International Legal Studies with a year Abroad

International Legal Studies is a degree that takes the study of law beyond national borders, engaging with the legal frameworks, institutions, and principles that govern relationships between states and regulate conduct in the global arena. Where a traditional law degree focuses primarily on the rules of a single legal system, International Legal Studies examines how law operates across jurisdictions, how different legal traditions compare, and how international law, human rights, and global legal institutions shape the world. It is a degree for students who want not only to understand law but to understand how it functions as a global phenomenon.

At the University of Kent, this four-year, full-time programme provides valuable added depth and a global dimension to your legal education, combining study of English law with a year spent studying at a partner institution abroad. This international experience broadens your legal perspective significantly, exposing you to different legal traditions, approaches to legal education, and institutional contexts, without any requirement to learn another language. Kent Law School has a long-established reputation in international and socio-legal studies, and the programme reflects that focus, preparing you for legal careers with a cross-border or international dimension.

Graduates of International Legal Studies are well placed for roles in international law firms, international organisations, the civil service, diplomacy, non-governmental organisations, compliance functions in multinational businesses, and human rights practice. The international experience gained during the year abroad is valued by employers who work across borders, and the comparative legal knowledge the degree provides is a genuine differentiator. Postgraduate study in international law, human rights, comparative law, or international relations provides routes to more specialised roles for those who wish to continue their academic development.