private International Law.
Optional Courses
Plus 30 credits from courses of choice.
- Year 3
-
Compulsory Courses
Honours Course
- Year 4
-
Compulsory Courses
Honours Course
- Dissertation (LS4025)
-
25 Credit Points
This course, taken over both half sessions by final year honours students, and available only to those students, allows you to write a 10,000 word piece on an aspect of law that you choose with the help of a consultee. Once your topic and plan are approved by the law school you work independently and hand in the dissertation shortly before the Easter Break.
We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
How You'll Study
Learning Methods
- E-learning
- Group Projects
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Peer Learning
- Research
- Seminars
- Tutorials
- Workshops
Assessment Methods
Assessments will be conducted in a range of different ways, including the use of Multiple Choice Tests (MCTs), essays, problem questions and written exams. An additional summative assessment will contribute to the final mark in any situation where an end-of-term exam is used. Constructive and timely feedback will be given in advance of subsequent assessments.
Why Study International and Comparative Law?
This programme equips students with the intellectual tool-kit required to think like a lawyer in a globalised context. Thinking like a lawyer in a globalised context calls for a very special skillset. It calls for:
- the best of traditional, jurisdiction-specific legal education, including rigorous grounding in the skills of handling black-letter law
- the capacity to understand the dynamic interchange of legal ideas which operate at the supranational level, and to spot the deep and conflicting cultural assumptions that underpin them
- the ability to engage with different legal languages, these being the unique ways in which legal ideas are expressed across many different jurisdictions
- respect and understanding of radically different cultural assumptions from student’s own assumptions
- the intellectual confidence to be able to navigate those assumptions to negotiate an agreement and a way forward.
This programme immerses students in different legal languages – the languages of civilian and common law traditions to name two examples. By the very fact of that comparative approach, students learn the limitations and strengths of the ways in which they organise the legal world. It reveals the rich legal diversity of the world prior to the Ages of European Exploration and exposes the Western, Euro-centric assumptions that lie behind much of our thinking about the law, helping to engage critically with them.
The course equips students with the theoretical tools to analyse and evaluate the law, and to understand law from a variety of different perspectives. It examines the fundamentals of the constitutional and international orders of public law with which we live, and gives students the tools to think about how to transform those orders for the better. It enables students to appreciate law as a practical, functioning reality in a globalised context, when ideas about what is just and fair are changing through international discourse at a rate never-before seen in human history.
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme.
View the Aberdeen Global ScholarshipEntry 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
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 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 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
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
Fees and Funding
You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.
| Fee category | Cost |
|---|---|
| EU / International students | £20,800 |
| Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year | |
| Self-funded international students commencing eligible undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 will receive a £6,000 tuition waiver for every year of their programme - See full terms and conditions | |
| RUK | £9,535 |
| Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year | |
| Home Students | £1,820 |
| Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year | |
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 Tuition Fees page.
Scholarships and Funding
UK Scholarship
Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who pay tuition fees may be eligible for specific scholarships allowing them to receive additional funding. These are designed to provide assistance to help students support themselves during their time at Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme. More about this funding opportunity.Funding Database
View all funding options in our Funding Database.
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.
Our Experts
Professor Andrew Simpson (Course Coordinator)
Andrew is Professor in Scots Private Law at the University of Aberdeen. He is a graduate of the Universities of Aberdeen and Cambridge. Following completion of his doctoral studies, Andrew taught at Aberdeen University for ten years prior to becoming Professor in Scottish Legal History at the University of Edinburgh.
Information About Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
Facilities
Students will have access to:
- The Old Aberdeen campus promoting immaculately preserved buildings with state-of-the-art facilities for learning, research and recreation
- Award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library and the Taylor Law Library.
- Food, drink and retail
- Events and webinars hosted by external experts
- Experienced, supportive and networked academic staff
- Consistent access to academics both online and in person
Discover Uni
Discover Uni draws together comparable information in areas students have identified as important in making decisions about what and where to study. You can compare these and other data for different degree programmes in which you are interested.
Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
-
Student Recruitment & Admissions
University of Aberdeen
University Office
Regent Walk
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX