Welcome to the Full-Time LL.M. and Diploma in Petroleum Law and Policy
This degree is aimed at petroleum industry professionals, both in government and industry, who wish to gain a grounding in the legal and regulatory aspects of the international petroleum industry.
Structure
The LL.M. is made up of 200 credits as follows:
Credits |
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20 |
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60 |
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80 |
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40 |
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200 |
The associated Diploma is made up of the Induction Programme plus an additional 120 module credits.
To find out everything you need to know about the programme, please click on the headings above. Additional useful information about the LL.M. can be found using the links in the table below:
Programme |
Finance |
Other |
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Induction Programme (20 credits)
The Induction Programme provides students with vital knowledge and skills before they embark of the main components of CEPMLP’s taught Masters and Diploma programmes. CEPMLP student have a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds and the Induction Programme provides each student with a basic introduction to all the main disciplines included in the degrees programmes, namely law, economics, finance and geology. It also provides training in research methods.
Core Modules
Candidates should choose a minimum of 60 credits from the list below:
Downstream Energy Law and Policy (20 credits)
The primary objective of the course is to provide an introduction and background to the way in which legislation and regulation can be used to implement policy decisions in the downstream energy industries. The emphasis is on understanding the way in which policy decisions to restructure the (electricity and gas) industries lead to changes in both legislation and the approach of regulators. The skill is to identify what makes particular approaches successful in particular legal environments. This course is not aimed only at lawyers, but also at those influencing the policy debate who must have an understanding of the implementation of policy changes.
International and Comparative Petroleum Law and Policy (20 credits)
The main objective of the course is to provide an introduction to the main law and policy issues in the international petroleum industry, with an emphasis upon transactional arrangements concluded between host government and oil company/investors. Common and diverging objectives between the two parties and indeed among the international corporate and financial investors themselves are faced in a candid and practical way, with an emphasis upon ways of accommodating the interests of diverse stakeholders in the development of petroleum resources. A brief introduction is provided to petroleum taxation issues. The approach is a comparative one and focuses upon problem-solving techniques in a variety of settings, noting the inputs of lawyers, economists, accountants, engineers and geologists.
Mineral and Petroleum Taxation (20 credits)
The main objective of the course is to provide an introduction to the main policy issues in the field of mineral and petroleum taxation and to the main instruments of taxation. The emphasis is on providing an understanding of the issues rather than teaching skills in accounting or financial analysis. These latter skills should be acquired on other courses. Neither does this course intend to make the student into a tax lawyer.
Petroleum Policy and Economics (20 credits)
The main aim is to equip the students with an understanding of how economic analysis can help inform and understand the international oil and gas industry. This requires the students to be familiar both with the relevant economic analysis and technical dimensions of the industry. In addition the course enables the student to become familiar with current issues in the industry.
United Kingdom Oil and Gas Law (10 credits)
The objective of the course is to provide an understanding of the way in which the United Kingdom hydrocarbon industry is controlled by means of legislation, regulation and contracting practice. The course follows the barrel from initial discovery (ownership a question of international law); through licensing; production and eventual abandonment. The course will not enable those without a legal background to practice oil and gas law, but it will enable them to understand the legal environment in which the companies operate.
Recommended Elective Modules
Candidates are advised to choose additional modules from what is available on the academic timetable subject to any restrictions that may apply.
Together with the core modules above, excluding the Induction Programme they should add up to 140 for the LL.M. or 120 credits for the Diploma.
LL.M. Candidates
In addition to the Induction Programme plus the core and elective modules, LL.M. candidates are required to complete an additional 40 credits as follows:
The Dissertation: Candidates are required to write a Dissertation of up to 15,000 words on a topic approved by an academic supervisor.
or
An Internship: Candidates are required to source an organisation willing to offer a 3-month work placement, approved by an academic supervisor. The Internship includes the submission of a written report as part of the assessment.
or
An extended PhD Proposal: Candidates who propose to follow up the LL.M. with a PhD may, with the approval of an academic supervisor, submit a 10,000 word PhD proposal in lieu of the Dissertation.
