LLM – International Dispute Resolution (University of London)
Awarded by the University of London
· Delivered by BAC College Singapore
Here's the BIG Picture
The LLM that puts you at the centre of global dispute resolution.
International commercial disputes are decided by people who understand the rules — and know how to use them. This LLM gives you both. The University of London LLM with a specialisation in International Dispute Resolution is a rigorous, career-defining postgraduate programme designed for legal professionals, corporate counsel, arbitration practitioners, and law graduates who want to operate confidently across borders. Delivered in Singapore by BAC College, the Global Law School, you will graduate with one of the world's most respected LLM qualifications, grounded in the exact subjects that define cross-border practice: arbitration law and procedure, trade finance, international sale of goods, and conflict of laws.
*Terms and conditions apply. Kindly contact our BAC counsellors for more information.
With this Course You Will:
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Advise on every stage of international arbitration — from drafting the clause to enforcing the award under the New York Convention across 170 jurisdictions.
- Master the law of FOB and CIF contracts, letters of credit under UCP600, demand guarantees under URDG 758, and the UN Sale of Goods Convention (CISG).
- Handle investment treaty arbitration — ICSID, NAFTA Chapter 11, bilateral investment treaties, and the Energy Charter Treaty.
- Determine which court has jurisdiction, which law applies, and whether a foreign judgment can be enforced — across the EU, English common law, and US frameworks.
- Apply transnational law instruments including the UNIDROIT Principles and lex mercatoria in live dispute scenarios.
- Engage confidently with ICC, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, ICSID, and PCA institutional rules and procedures.
Why Choose BAC College (Singapore)?
Established in 1996, BAC College Singapore (formerly known as ITC School of Laws) is a dynamic and forward-thinking education provider, offering a comprehensive range of pre-university and degree pathway programmes in partnership with leading UK universities.
As part of the wider BAC Education Group, students benefit from a globally connected learning ecosystem, with flexible pathways that allow them to graduate from over 25 prestigious UK universities. This provides enhanced international recognition, academic mobility, and global career opportunities.
At BAC, learning goes beyond traditional classroom teaching. Our innovative, student-centric approach integrates blended learning, digital resources, and practical application to ensure students develop not only academic excellence but also real-world skills. Through interactive lectures, personalised tutorials, and immersive learning experiences, we equip students with the confidence, critical thinking, and adaptability needed to succeed in today’s evolving professional landscape.
Students also benefit from our supportive learning environment, with a strong emphasis on engagement and personal attention.
• Lectures: 1:100
• Face-to-Face Tutorials: 1:20
Our commitment to delivering quality education that meets international standards continues to be recognised. BAC has been consistently awarded the prestigious 4-year EduTrust certification, reflecting our dedication to academic excellence, student welfare, and institutional quality.
Choosing BAC means becoming part of an innovative and globally connected education network designed to help you achieve your academic goals and thrive in your future career.
How Do I Get In?
- 21 years of age and above; and
- A qualifying law degree (LLB or equivalent) from a recognised university, typically with a minimum of second class honours
- A non-law degree plus a Graduate Diploma in Law or equivalent conversion qualification
- Extensive relevant professional legal experience — considered on a case-by-case basis by the University of London
English Language Proficiency
- IELTS 7.0 or equivalent (for applicants whose first language is not English)
Not sure if you qualify? Talk to our admissions team — we will guide you through the process and help you find the right pathway to the programme.
Hello there, welcome to BAC College Singapore.
Need advice? Talk to us
COURSE MODULES
Four Subjects. Sixteen Learning Sections. One Complete Picture.
The International Dispute Resolution specialisation is built around four core subjects. Each subject progresses across four sections (A through D) — moving from foundational doctrine to advanced and specialist practice.
Subject 1 Regulation and Infrastructure of International Commercial Arbitration
The architecture of international arbitration — treaties, institutions, tribunals, and investment regimes
This subject examines the global legal framework that makes international arbitration function — from its foundational treaties to the institutions that administer it, the arbitrators who decide cases, and the specialist regimes governing disputes involving states and investors.
|
SECTION A Foundations and Institutional Architecture Why arbitration works, and how the global system is built. You will cover the key international treaties — the New York Convention 1958 and the UNCITRAL Model Law 1985 — and survey the world's leading arbitral institutions (ICC, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, ICSID and more), understanding how each operates, what it costs, and when to use it. |
SECTION B Arbitration Agreements and Party Autonomy What makes an arbitration clause enforceable — and what can go wrong. You will study how to draft and interpret arbitration agreements, the doctrine of separability, how to choose a seat of arbitration, and how courts respond when a party ignores the agreement and litigates instead. |
|
SECTION C The Arbitral Tribunal How tribunals are built, how arbitrators must behave, and how to challenge them. You will cover appointment mechanisms, the IBA Guidelines on conflicts of interest, the duties and immunities of arbitrators, challenge and removal procedures, and the rules that allow a tribunal to continue even when a seat falls vacant. |
SECTION D Investment Arbitration and Specialist Regimes Arbitration involving states, sovereign immunity, and global investment disputes. You will study the ICSID Convention in depth, investor-state arbitration under NAFTA Chapter 11, bilateral investment treaties, and the Energy Charter Treaty — along with specialist bodies such as the Iran-US Claims Tribunal and an introduction to online dispute resolution. |
Subject 2 Applicable Laws and Procedures in International Commercial Arbitration
The governing law, procedural framework, and lifecycle of arbitral awards
This subject covers the full procedural and substantive law of arbitral proceedings — from determining which law governs the dispute and how hearings are conducted, to jurisdictional challenges, interim relief, and the recognition and enforcement of awards around the world.
|
SECTION A The Applicable Law Which law governs the merits — and how a tribunal decides if the parties haven't chosen one. You will examine party autonomy, the lex mercatoria, the UNIDROIT Principles, and the difficult question of mandatory rules that override the parties' choice, including EC competition law following the landmark Eco Swiss case. |
SECTION B Conducting the Proceedings From the first submission to the closing hearing. You will work through the ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, and AAA rules in practice — written pleadings, oral hearings, witness evidence, document production, and expert witnesses — drawing on the IBA Evidence Rules and the Prague Rules as the two principal frameworks. |
|
SECTION C Jurisdiction, Arbitrability, and Interim Relief What can be arbitrated, who decides, and how to freeze assets while you wait. You will study the Kompetenz-Kompetenz doctrine, arbitrability across subject matters (competition, insolvency, IP, bribery), emergency arbitrators, court-ordered interim relief, and the mechanics of multiparty and multicontract proceedings. |
SECTION D Awards From deliberation to enforcement — and what happens when the losing party fights back. You will cover every type of award, the formal requirements under the Model Law, costs and interest, confidentiality, the grounds for setting aside under Article 34, the English s.69 appeal on law, and the full New York Convention enforcement framework. |
Subject 3 International Trade Law (Export Sales on English Law Terms)
From FOB and CIF contracts to letters of credit, demand guarantees, and the CISG
This subject covers the full legal framework of international trade transactions under English law — starting with export sales and bills of lading, moving to the documentary credit system and trade finance instruments, and ending with the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
|
SECTION A FOB and CIF Export Contracts The two contracts that move most of the world's traded goods. You will master the duties of seller and buyer under FOB and CIF terms, when risk passes, when property passes, and what happens when either party fails to perform — through the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the leading English cases. |
SECTION B Bills of Lading and Carriage of Goods by Sea The document at the heart of every international shipment. You will learn the three legal functions of a bill of lading — receipt, contract of carriage, document of title — the different types and their practical effect, carrier liability under the Hague-Visby Rules, and how contractual rights pass down the chain of buyers under COGSA 1992. |
|
SECTION C Letters of Credit and Trade Finance How sellers get paid — and what happens when something goes wrong. You will study documentary credits under UCP600, the autonomy principle, strict documentary compliance, the fraud exception and injunctions to restrain payment, and the full range of guarantee instruments including standby credits and demand guarantees under URDG 758. |
SECTION D The UN Sale of Goods Convention (CISG) The international sales treaty used by businesses in over 90 countries. You will examine when it applies and when it can be excluded, how it is interpreted, the obligations of seller and buyer, and the full remedies framework — including damages under Articles 74-78, avoidance for fundamental breach, and the Article 79 exemption. |
Subject 4 Private International Law in International Commercial Litigation
Jurisdiction, choice of law, and the recognition of foreign judgments
This subject equips you to navigate the three central questions of every cross-border dispute: which court has jurisdiction, which country's law governs, and whether a foreign judgment can be enforced — drawing on EU regulations, English common law, and US comparative law.
|
SECTION A Theory and History Why different countries reach different answers to the same cross-border legal question. You will trace the development of private international law from the Italian statutists through to modern American interest analysis and economic theories — building the conceptual toolkit you will apply throughout the rest of the subject. |
SECTION B Jurisdiction Which court gets to hear the case. You will study the Brussels Regulation's jurisdiction framework in depth — domicile, special grounds, exclusive jurisdiction, and choice-of-court clauses — alongside forum non conveniens, lis pendens, anti-suit injunctions, and the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements 2005. |
|
SECTION C Choice of Law Which country's law governs once jurisdiction is settled. You will cover Rome I (contracts) and Rome II (non-contractual obligations) in detail — including express and implied choice, characteristic performance, and mandatory rules — along with English statutory and common law rules and US choice-of-law methodology for comparison. |
SECTION D Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Getting a judgment paid in another country. You will study how the Brussels Regulation delivers near-automatic recognition within the EU, the supplementary European enforcement instruments, and the three routes to enforcement in England. The US framework — full faith and credit, the Uniform Recognition Act, and comity — provides the comparative perspective. |
You might also like these Courses.
Postgraduate Diploma in Law (E-Learning)
This programme is an advancement from the Post Graduate Certificate in Malaysian Legal Practice and has been developed for practitioners, by practitioners. It focuses on developing technical and practical proficiency through innovative learning methods.
Postgraduate Certificate in Management
This programme arms prospective executives with the knowledge and disciplines required for the effective running of the business, decision making and problem solving exposure, satisfying the growing demand for a course offering in-depth study and a high degree of specialisation.
Postgraduate Diploma in Management
The aim of this programme is to provide you with advanced skills to further your career in today’s highly competitive business environment.