School of Social Sciences

Intellectual Property LLM

Year of entry: 2026

Course length: 12 months Full-Time

About the course

The emerging field of intellectual property law is rapidly evolving, driven by new technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain. As innovation challenges regulation, there is soaring demand for skilled, versatile graduates who can navigate its complex legal and ethical landscape.

Our LLM Intellectual Property course equips you to venture into exciting innovative and entrepreneurial fields with a thorough understanding of the law concerning intellectual property and patents in modern business.

You'll be guided by our academic experts as you explore the economic, social and philosophical forces shaping the evolution of intellectual property law. By critically analysing current legal frameworks with real-world applications, you will develop your analytical skills and confidence, ready to elevate your legal career.

You'll become part of one of Europe’s leading law schools that produces internationally renowned research.

See the full course profile on our website >

Join a university with a strong heritage of providing legal education since 1872, where graduates include Dame Christabel Pankhurst and Lord Stephens, the current Justice of the UK Supreme court

Benefit from our first-class facilities, including a purpose-built moot court where you can develop your legal skills in practice

Gain practical experience throughout your studies, such as by offering legal advice at our Legal Advice Centre or promoting positive change through the Manchester Innocence Project

Graduate from one of the UK’s most targeted universities by top employers with the skillset needed to make a real-world contribution.

(High Fliers, The Graduate Market Report 2025)

Compulsory Units

Trade Mark Law and Policy;
Patent Law and Policy;
Copyright Law and Policy;
LLM Dissertation.

Optional Units

Academic Skills for Legal Studies;
Postgraduate Competition Law in an International Context;
The Principles and Practice of Corporate Governance;
International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation Law.

These are examples of units offered in 2024/25 and are subject to change.

See the full list of units and find out more on the full course profile >

Where will your course take you?

Today’s turbulent legal landscape is in increasing need of graduates with a broad skill set and deep legal knowledge to navigate complexities and drive informed decision-making.

Our courses allow you to develop a variety of both subject-specific and transferable skills suited to a wide variety of roles, such as reasoning skills, advocacy skills, problem-solving and high attention to detail.

Most of our recent graduates have gone on to work with leading organisations in life sciences, healthcare, communications and information technology sectors, and at top universities, with job titles such as Patent Attorney, Consultant, Intellectual Property Litigator, Manager, and Researcher.

Many of our graduates choose to continue their research by studying a PhD in Law, either at Manchester or at another leading university, where they expand the boundaries of our knowledge and pursue careers in research or academia.