Develop your understanding of international law and earn credits towards an LLM.
Economic globalisation and recent world events have thrown a spotlight on the issues, challenges and complexities of international trade.
In this Masters-level online short course, you’ll study the critical issues that arise when the buyer and the seller of goods are located in different legal systems.
- Gain expertise in the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and UK Sale of Goods legislation.
- Deepen your understanding of contract law, particularly pertaining to your own jurisdiction.
- Add significant value to your career and professional relationships with your clients.
Join our flexible online short course and learn with a top UK law school with a strong reputation in international commercial law.
Who can join this online international law course?
This distance-learning course is designed for law graduates.
If you’re a lawyer working in countries that have ratified CISG but you haven’t studied this system in detail, this course will fill that knowledge gap.
It’s designed to help you progress your career as a lawyer working in-house, in a firm, or in government organisations anywhere in the world.
Build credits towards a Masters degree
This online course is part of:
You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards any of these postgraduate qualifications.
What you’ll study
In this course, you’ll examine the legal challenges that can occur for buyers and sellers in international sale of goods transactions.
You’ll consider the definition and sources of international sale of goods law, focusing on two major sources that govern international trade today:
- UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG, Vienna Convention).
- UK Sale of Goods Act 1979.
CISG is the prevalent foundation of international sales law, governing sale of goods contracts between buyers and sellers located in 87 countries – but not the UK. The UK is one of very few countries that hasn’t ratified the CISG. It uses the UK Sale of Goods Act 1979 to regulate contract and commercial law.
You’ll examine these two systems in detail and compare them to consider the implications for buyers and sellers. You’ll look at issues arising in transactions where CISG applies, and contrast with the position under the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
You’ll also broaden your international trade knowledge with study of:
- carriage of goods laws
- bills of lading
- Incoterms
- dispute resolution
- private international law issues in relation to international sales contracts.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for international law courses
Study with a university that’s home to one of the largest and most internationally experienced teams of legal experts in any UK or European law school.
Over 525 years of excellence
Join a university founded in 1495, where Law has been taught for more than five centuries.
Top 5 in Scotland for Law
We’re ranked Top 5 in Scotland for Law in two league tables (Guardian University Guide 2025 and Complete University Guide 2025).
Earn as you learn
We fit around full-time work, so you can earn qualifications while you keep earning a salary.
How you’ll study
Online learning
Our distance-learning International Sale of Goods 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 LLM 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:
- podcasts of lectures
- videos
- slide presentations
- reading lists and materials
- regular quizzes
- discussion boards with your tutors and peers
- the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library and Taylor Law Library.
You’ll also be asked to keep a reflective journal of your learning throughout the first few weeks of the course.
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 law.
You’ll be assessed entirely online via an essay for this course.
Your essay will be worth 100% of your total course grade.
The course totals approximately 150 hours of study and assessment time. That’s around 10 – 15 hours per week.
This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes. This includes time for independent study, as well as teaching and assessments.
You can largely set your own study hours each week 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 for fixed times. This could include coursework and assessments with deadlines, or online meetings with your tutor. 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:
- Careers and Employability Service
- Disability support
- IT support
- Library support
- Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
- Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
- Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
- Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier
Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.
Your course coordinator
Dr Nevena Jevremovic
Nevena is a Lecturer in Commercial Law. She researches and teaches transnational commercial dispute resolution. Nevena has a keen interest in interdisciplinary study of international sales law, through a combination of critical discourse analysis, law and political economy, and decolonial approaches.
View Nevena’s profileOnline 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 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards our:
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View LLM Oil and Gas LawBuild 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 multinational private company.
Previous graduates have gone on to senior positions in legal firms, in industry, NGOs, and with government organisations across the world.
Continuing professional development (CPD)
Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for CPD hours. 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
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world.
This course has no formal entry requirements. You do not need to provide proof of your qualifications.
But you do need to check the entry guidance above to understand the level of teaching delivered, to decide if this course is right for you.
If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check the equivalent teaching level for your country.
Visa requirements
You do not need a student visa to study online with us.
English language requirements
Teaching is delivered in English.
You do not have to provide proof of your English language skills to join this course. But we want to make sure that you can use English well enough to study successfully.
Recommended level of English
This course uses our Postgraduate Higher level of English language proficiency.
These are our Postgraduate Higher requirements, and these are minimum scores.
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
Duolingo – tests taken from 1 July 2024 onward
- 120 overall
- 95 for listening and speaking
- 105 for reading and writing
University of Aberdeen English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE)
- Pass
- Valid for one year. Refresher can be offered if out of date
Pre-sessional academic English preparation programmes undertaken at other UK universities
- Pass at an equivalent of 6.5 (C1)
- B2 in all four skills
- Certification must be within one year prior to the start of your course
For more information about language qualifications see our English Language Requirements page.
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.
This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.
The course is delivered at LLM level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:
- a 2:1 (upper-second-class) Law degree, or
- relevant work experience that supports this level of study.
Apply for this course