MSc in International Trade & Commerce

Course Overview

The MSc in International Trade & Commerce is a postgraduate qualification within the LSCT Business & Commerce department, designed for graduates and working professionals who want to operate confidently across post-Brexit trade flows, customs regimes and cross-border contracts. The programme runs one year full-time (two years part-time) across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes, taught from our central London base — minutes from the Department for Business and Trade, the City and major commodity houses.

You move quickly from foundational trade theory into applied UK practice from 2026: classifying goods under the UK Global Tariff, structuring an Incoterms 2020 contract, navigating Rules of Origin under the Trade & Cooperation Agreement, and pricing currency and shipping risk for a real SME exporter. By the end you will have completed a live consultancy project with a UK exporter or trade body, and a dissertation that examiners and employers can both take seriously.

Industry Context

UK trade is operating inside the most complex international rulebook in decades: the Border Target Operating Model bedding in, expanded Russia sanctions enforcement under OFSI, CPTPP accession adjustments, and ongoing CDS migration at HMRC. The MSc in International Trade & Commerce is sequenced against those conditions so the consultancy project speaks to live UK exporter pain points rather than historical case studies. Sessions also reference UK Export Finance schemes that working analysts are expected to know in interview.

Key Features of the MSc in International Trade & Commerce

• UK postgraduate qualification aligned with the Institute of Export & International Trade and CIPS supply-chain frameworks.
• Three study modes — on-campus in London, fully online with live trade simulations, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
• Consultancy project with a UK SME exporter or sector trade body, replacing the standard taught dissertation route.
• Distinctive specialism module: UK Customs & Borders Post-2021 — CDS declarations, AEO, and Single Trade Window.
• Guest sessions with practising customs brokers, trade lawyers and Department for Business and Trade officials.
• City visits to LME, Lloyd's of London and HMRC trade-facilitation briefings.

What You Will Learn

The MSc in International Trade & Commerce is structured around six taught modules and a capstone consultancy project. You will graduate able to read a bill of lading, structure a financing letter of credit, and explain to a UK exporter why their goods are stuck at Calais.

• International trade theory and the WTO system — tariffs, quotas, dispute settlement.
• UK trade policy post-Brexit — UKGT, TCA, Rules of Origin, CPTPP accession.
• Customs law and procedures — CDS declarations, AEO, transit and warehousing.
• Incoterms 2020 and international contracts — risk transfer, payment terms, jurisdiction.
• Trade finance — letters of credit, export credit, FX hedging and political risk insurance.
• Global supply chain and logistics — multimodal routing, freight markets, sanctions screening.
• Research methods for trade economics and policy analysis.

Who This Course Is For

• Recent graduates in economics, business, law or international relations targeting trade, customs or export finance careers.
• Working professionals in logistics, freight forwarding or import/export operations stepping into senior trade roles.
• Civil servants and trade-body staff who need a postgraduate qualification in UK and international trade policy.
• International applicants planning to work in their home market's UK or European trade relationships.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the MSc in International Trade & Commerce move into specialist commercial, customs and policy roles across UK and international trade. Typical first roles include:

• Trade Compliance Officer at a UK exporter or multinational
• Customs Specialist or Indirect Tax Analyst at a Big Four or boutique firm
• Trade Finance Analyst at a UK or international bank
• Supply Chain Analyst with international procurement responsibility
• Policy Officer at the Department for Business and Trade or a UK trade body
• Management Consultant (junior) on global-market entry briefs

The MSc also serves as a strong foundation for further specialism in customs law, MPhil/PhD trade economics or chartered trade-body qualifications.

Entry Requirements

• A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in business, economics, law, international relations or a related discipline.
• Applicants from non-cognate fields may apply with five years' senior professional experience in logistics, export, finance or policy.
• IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers — trade work is documentation-heavy.
• A personal statement, two references and (where applicable) a research proposal of 500-800 words.

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 trade students that means scheduled briefings at the Department for Business and Trade, City of London livery halls and Lloyd's of London.

Apply for MSc in International Trade & Commerce

Specialise at postgraduate level with the MSc in International Trade & Commerce. Click Enrol Now to apply; admissions teams reply within one working day with scholarship and funding guidance for UK and international applicants — and confirm whether your background routes you into the consultancy or dissertation pathway.