Join an online arbitration course accredited by the CIArb that fits around full-time work.

Develop your expertise and qualifications in arbitration, a dispute resolution method growing in popularity internationally and across sectors.

Learn from experts in international law and arbitration as they guide you through this complex, technical area of the law.

You’ll gain a full understanding of how it operates, essential if you’re advising clients or framing contracts that carry arbitration clauses.

  • Enhance your skills, experience and career as a lawyer working in private practice, in-house, or in a government organisation.
  • Join us online from anywhere in the world.
  • Set your own study hours so you can continue to earn while you learn.
CIArb

This course is accredited by

We’re a recognised course provider for CIArb Membership and Fellowship on the Mediation and International Arbitration and Pathways.

Build credits towards a Masters degree

This online course is part of:

You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards either of these postgraduate qualifications.

What you’ll study

Arbitration is an adjudicative process leading to a binding decision. But it differs significantly from litigation in several key respects – not least its flexibility, confidentiality and use of decision-making expertise.

You’ll gain a thorough grounding in the principles and content of international arbitration law, using the UK arbitral system as the template. You’ll also cover other systems, including some of the institutional rules and key concepts that apply across all arbitration regimes.

You’ll look at the rules and principles underpinning the following:

  • the arbitration agreement
  • sources of arbitral rules: legislative and institutional
  • jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal
  • appointment of arbitrators
  • the arbitral process pre-hearing
  • the arbitral hearing
  • arbitral costs
  • the award and challenge
  • enforcement of the award.

Choose the University of Aberdeen for online law courses

Study at a university with one of the largest and most internationally experienced teams of legal experts in any European law school.

Top 10 UK law school

We’re delighted to be ranked a Top 10 UK Law School by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.

CIArb

CIArb accredited

The content of this course is prescribed by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).

20% alumni discount

University of Aberdeen alumni get 20% off this online course.

How you’ll study

Online learning

This distance-learning international arbitration course is delivered flexibly, 100% online.

You can learn with us anywhere, no student visa required, and manage your study hours to suit you.

Your teaching

This course is taught at Masters level.

Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.

You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources available, including:

  • video lectures
  • online tutorials
  • slide presentations
  • reading materials
  • discussion boards with your tutors and peers
  • the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library and the Taylor Law Library.

Your tutors

This course is delivered by our School of Law.

You’ll learn from lawyers with extensive international experience and experts working in practice in the field of international arbitration.

You’ll be assessed entirely online throughout your course via:

  • your online interaction (worth 20% of your total course grade)
  • two coursework assignments (each worth 40%).

This course totals approximately 300 hours of study and assessment time.

That’s around 15 – 20 hours per week in regular topic work and independent study, with more time required around assessments.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes.

You can largely set your own study hours to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.

Activities at fixed times

There may be some activities scheduled at a fixed time, such as online meetings with your tutor or assessments with deadlines. But otherwise, you can access and work through the course at your convenience.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your course coordinator throughout your course. This could be by email, MyAberdeen, online call, or phone. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Your course coordinator

Dr Michiel Poesen

Michiel is a Lecturer in the Law School. He researches and teaches private international law. Michiel has a keen interest in the harmonisation of the field within the European Union and at the international level. He holds a PhD from the University of Leuven.

View Michiel’s profile

Online learning in the School of Law

Advocates share their experiences of working while studying online Law courses with us.

Where this will take you

Towards an LLM

You’ll earn 30 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards our:

LLM in Dispute Resolution

Enhance your non-court dispute resolution skills with this online Masters accredited by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

View LLM Dispute Resolution

LLM in International Trade Law

Develop the knowledge to practise trade law or work for governments, international businesses and NGOs. Join this flexible online LLM you can study part-time, with the option to attend Professional Skills training.

View LLM International Trade Law

Build your learning with more short courses

We offer a wide range of specialist online Law short courses you can use to build your skills.

Many are part of existing Masters degrees and can be used to build up credits towards postgraduate qualifications.

Careers

The course will give you significant professional benefit as a lawyer advising clients on international activity, or if you work in a related capacity in a government department or a multinational private company.

Previous graduates have gone on to senior positions in legal firms, in industry, NGOs, and with government organisations across the world.

Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.

Free career support

Access our free careers service while you study.

  • 1:1 appointments
  • CV checks
  • Interview prep
  • Job opportunities

See how our careers service can help you.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world.

See the minimum entry requirements above. If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check equivalent qualifications from your country.

Visa requirements

You do not need a student visa to study online with us.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

If English is not your first language, use our English requirements checklist to see if you need to provide evidence of your English language skills when you apply.

English language tests and scores

If you do need to provide English language test scores, these are the tests and minimum scores we accept.

These are our Postgraduate Higher requirements.

IELTS Academic, IELTS UKVI Academic, and IELTS Online (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training)

  • 6.5 overall
  • 5.5 for listening and speaking
  • 6.0 for reading and writing

TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition

  • 90 overall
  • 17 for listening
  • 21 for reading
  • 20 for speaking
  • 21 for writing
  • TOEFL DI code is 0818

Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency

  • 176 overall
  • 162 for listening and speaking
  • 169 for reading and writing

LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT

  • 70 overall
  • 60 for listening and speaking
  • 65 for reading and writing

LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken) – Online / In-centre

  • Overall High Pass
  • 33 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 38 for writing

Oxford ELLT Digital – English Language Level Test Online

  • 7.0 overall
  • 5.0 for listening and speaking
  • 6.0 for reading and writing

PTE Academic (online test not accepted)

  • 62 overall
  • 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

For more information about language qualifications see our English Language Requirements page.

For this course, you’ll apply through our Applicant Portal. It allows you to upload relevant qualifications and documents. Our admissions team will then review these and contact you.

Documents you’ll need to apply for this course

  • Degree transcript
  • Degree certificate
  • Personal statement
  • One professional reference

Apply now

Start with our step-by-step guide. It explains degree transcripts, what to write in your personal statement and how to use the Applicant Portal.

Apply as early as you can. This is so we have time to review your application and get a decision to you. We also want to ensure you have time to enrol before teaching starts.

September 2024 intake

For our September 2024 intake, the application deadline is 8 September 2024.

You will need to accept your offer and provide any outstanding documents to meet the conditions of your offer by 15 September 2024.

Teaching starts on 23 September 2024.

You will need access to:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:

  • Windows 10 or later
  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.

Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.

Reliable internet access

We recommend:

  • a wired connection
  • a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.

Speakers or headphones

  • We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
  • A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one for some interactive sessions.

Software

We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your studies each week:

  • Be realistic
  • Create a weekly schedule as a guide

If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.

Fee payment

Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.

We accept payment via Visa Debit, Visa Credit and Mastercard.

Ways to save

You may be able to get help funding this course via:

  • discounts – if any discounts are available for this course, they’ll appear in the section below
  • employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors.

Find out more about funding options.

Student card

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.

The minimum entry requirements for this course are:

  • an 2:1 (upper-second-class) Law degree (or equivalent).

Relevant practical experience in a related field is also beneficial.

Apply for this course

Start date
23 September 2024
Cost
£2,580
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