Overview
The Brunel Intellectual Property Law LLM is designed for graduates wishing to gain specialist knowledge in the fast-growing discipline of intellectual property law.
Our programme, one of the most comprehensive of its kind in the UK, will give you a solid grounding in the fundamentals of intellectual property and the opportunity to develop specialised skills through our wide range of elective modules covering both policy and practical technology-related issues.
You can choose to study 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time (both start in September) or study 15 months full-time or 27 months part-time (both start in January).
As the use of the Internet and other cross-border communications and commercial technologies expands at pace, employers are on the look-out for candidates with the skills and know-how to keep up with complex and evolving legislation at an international level.
Your Intellectual Property LLM will do just that and make you a preferred prospect by law firms and businesses.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
Your Intellectual Property LLM consists of compulsory and optional modules and a 15,000 word dissertation on a legal topic of your choice.
- Full-time students should complete four modules per term, excluding the dissertation.
- Part-time students should complete two modules per term, excluding the dissertation.
You can gain valuable work experience while studying postgraduate law at Brunel. Optional work placements (6-12 months) and internships (4-12 weeks) are available and you can choose to start your course in January or September and study full-time or part-time, depending on your needs and specific requirements.
Compulsory
- LX5500 - Dissertation A 15,000 word assignment to enable you to acquire a well-developed knowledge and understanding of an area of law within the scope of your programme and to improve skills in legal research and writing.
- LX5674 - Patents and Trade Marks
The module aims to provide students with essential knowledge about UK patent and industrial design law in the context of EU and international obligations.
- LX5675 - Copyright and Allied Rights
The module aims to provide students with essential knowledge about UK copyright law and trademark law at both EU and international level.
Optional
- LX5612 - World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Human Rights LawThis module aims to allow you to understand that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is often accused of, at best, not paying enough attention to human rights or, at worst, facilitating and perpetuating human rights abuses particularly its impact on poor people within developing States. It also aims to allow you to undertake a detailed analysis of the main human rights concerns relating to the WTO. These include the alleged democratic deficit within the WTO and the impact of WTO rules on the right to health, labour rights, the right to food, and on questions of poverty and development.
- LX5653 - European and International Media LawThis module will prepare you to deal with a variety of complex legal aspects of media law and regulation from comparative and international legal perspectives. It will be particularly useful and will provide an attractive alternative for IP students less interested in patent law and wishing to deepen their understanding in the area of soft IP.
- LX5625 - Internet Law II - Resolving Internet-related Legal Issues and DisputesThis module intends to examine the nature of the Internet-related legal issues and its impact on finding appropriate dispute resolution methods to revolve them effectively. It discusses possible solutions to the contemporary/topical legal issues and provides detailed and critical discussion on both the theoretical and practical aspects of dispute resolutions that are geared to correspond with those contemporary legal issues.
- LX5655 International Commercial LawIn this module you will be introduced to the general framework of international commercial law, the law of international sale contracts and related matters, including cross-border dispute resolution, transport, and broader social concerns such as labour and corruption.
- LX5613 - World Trade Organisation (WTO) LawProviding a thorough understanding of the basic rules in the world trading system under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and considering them in their economic, historical and political context. This module allows you to critically analyse the theoretical and political bases of trade liberalisation and the institutional background to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the WTO.
- LX5616 - Privacy and Data ProtectionThis module aims to provide you with essential knowledge about the theoretical rationales and policy arguments for both privacy and data protection.
- LX5624 - Internet Law I - Substantive Legal IssuesThis module intends to examine the nature of the Internet and its impact on commerce. It covers subjective legal issues of Internet Law and it analyses relevant international regulatory framework in response to the development of new technologies.
- LX5650 - Contemporary Themes in Intellectual Property Law and PolicyThis module covers the contemporary issues arising around Intellectual Property Law and Policy. It adopts an international and comparative analysis to observe the role of intellectual property right in the knowledge-based economy and society, its shifting boundaries, overlapping aspects and trends towards harmonisation and globalisation as well as internationalisation of enforcement of IP rights.
- LX5528 - International Environmental LawThis module allows you to study and assess the core legal provisions and principles relating to the environmental law of the International community of States and the European Union, and to study and assess developments in specific areas or sectors of concerned with environmental protection.
- LX5673 - Intellectual Property and New Technologies
The module will address issues born from the interaction of intellectual property and the new technologies: Information Technologies (IT), the digital environment and the Internet, biotechnology. It will cover copyright protection for works belonging to Information Technology, Digital Copyright, Patent protection, Artificial Intelligence, Data Protection and Blockchain.
- LX5646 - International Intellectual Property LawThis module will focus on the international developments in Intellectual Property law. You will review the policy implications of the globalisation of intellectual property rights. This will include the study of WIPO treaties and the TRIPs Agreement as well as bilateral and multi-lateral agreements (such as ACTA).
- LX5621 - Philosophical Foundations of Intellectual PropertyThis module will focus on the theoretical framework and rationale of IP rights.
This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
You will leave Brunel with a firm grounding in Intellectual Property law and with solid legal knowledge, allowing you to be flexible in your future choices. While you’ll have the foundation to pursue an academic career, you will also be well equipped to get into the specialist area of Intellectually Property as a practitioner or adviser at national or international levels.
Our students in recent years went on to pursue careers in range of high-profile organisations such as White and Case LLP, Trade Mark Wizards, European Parliament, ECDC- Ocean Accelerator Inc. and Patent and Trademark Clinic (PTC).
UK entry requirements
- A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification, in Law or a related subject (International Relations, Political Science, Criminology, and Criminal Justice).
Other related disciplines and qualifications.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£13,750 full-time
£6,875 part-time
£1,385 placement year
International
£21,260 full-time
£10,630 part-time
£1,385 placement year
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
You'll be taught by experts in your field of study, and you'll have the opportunity to interact and engage with academics and your fellow students throughout your programme.
Your programme will consist of a variety of learning and studying activities, including lectures and seminars which will be delivered in person on campus. These will be supported by a number of online learning and studying activities when appropriate to provide a rich and dynamic experience. At LLM level students will study four 15 credit modules each term for two terms across the academic year.
Each module will have on average eight two-hour in person contact time per week in seminars, workshops or lectures. After the end of the taught part of the Programme, there is the dissertation. All students will also have the opportunity to seek guidance during the feedback and consultation hours of their lecturers (2 1-hour slot every week).
Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental levels.
All lectures, seminars, and other social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. Online activities will be used to support your learning when appropriate. It is expected that students will regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience.
You'll be taught by experts in your field of study, and you'll have the opportunity to interact and engage with academics and your fellow students throughout your programme.
Your programme will consist of a variety of learning and studying activities, including lectures and seminars which will be delivered in person on campus. These will be supported by a number of online learning and studying activities when appropriate to provide a rich and dynamic experience. In Levels 5 students will study four 30 credit modules for two terms across the academic year.
Each module will have on average two-to-three hours in person contact time per week in lectures and seminars. In Level 6 students will study four 20 credit modules and the dissertation module. Each module will have on average two hours in person in lectures, seminars or workshops.
All students will also have the opportunity to seek guidance during module lecturers’ feedback and consultation hours. Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental levels.
All lectures, seminars, and other social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. Online activities will be used to support your learning when appropriate. It is expected that students will regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Brunel has a strong research status. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) rated the majority (72.7%) of our research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. Our research was rated 58th globally for research impact. This robust culture provides a dynamic space for students to learn and contribute to current knowledge.
Your International Intellectual Property Law LLM modules will be delivered through seminars, with two hours of teaching per module a week alongside your own self-directed study. Optional modules have class sizes of 10-12 students, and compulsory modules have class sizes of around 25 on average.
You’ll also learn through:
- research centre activities and research trips
- contributing to newsletters
- making oral presentations
- attending law film screenings
- participating in debating events and reading group sessions.
You'll receive your timetable in advance of the course starting. Part-time study is based on a full-time timetable, with one less module per semester.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
All modules are assessed through a variety of diverse and authentic assessment methods. Guidance and support is offered to all students ahead of the assessment periods. General and personalised feedback is also available after the assessment periods and the publication of the results.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.