Course Information for LLM / Specialist LLM / PhD
 

» Coursework Requirements
» Registration for Electives
» Enquiries / Other Information


A. Coursework Requirements

  Coursework Programmes
1

Workload:

LLM students are allowed to register for 17-23 units of courses per semester. The total number of units for the LLM degree is a range of 40-44.

The number of units and compulsory course(s) that a student must read and complete as part of the requirement of the specialist LLM are as below:
 

Programme *Total No. of Units Coursework Requirement
LLM without a specialisation 40-44 No compulsory course.
LLM (Asian Legal Studies) 40-44

At least 24 units of courses must be taken from the Asian Legal Studies grouping, including the compulsory courses.
^Compulsory courses – (Sem 1) Legal Systems of Asia (4 units) AND (Sem 1) Singapore Common Law of Contract (4 units) (for students from non-common law jurisdiction.)
LLM (Corporate & Financial Services Law) 40-44

At least 24 units of courses must be taken from the Corporate & Financial Services Law grouping, including the compulsory course.

^Compulsory course – (Sem 1) Elements of Company Law (4 units)
(for students who have not read and passed Company Law at NUS or its equivalent in a common law jurisdiction.)
LLM (Intellectual Property & Technology Law) 40-44

At least 24 units of courses must be taken from the Intellectual Property & Technology Law grouping, including the compulsory course – Law of Intellectual Property (8 units) OR Foundations of IP Law (5 units).

(Students who have read and passed a course on Intellectual Property Law at NUS or its equivalent in a common law jurisdiction are exempted.)
LLM (International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution) 40-44 At least 24 units of courses must be taken from the International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution grouping, including the compulsory courses
^Compulsory courses –
(Sem 1*/ Sem 2)  International Commercial Arbitration (5 units) ,
(Sem 1) International Dispute Settlement (5 units) AND
(Sem 1) Topics in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (1 unit).
* preferred semester to take this course as it is fundamental and should be taken before taking advanced courses in Sem 2
In addition to the three compulsory courses, you are required to take at least two of the following super-intensive elective courses that are conducted during the Semester’s Recess Week:
(Sem 1 Recess Week)
-  International Arbitration & the New York Convention
-  SIAC and Institutional Arbitration

(Sem 2 Recess Week)
-   Current Challenges to Investment Arbitration
-   Complex Arbitrations: Multiparty - Multicontract



These super-intensive electives are taught by top arbitration specialists from around the world who cannot spend more than a few days with us given their busy schedule
 
LLM (International & Comparative Law) 40-44 At least 24 units of courses must be taken from the International & Comparative Law grouping, including the compulsory course.

^Compulsory course –
(Sem 1/Sem 2) Public International Law (5 units)
(for students who have not read and passed Public International Law at NUS or its equivalent)

LLM (Maritime Law) 40-44 At least 24 units of courses must be taken from the Maritime Law grouping, including the compulsory courses.

^Compulsory courses -
(Sem 1) Carriage of Goods by Sea (5 units) AND
(Sem 2) Charterparties (5 units)
LLM (International Business Law) 40-44 Sem 1: 20-23 units to be read at NUS

Sem 2: 20 units to be read at partner university East China University of Political Science and Law
(Classes in ECUPL will be conducted in person only and typically starts from 2nd week of January every year)

^Compulsory course –
(Sem 1) Elements of Company Law (4 units)
(for students who have not read and passed Company Law at NUS or its equivalent in a common law jurisdiction)
 
 

* Total number of units may differ for students enrolled in the Double-Degree Programmes.

^ The units obtained from the compulsory course(s) listed in the table above will be counted towards the specialization. Failure to obtain a pass in the compulsory course(s) will mean that a student will not be able to proceed with the specialist LLM programme. Instead, the student will be considered to have enrolled for the LLM programme without a specialization and will be awarded the LLM degree upon completion of the programme
2

Common Law Course for Students from Non-Common Law Jurisdictions
Students with first law degrees from non-common law jurisdictions are required to read one special Common Law course Singapore Common Law of Contract as part of the unit requirement in Semester 1. The course introduces civil law lawyers to the methodology and reasoning used in the common law in Singapore. Units for this course may count towards the minimum 24-unit specialization requirement for the LLM (Asian Legal Studies) degree. 

Students who have conducted advanced studies in the common law in English or who have sufficient work experience in English in a common law jurisdiction, and who wish to be exempted from this course may submit applications for exemption, supported by evidence of relevant experience.  
 

All applications must be received by the Faculty (lawgrad@nus.edu.sg) by 31 July. Applicants will be informed at the earliest opportunity of the outcome of such applications for exemption.Students with first law degrees from common law jurisdictions are precluded from reading the Common Law course.
3 Part-time Programme

Students in the LLM (Maritime Law) part-time programme should register for 9-13 units of courses per semester. The total number of units for the degree is a range of 40-44, to be completed in four semesters. The compulsory courses should be completed in the first two semesters of candidature.
4 Underload/Overload
Students who wish to register for number of units outside the recommended range of 17-23 must first seek the approval of the Vice Dean, Academic Affairs at lawgrad@nus.edu.sg. Students should submit their requests stating the reason and provide their study plan for both Semester 1 and 2 by the course registration deadline. We regret that requests received after the course registration deadline will not be entertained.
 
  Research Programmes
5 Compulsory coursework requirements
Programme No. of Courses Remarks
PhD LC6378 Doctoral Workshop

LC6009GRSII Graduate Research Seminar II
4 Elective Courses
 LC6378 Doctoral Workshop is a year-long course conducted in both Semester 1 & 2
Semester 2
 
6 PhD students are required to select their course in consultation with their supervisor(s).
7

PhD students who wish to request for a partial waiver of coursework requirement (unit transfer/exemption) should write a formal request to the Vice-Dean, Research at lawgradrsh@nus.edu.sg  within one week after the release of Semester 1 results (please attach a soft copy or screenshot of your results and reasons for your request).
Please refer to https://nusgs.nus.edu.sg/admissions/unit-policy/ for criteria on unit transfer/exemption.

 

B. Registration for Electives

1. Courses which are opened to the different programmes are denoted by the following course codes:
LLM Programmes - LC5xxx or LL5xxx
PhD Programme - LC6xxx or LL6xxx
2. To request for Non-Law Courses, please refer to the [Submit Course Requests] function in CourseReg@EduRec. The list of courses is available at the websites of other NUS Faculties and Schools (http://nus.edu.sg/education)
3.  For more information and the User Guide, please refer to Course Registration Information.
 

 

C. Enquiries / Other Information

1. All enquiries should be directed to lawgrad@nus.edu.sg.
2.  Students are advised to check their NUS email account regularly for updates.

 

Updated June 2019