You may have graduated from a first degree in Law but have little or no knowledge of public international law. Studying law at graduate level allows you to cover previously neglected areas from your first degree, or, gives you the opportunity to gain deeper insight into areas that were only touched upon at undergraduate level. So, why study a graduate program in public international law? Perhaps we should start by asking, why is there such a thing as public international law in the first place? In a nutshell, public international law must safeguard international peace, security and justice in relation between States. This translates into objectives such as the protection of a sound and sustainable environment, open trade, fair distribution of the use of natural resources and the protection of international human rights.

By studying a graduate course in public international law, you will be learning an umbrella of law that covers much more than disputed boundaries, or deciding questions of war or peace (even though these are still crucial aspects). Globalisation is not only the most multi-faceted, but also the most important notion when describing today's state of the world and its political and economic order. The content of and demand for public international law is always changing. Public international law intervenes in national legal systems by, for example, protecting citizen's human rights against his own State, by prosecuting crimes against humanity even if they take place within a State, or by requiring a State to introduce an emission trading system to protect the environment against further global warming.

If you are theoretically-minded and like looking at the history and theory of law and the relationship between law and politics then a graduate course in public international law may be for you. Similarly, if your motivation is to save the world by avoiding or limiting international conflicts, protecting humans rights or the environment or you want to promote a fair distribution of wealth then studying a graduate course in public international law will enable you make idealism a reality.

Owing to the diversity of problems, motives and approaches to public international law, universities and colleges will offer some specialisation in this multi-faceted field. A general LLM in international law is a popular choice amongst graduate students, there are more specialised programs available, including:

• LLM International Commercial/Business Law
• LLM International Taxation
• LLM International Criminal Law
• LLM International Human Rights
• LLM International Sustainable Development

Graduate courses like these help students to focus on more particular areas of public international law without losing sight of the grand scheme.

The advantage of studying a graduate course in public international law is that despite the many different angles from which its rules can be interpreted they are, by definition, the same all over the world. This opens up fantastic opportunities for those lawyers that choose to think and work beyond their own country. Many graduates from public international law programs have gone onto the foreign office of their own country, into International Organisations such as the UN, or have established a career in global or regional organisations for trade and finance. In the case of the latter, sometimes tax-free earnings and generous packages exceed what you can expect to earn in private practice. However, you may choose to work for an NGO such as Greenpeace of Amnesty International. Of course, studying public international law at graduate level might encourage you to pursue an academic career.

By studying a graduate public international law program you will be learning a complex but extremely interesting subject. You will be intellectually stimulated and challenged and be trained in a highly relevant area for legal practice. Do not miss the opportunity of studying a graduate course in public international law, you won’t regret it!

With thanks to:
Professor Florian Becker
Programme Coordinator for International and European Law
Aberdeen University Law School