Introduction
Improve your understanding of the legal implications of generating and commercialising innovation, creativity, and brands whilst adding a competitive edge to your legal career.
International Intellectual Property and Information Law at Aberdeen provides a challenging and stimulating degree for engaging with a future that lies in innovation, creativity and information technology.
This constantly evolving field explores the key issues of control and reward in innovation, creativity and technology, and focuses on areas such as literature, brands, media, health, food, agriculture, and information technologies.
This LLM offers an opportunity for students to explore a range of fascinating and multi-faceted legal and societal questions across the globe, examining the benefits and challenges within corporate and economic frameworks whilst gaining expertise in an area that is extremely valuable to businesses.
The programme was designed by our intellectual property and information law academics alongside practitioners who are all experts within the field. With this combined input, you will gain unique insights into the subject and will advance your understanding of the factors that influence it. This programme has been carefully coordinated to align with the competencies required for today’s international job market, and also offers the opportunity to study other existing LLM courses that fit well within the programme, such as: World Trade Organisation: GATT, European Economic Law and International Commercial Arbitration.
The 51cg is known for attracting world-class teaching staff with international experience in their specialist subjects, meaning you will have access to first rate teaching from globally respected thought leaders.
Please note, we have a Professional Skills study route available for this programme too, click here for more information.
Available Programmes of Study
Please note: Students staring their LLM programme in January write their Dissertation project during the Summer semester.
Duration: 12 months full-time. 24 months part time.
- LLM
-
International Intellectual Property and Information Law with Dissertation
- Qualification
- LLM
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September
Programme Fees
- UK
-
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- £11,900
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year (51cg Graduates *)
- £7,000
-
51cg graduates are eligible for the Alumni Postgraduate Scholarship, reducing tuition fees to £7,000 - matching the current SAAS tuition loan - See full terms and conditions
- EU / International students
-
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- £23,000
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year (Self-funded Students *)
- £15,000
-
The above fee includes the £8,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship provided to self-funded international students. Full terms and conditions apply.
Semester 1
Please note, this is an indicative course list. For course information, please contact law-pg-enquiries@abdn.ac.uk or refer to your Course Handbook.
Semester 1: Compulsory Courses
- Critical Legal Thinking and Scholarship (LS501T)
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This course provides students from diverse legal and educational backgrounds with a common understanding of the core research, analytical, and writing skills which will be required for LLM-Taught courses. The course is delivered as a series of five interactive lectures with two individual assessments designed to encourage critical thinking and provide opportunities for early feedback. It also incorporates a library workshop to provide students with hands-on experience with the resources available for course and dissertation work.
- Getting Started at the 51cg (PD5006)
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This course, which is prescribed for all taught postgraduate students, 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’.
Semester 1: Optional Courses
Courses to the value of 120 credit points, at least 90 credit points from the semester 1 and 2 lists, must be selected. Remaining credit points may be obtained from any Level 5 LLM 30 credit Law course.
- International Intellectual Property: Framework and Challenges (LS502L)
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30 Credit Points
Students will explore the diverse elements of law which constitute international intellectual property law. We will consider the historical development of international intellectual property rights, framework of international treaties and organisation, copyright (with a particular focus on new developments in the digital age), geographical indications, patents and designs. Throughout the course, the challenge is to identify conflicts and synergies, and areas for future development, through regard to cases, scholarship, and the activities of policy makers and activists. Assessment is by an essay; and an individual research project and oral presentation. Description: The course considers key issues relating to international intellectual property law which may vary from year to year consistent with the legal and social evolution of the fields; the course will explore copyright, geographical indications, patents, designs, and their relationship with regional and international treaties and international organisation; key themes will be drawn together in a practical presentation session.
- AI and Data: Ethical and Legal Considerations (PH5074)
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30 Credit Points
This course will introduce and investigate a number of legal and ethical issues around the ethics of technology, particularly around the ethics of artificial intelligence. We will address questions such as the moral status of artificial agents; the difference, if any, between human rights and artificial rights, problems of data bias. We will also consider the question of responsibility in this arena and review regulatory frameworks. This course would be of interest to students from computer science, philosophy, law and health sciences.
- Comparative Data Protection Law (LS505R)
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30 Credit Points
The course aims to introduce students to the foundations of data protection law, exploring its international, European, and national dimension.
The course addresses, in particular, the role of data protection regulation in the digital environment, critically discussing key global challenges, such as the impact of artificial intelligence on data subject's rights, the challenges of data protection compliance, the balance between the right to data protection and other fundamental freedoms.
Semester 2
Semester 2: Optional Courses
Courses to the value of 120 credit points, at least 90 credit points from the semester 1 and 2 lists, must be selected. Remaining credit points may be obtained from any Level 5 LLM 30 credit Law course.
- Media Law (LS553H)
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30 Credit Points
This course is designed for law as well as non-law students who are interested in public communication via mass media – some may be interested in pursuing a career in journalism, marketing, or politics, others may nevertheless be interested in gaining insights into the legal mechanisms which regulate public communication through mass media in these fields. The course aims to develop an in-depth knowledge and critical understanding of the relevant legal mechanisms.
- Regulation of Biometric Data and Profiling (LS553N)
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30 Credit Points
This course explores the regulation of biometric data and profiling in the European Union and the United Kingdom, examining how the law seeks to balance technological innovation with the regulation and protection of fundamental rights. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the regulation of biometrics and profiling, with a particular focus on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, and the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. The course will then examine some of the most common and innovative uses of these technologies and their ethical, social, and human rights implications, encouraging students to develop innovative legal approaches to address the challenges of the evolving digital landscape.
- International Cybersecurity Law (LS554A)
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30 Credit Points
The course addresses international legal issues raised by the increasing need to secure information and communications technology. It gives a comprehensive map of the international cybersecurity governance; explores the modalities of international cyberattacks; discusses data protection in the EU and UK; questions the role of States in international cybersecurity; examines what cyberattacks violate international law and how States could react to them; also studies the role of private companies, including online platforms, in securing cyberspace. Teaching will be principally delivered through discussion-based seminars.
The intended learning outcomes of the course are the following:
- Understanding of the legal issues raised by international cybersecurity;
- Ability to access, and use for analysis, relevant texts and electronic databases;
- Ability to organise and communicate, in written and orally, relevant ideas clearly and cogently;
- Skills of interpretation, analysis, critical reasoning, and independent thought in relation to key aspects of international cybersecurity law.
- Trade Marks and Brand Development (LS5584)
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30 Credit Points
This course tracks the ongoing interactions between trade mark and related laws on the one hand and the social and commercial practices of branding on the other. Through the use of cases and contemporary examples throughout, the course examines trade mark and related laws within their historical, current, and developing social and commercial contexts. It offers a critical view of developments in the laws, their roles in and responses to the evolving practices of branding. It provides students with both an analytical and a practical view on the protection of trade mark and related rights.
- Cultural Property Issues: Law Art and Museums (LS55UU)
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30 Credit Points
Taught by both a museum expert and a law academic, this course will examine cultural property issues such as treasure trove, stolen art and repatriation, forgery and authentication, the derogatory treatment of art, and the commercialisation of artworks. Objects from the University Museum and collections worldwide will be drawn on to illustrate aspects of the course. Museum practice and operational experience will also inform the discussions in class. Students will be encouraged to explore and develop their own ideas. Facilitating this, the course will include student presentations for class discussion.
Semester 3
The compulsory dissertation provides the opportunity to research and explore in more detail a specific legal area of your choice.
Semester 3: Compulsory Courses
- Master of Laws Dissertation (LS5904)
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60 Credit Points
Between February and mid-August students prepare a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic of their choice related to their specialist LLM programme. Students are instructed through the delivery of three preparatory lectures, three supervisory meetings and two dissertation writing seminars. Students are expected to spend considerable time on independent research throughout the course of the dissertation module, including; preparation of a dissertation plan, amendment of plan in accordance with supervisory comments, and, of course, the final 10,000-word dissertation itself.
- Qualification
- LLM
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- January
Programme Fees
- UK
-
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- £11,900
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year (51cg Graduates *)
- £7,000
-
51cg graduates are eligible for the Alumni Postgraduate Scholarship, reducing tuition fees to £7,000 - matching the current SAAS tuition loan - See full terms and conditions
- EU / International students
-
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- £23,000
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year (Self-funded Students *)
- £15,000
-
The above fee includes the £8,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship provided to self-funded international students. Full terms and conditions apply.
We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page. In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips.
Fee Information
Scholarships
All eligible self-funded international Postgraduate Masters students will receive an £8,000 scholarship. Learn more about this Aberdeen Global Scholarship here.
To see our full range of scholarships, visit our Funding Database.
How You'll Study
At the 51cg, you will benefit from a very personal approach to teaching. At the Law School, class sizes are kept small, so that you will have access to teaching staff whenever you need. The University adopts a range of teaching methods to ensure that you learn in a way that suits your learning style. Even when studying independently, you will benefit from having regular contact with your course coordinator and other members of the teaching staff.
Learning Methods
- Group Projects
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Research
- Seminars
- Tutorials
Assessment Methods
By course work, by written examination, or by a combination of these, as prescribed for each course. The degree of LLM shall not be awarded to a candidate who fails to achieve a CGS grade of D3 or above in the specified dissertation course, irrespective of their performance in other courses: such candidates may, at the discretion of the Examiners, be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.
Why Study International Intellectual Property and Information Law?
Law was a foundation discipline of the 51cg in 1495. Today the Law School is considered one of the UK’s elite training grounds for lawyers - and there’s no substitute for experience.
Intellectual Property is one of the most valuable assets in business and at Aberdeen you will have the opportunity to explore its power and learn about its challenges from activists and competitors. You will learn how intellectual property can aid and limit innovation, creativity and development, within a range of corporate and economic frameworks.
There are over 40 nationalities within the School of Law community, so you will benefit from the experiences of international students from all over the world.
Students choose to study Law at Aberdeen because of our reputation for academic excellence and unrivalled student experience. At Aberdeen, you will:
- Gain a degree in a challenging and stimulating subject that will enable you to engage with a future that lies in innovation.
- Develop valuable transferable skills, gain advanced knowledge and build networks upon which to base your future career.
- Benefit from learning about intellectual property laws overseas as well as in the UK as our programme attracts students from all over the world.
- Benefit from studying in small class sizes and have the opportunity to learn in a friendly community where you will have access to teaching staff whenever you need.
The University also has a leading Law careers service that organises events focused on providing you with the additional skills needed to make the most of your career potential.
Over 90.4% of our Law graduates are in employment or further study 15 months after graduation. (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2026)
We are ranked 3rd in Scotland for Law in the Complete University Guide 2027.
Interested in this programme?
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the 51cg.
Normally, a 2.2 honours degree (or equivalent) in Law will be required to be accepted onto this programme. Relevant practical experience in a related field will also be beneficial.
Document Requirements
You will be required to supply the following documentation with your application as proof you meet the entry requirements of this degree programme. If you have not yet completed your current programme of study, then you can still apply and you can provide your Degree Certificate at a later date.
- Degree Transcript
- a full transcript showing all the subjects you studied and the marks you have achieved in your degree(s) (original & official English translation)
- Personal Statement
- a detailed personal statement explaining your motivation for this particular programme
- Reference
- a reference letter from your university discussing your academic ability. If you have been out of education for a long time you may wish to use your current or most recent employer, or another professional person
Careers
Studying International Intellectual Property and Information Law at Aberdeen will provide you with a solid grounding for pursuing a career in the legal industries. A degree in International Intellectual Property and Information Law from Aberdeen could lead you to a career in law, journalism and media, technology, international policymaking, activism, or with multinational corporations.
1st for Law in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
We've been ranked 1st in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland for Overall Satisfaction in Law by the National Student Survey 2025.
3rd in Scotland for Law
We've been ranked 3rd in Scotland for Law in the Complete University Guide 2027
Our Experts
- Programme Leader
- Dr Catherine Ng
- Other Experts
- Professor Abbe Brown
- Dr Titilayo Adebola
- Dr Patricia Zivkovic
- Dr Rossana Ducato
- Prof Irène Couzigou
Information 51cg 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.
Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
-
School of Law
51cg
Taylor Building
Aberdeen
AB24 3UB