Course overview
Gain detailed knowledge and skills in intellectual property rights law, management and policy to embark on an exciting career at the forefront of innovation and development.
As the pace of change accelerates, intellectual property experts are crucial for safeguarding the rights of creators and companies and ensuring consumer protection.
You'll explore traditional intellectual property topics such as industrial property, artistic works, and brands, as well as emerging policy areas including the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. The course also covers international norms and institutions related to intellectual property, as well as the broader social and economic implications. You’ll be able to tailor your course to your specialism too – across areas as diverse as health, culture, creative industries, technology, innovation, and economic development.
Global by nature, the programme also reflects the growing importance of international developments in intellectual property and confronts the surrounding controversies. These include the relationships among intellectual property, human rights norms, access to knowledge, new technologies, and economic development.
Leeds is a centre for legal research excellence and benefits from close ties with industry and our global alumni network. Our teaching is informed by cutting-edge thinking and delivered by experts in the field. And all this means you’ll be set up for career success across law firms, corporate legal teams, government or academia.
The University of Leeds has some of the best teaching facilities in the world, and my teachers have extensive research experience in intellectual property law. All of this has drawn me to the University of Leeds Law School to enhance my academic research and provide a strong foundation for my future career path.
Why study at Leeds?
Practical teaching linked to the profession: The renowned Centre for Business Law and Practice is known for its strong expert and industry connections that directly inform your teaching.
Be supported to succeed: Benefit from small tutorial groups and regular one-to-one meetings with academic staff to ask questions and discuss your work.
Dedicated employability officers: Benefit from personalised career support for the legal profession.
Diverse campus community: Join students and staff from over 130 countries.
Gain up-to-the-minute legal insight: Experience regular professional speaker events, conferences, and seminars.
Flexible, bespoke module options: Tailor your studies across international intellectual property law fields in line with your interests and specialism.
Learn from expert academics: Our internationally recognised researchers and qualified legal professionals provide valuable critical evaluation and insights into the real‑world application of global property law.
Explore Leeds
Discover our campus, facilities and accommodation with our 360 virtual experience platform.
With immersive 360 experiences, image galleries, virtual tours, videos and day-in-the-life content, you can take a personalised, interactive tour of campus and explore the University's academic, social and residential environments from anywhere in the world.
You can get a feel for what it's really like to live, learn and belong at the University of Leeds – all from the comfort of home.
Course details and modules
Compulsory modules will give you the opportunity to:
study the key principles and features, rules and court decisions concerning patents, copyright and trademarks
examine the key cases that have shaped intellectual property rights law in the major legal jurisdictions
discover other rights such as designs and geographical indications
learn how businesses acquire and deploy intellectual property rights.
They will also enable you to hone your legal research, public speaking skill through group presentations, and writing skills, which you’ll be able to demonstrate in your dissertation – an independent piece of research on your chosen topic.
The wide-ranging list of optional modules means that you can explore a mixture of related subjects of interest to you.
Our School-based Skills Team will help you to develop the key academic skills necessary to thrive on your course. Through one-to-one appointments, we offer individual skills development advice for your module assessments, dissertation and wider studies. Moreover, our workshop series offers training in key skills areas including critical thinking, researching, planning, time management and editing. These skills will help you both during your studies and in the workplace.
The wide-ranging list of optional modules means that you can explore a mixture of related subjects of interest to you.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Postgraduate Legal Research Skills | 15 |
| Trade Marks, Geographical Indications, Designs and Trade Secrets | 15 |
| Patent Law | 15 |
| Copyright Law | 15 |
| Dissertation | 60 |
Learning and teaching
At Leeds we use a variety of teaching and learning methods to help you make the most of your studies and develop the specialist skills that will become indispensable in your career. These include a range of weekly seminars, lectures, online learning and workshops.
You’ll need to prepare for your seminars and lectures, undertaking any exercises that might be prescribed in advance. Independent study is integral to this course – not just to prepare for classes but to develop research and other critical skills.
On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
Assessment is undertaken by a variety of methods but typically involves the writing of an essay at the end of each module. We assess the dissertation through your submission of a written piece of work of up to 10,000 words.
Applying
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons).
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Law (6 weeks) and Language for Social Sciences and Arts: Law (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
International Application Deadline – 30 July 27
UK Application Deadline – 10 September 27
If you intend to apply for funding, you should submit an application for a place on your chosen course at least one month before any specific scholarship deadline.
The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Documents and information you will need include:
- original or certified copies of your transcripts in English and the original language
- original or certified copies of your degree certificate in English and the original language
- original or certified copy of your IELTS/TOEFL results (if English is not your first language) or an equivalent English language test.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2027
This course is taught by
Contact us
School of Law Postgraduate Admissions Office
Email: pglaw@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Fees
UK: £14,200 (Total)
International: £29,600 (Total)
Read more about paying fees and charges.
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Learn more about Masters funding.
Scholarships are also available to help fund your Masters. Find out more and check your eligibility below:
The School of Law usually offers a number of scholarships each year.
Find out more on the School’s scholarships page.
Career opportunities
From day one, we encourage you to think beyond your time at Leeds and reflect on a meaningful career.
This course, which is also accessible to non-lawyers, provides essential knowledge and skills should you wish to work in the legal profession and knowledge-intensive commercial sectors.
The degree will also attract employers in other occupations where an in-depth understanding of intellectual property is considered economically or strategically important.
Where this degree could take you
Recent graduates have gone on to work in a range of sectors and professions, including:
- academia
- technology
- government services
- creative industries
- law firms
- charities
- intellectual property specialists
- intergovernmental organisations
- non-governmental organisations.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time studying at Leeds. Whenever I had a problem and asked a teacher a question, they were very helpful, and there were also dissertation writing sessions. The tasks assigned by the teachers have also taught me how to find relevant literature and think critically. This has given me a better understanding of professional knowledge.
Learn more about the careers our students have pursued – read alum profiles from the School of Law.
Top 10 most targeted for 10+ years
by the UK's leading employers
Careers support
At Leeds, we help you to prepare for your future from day one.
Our Careers Service has the global expertise and sector-spanning industry partnerships that, combined, go well beyond simply helping you get a job. They provide you with the resources you need to upskill and achieve the future you aspire towards – even in the face of lightning-paced change.
- Dedicated Employability Team: Meet with our qualified careers consultants and specialist employability and placements officers, on hand to help you choose the right path and develop the skills to get there. They can support with CV and cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile building, mock interviews and navigating AI: get confident with tailored advice and techniques.
- Employability and networking events: Get involved in a full range of events, including careers fairs and specialist industry talks with employers who are actively recruiting. You’ll also benefit from mentoring and a supportive careers community, helping you make connections, build your network, and shape your journey as a future professional.
- Skills training: We embed transferable skills training in all our programmes to support your transition to the workplace. Gain expertise employers value, such as communication, problem-solving and research and data analysis.
- MyCareer system: Access a dedicated portal where you can book careers appointments, view helpful resources and browse vacancies and events. Access digital tools, including LinkedIn support, video interview preparation, plus global job market and visa guidance. We also offer pre‑arrival support to help you prepare for career planning in the UK and make the most of your time with us.
- Exclusive opportunities: Bring your enterprise to market with our award-winning business advice service, Spark. Apply for vacancies only available to our students. And hone your skills further with Leeds University Union, home to volunteering opportunities and over 300 clubs and societies.