Yogesh Bhatia sought a master’s degree that was globally recognised and taught by faculty members from all walks of life. It was a much-needed break from his professional life — Bhatia wanted to have “the best time” while enhancing his knowledge at a UK university. He found these — and more — with the University of Dundee’s Corporate and Commercial Law LLM.
“This course is relevant to my profession since I am a qualified lawyer in India and have work experience dealing with the corporate and commercial laws of my home country,” he says. “I am optimistic that after completion of this course, I would stand to gain the experience, skills and knowledge that would help me to scale up in my professional career.”
Ranked fourth in Scotland (Guardian University Guide 2022), the University of Dundee’s law courses are designed to prepare students to practise law in all common jurisdictions globally. Teaching the postgraduate LLM programmes are academics who are leaders in their field, many of whom are also working on world-leading impactful research organised around two themes: Law for a Sustainable World and Law for a Just World.
Academics at the Dundee Law School provide as much support as they do challenges – they work with students to develop both legal and transferable skills such as the ability to understand and analyse complex materials, while teaching them how to present persuasive arguments verbally and in writing. This technique, along with its excellent curriculum (Energy Law is one of the top programmes according to LLM Guide 2022), contributes to the future success of students, long after graduation.
“My studying time has been good. I feel privileged to be taught by some of the best faculty members who carry a wealth of knowledge and teaching experience in the UK and internationally,” says Bhatia. “I find a good mix of local and international students from different backgrounds and it has been a pleasure to study along with them.”
Debarati Bhattacharyya is from India and is now in Dundee studying LLM Business and Human Rights Law. “Dundee is student focused and it’s a student-friendly university,” she says. “My study is research-oriented and one of the best things about it is the student and staff interaction, and the library.”Outside of the formal study of law, students benefit from the opportunity to develop academic and professional legal skills through mooting. The University of Dundee’s Mooting Society hosts masterclasses by judges and practitioners, selects teams for national and international competitions, and organises the Dundee Law School internal mooting competition.
At Dundee, societies and groups enhance the learning experience. The Law Society aims to help members explore their career options and organises class trips and academic workshops. In addition, the Dundee Student Law Review showcases the academic fortitude of the school by publishing submissions of Dundee law students, which are peer-reviewed by academic staff to ensure the publications are of the highest academic standards. The editorial team is composed of students from the Dundee Law School at varying stages of their legal careers.
Flexible course options for a customised student experience
All of Dundee Law School’s programmes are highly flexible to help students prepare for a future career in law. Law (General) LLM students can choose from a range of modules to design their bespoke master’s programme. For those who are passionate about specialising in an area of law, the specialist LLM is a suitable choice.
That’s something Bhatia appreciates. “The LLM course offers a wide variety of modules dealing with the commercial laws of the UK, EU and other international organisations. These modules provide me an opportunity to engage with and analyse the laws deeply and this exercise helps me in building my legal knowledge from an international perspective,” she says.
The flexibility does not end there. Students can choose to change their specialisms after they have enrolled in a master’s programme. While some programmes concentrate on areas such as international commercial and corporate law, environmental or business and human rights law, some allow for multidisciplinary study.
International learning opportunities
The university offers internships with Pagoda Projects as well. Students hold are full-time positions, working Monday to Friday for eight weeks. Remote positions are available too.
These are invaluable in making students stand out in the job market. Employers believe graduates who have internship experience are more employable. This makes sense — teamed with study, an internship provides experience of the workings on international companies and organisations, giving an increased cultural understanding while developing skills such as project and time management.
Over the years, Dundee Law students have secured prestigious placements at international organisations and tribunals. Many have gone on to work for global companies. Postgraduate students can also spend a semester at Cergy-Paris, a leading French Law School, studying commercial law topics from a civil law perspective – there’s no additional fee to pay and all classes are taught in English.
The university encouraged Debarati to apply for an internship. She did and saw how it brightened her career prospects. “I applied for an internship because the university tries to engage us in internships for the future benefit it brings to our career,” she says. “My wish is to carry on research at the University of Dundee. I hope to take up a job in human rights, preferably staying in Dundee or Scotland.”
An inclusive and friendly environment
Dundee is a coastal city on the east coast of Scotland, just an hour north of Edinburgh by car or train and London is easily accessed by train or aeroplane.It is international and multicultural. Students will find specialist food shops in the campus area, such as Chinese, Indian, Polish and Russian supermarkets and halal butchers. There are also places of worship for many faiths, including Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Judaism, plus various Christian denominations.
The city campus is small and compact, so everything you need is within safe walking distance. The sandy beach is just 20 minutes from city campus by bus and the Scottish countryside is within easy reach too. What’s more, Dundee was recently named as the most affordable city for students to live in the UK (Oxford Royal 2021).
An environment like this serves as a home away from home for many international students. “The university has a good mix of both Indian and other international students from different backgrounds,” Bhatia explains. “The presence of Indian students on campus does not make me feel away from home as they all appear as one big family holding the flag of Indian community high.”
It is little wonder why they were given a five-star rating by international higher education specialists QS. The University of Dundee is also ranked number one in StudentCrowd’s 5 best Scottish universities in 2022, first in Scotland for graduate prospects and one of the top 200 universities in the world for graduate employment rate.
So what are you waiting for? Click here to begin your journey at Dundee Law School.
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