Higher Diploma in International Law

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in International Law sits inside the Law & Social Sciences department at LSCT and is built for Diploma in Law finishers, paralegals and policy-track candidates who want a focused, UK-anchored route into public international law, international trade law and international human rights. Delivered over 15 to 18 months on-campus near the Inns of Court, fully online or by structured distance learning, the programme covers state responsibility, treaty law, WTO trade frameworks, international humanitarian law and the human-rights jurisprudence the FCDO, NGOs and international firms expect.

From your first month you will be reading current ICJ, ECtHR and WTO decisions, writing structured legal opinions to NGO-style briefing length, and walking through real UK-FCDO treaty practice rather than only memorising doctrines. By the end you will hold a dissertation-style research paper, a portfolio of advisory opinions and a clear route into an LLM in International Law or a UK NGO advisory role.

The programme runs on a fortnightly seminar rhythm with structured problem-question practice, live judgment analysis and assessed advocacy or research papers. Tutors include working UK legal practitioners, criminology researchers and policy specialists. Cohort sizes are deliberately small so written work is marked in detail and oral defence of arguments is built into every assessment cycle.

Key Features

• Society of Legal Scholars-aware syllabus reflecting UK university international-law teaching standards and CILEx Foundation crossover where relevant.
• Three study modes — on-campus near the Inns of Court, fully online with live ICJ-style moots, or structured distance learning.
• UK FCDO-aware module covering treaty negotiation, ratification and post-Brexit UK international-legal posture.
• ECtHR and ICJ judgment lab — students read and IRAC-summarise recent decisions every fortnight.
• Mock advisory opinion on a current international-law question, drafted to NGO briefing length.
• LLM progression pathway into UK Master's degrees in International Law or Human Rights.

What You Will Learn

You will graduate able to read an ICJ judgment, write a structured advisory opinion, build a defensible argument under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and explain how UK domestic law intersects with international obligations after Brexit. Modules include:

• Public International Law: Sources, Subjects and State Responsibility
• The Law of Treaties (VCLT 1969)
• International Human Rights Law and the ECHR System
• International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions
• International Trade Law and the WTO Framework
• International Investment Law and Investor-State Dispute Settlement
• International Criminal Law and the Rome Statute
• UK and International Law After Brexit

Assessment is portfolio-led: you are graded on written legal analysis, structured research papers and live oral defence in front of the cohort and a working UK practitioner. This pattern is deliberate — it mirrors how UK legal-sector and policy candidates are actually tested at interview, and it forces every student to develop the habit of reading a primary source under time pressure and turning it into a defensible argument out loud.

Who This Course Is For

• Diploma in Law or Foundation Year graduates targeting an LLM in International Law in the UK.
• Paralegals at UK international firms moving towards specialist international practice.
• NGO researchers, policy officers and Civil Service International faststream applicants.
• International students seeking UK-recognised academic international-law training.

Hybrid candidates with one foot in practice and the other in policy or research are particularly well-served, since UK legal-adjacent careers increasingly value people who can read a case and a Whitehall green paper with equal confidence.

Career Pathways

Graduates progress into research, advocacy and advisory roles inside UK NGOs, international firms, international organisations and FCDO-track schemes. Typical first roles include:

• Policy Researcher (UK NGO or think tank)
• Paralegal (International Disputes or Trade)
• Caseworker (immigration and asylum, UK)
• FCDO Faststream Applicant (International route)
• International Organisation Junior Researcher
• Human Rights Officer (third sector)

Graduates often progress to an LLM in International Law or International Human Rights Law in the UK.

Beyond the obvious law-firm and policy routes, graduates are picked up by UK regulated firms building in-house compliance capability, by central-government policy directorates and by the UK third sector's growing professional research community. Hiring conversations typically test how you read and summarise primary materials under pressure, so the structured analytical portfolio you build during the programme matters more than the certificate alone.

Entry Requirements

• An Advanced Diploma (Level 5), HND, Foundation Degree, or equivalent prior study in law, politics, international relations or a related field.
• Three years' relevant work experience considered in lieu of academic prerequisites (mature applicants) — NGO, FCDO or international-organisation experience is particularly welcome on this programme.
• English language: IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
• A personal statement and one academic or professional reference.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For international-law students that proximity matters because the FCDO, IMO, the Commonwealth Secretariat and a dense set of London-based NGOs are walkable from campus — research access most institutions only read about.

We also run a structured careers service from intake onwards: scheduled mock interviews with working UK paralegals, legal executives and policy specialists, CV reviews aligned to UK legal and public-sector recruiting norms, and live cohort sessions on the application timelines for UK training contracts, CILEx routes and FCDO and civil-service entry. Every student is paired with an alumni mentor working in their target UK sector.

Apply for Higher Diploma in International Law

Close the gap to a Bachelor's degree with the Higher Diploma in International Law. Click Enrol Now to apply; admissions confirm your credit-transfer route within one working day, including a personalised LLM progression map.