Curriculum
Become a holistic lawyer and contribute significantly to the society.
SMU's undergraduate aims to produce law graduates who have contextualised knowledge and the ability to think across disciplines and geographical borders.
The LL.B. is a 4-year meritorious honours programme with 36 course units (CU) worth of courses. The LL.B. curriculum, regularly revised to meet the needs of a fast-changing economy, was originally formulated by legal academics and practitioners after extensive discussions, and endorsed by the Ministry of Law and Singapore's then Board of Legal Education.
The curriculum is broad-based, comprising a mix of University Core courses, Law Core courses, Law-related courses, Law electives as well as General Education courses to ensure that graduates possess the desired contextual and cross-border knowledge and expertise.
In total, students are required to complete 36 units worth of courses. Every course has a designated course unit (CU), typically 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5.
To hone their legal writing skills, from Year 2 onwards, each student will be required to submit a substantial individual written assignment of between 2,000 and 3,000 words for one of the law courses read in each term.
- Commercial Conflict of Laws
- Comparative Legal Systems
- Constitutional & Administrative Law
- Contract Law 1
- Contract Law 2
- Corporate Law
- Criminal Law
- Law of Business Organisations
- Law of Equity & Trusts
- Law of Evidence
- Law of Property
- Law of Torts
- Legal Research & Writing
- The Singapore Legal System
- Ethics & Social Responsibility (Law)
- Legal Theory & Philosophy
Each student will be required to read 2 law-related electives out of a basket of 4.
- Economics and Society
- Finance for Law
- Financial Accounting for Law
- Introduction to Political and Policy Studies
- Introductory Statistics
- Understanding Societies
Law Electives
Students must complete 8.5 CU of law electives.
- Commercial Remedies in Litigation
- Corporate Insolvency Law
- Financial and Securities Regulation
- Intellectual Assets and the Law in Asian Economies
- Intellectual Property Law
- Intellectual Property Law and Competition Law at Interplay
- International and Comparative Insolvency Law
- International Commercialisation of Intellectual Property Rights
- International Construction Law
- International and Comparative Secured Transactions Law
- Law of Mergers and Acquisitions
- Maritime and Admiralty Law
- Deal-making and Dispute Resolution: Negotiation in an Age of Disruption
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Mediation Law and Practice (SMU-X)
- Professional Mediation Skills
- The Settlement of Inter-State Disputes
- The Singapore International Arbitration Centre and Institutional Arbitration
- Deal-making in Practice
- Entrepreneurship in Singapore - From Cradle to Grave
- Evidence, Litigation and the Criminal Process
- International Moots 1 (SMU-X)
- International Moots 2 (SMU-X)
- Introduction to Civil Procedure
- Law Study Mission to Asia (SMU-XO)
- Pre-trial Practice in Civil Litigation
- State Courts Clerkship Programme
- Introduction to Chinese History, Culture, Economy, Politics and Law
- Law and Psychology
- China's Belt and Road Initiative - Practical Legal and Commercial Aspects of Cross-Border Projects on the New Silk Route
- International Investment Law
- International Investment Law and the Belt and Road Initiative
- Legal Issues in US-China Economic Relations (COIL)
- Public International Law
- Trade and Investment Law
- WTO: Law and Policy
- Computational Thinking and Legal Technology
- Digital Innovation for Access to Justice (SMU-X)
- Digital Intelligence for Lawyers
- FinTech Law
- Information Technology and the Law
- Law for Tech and Pandemics
- Law and Digital Commerce (SMU-X)
- Legal Design
- Privacy & Data Protection Law
- Using Dystopian Films to Regulate against a Dystopian Future (COIL)
- Compliance and Risk Management for Lawyers
- Law and Regulation
- Medical Law and Health Policy
- Topics in Financial Crime
- Family Law
- Jurisprudence: Modern and Critical Theories of Law
- Principles of the Law of Restitution
Law-related Electives
Students must complete 2 CUs of law-related electives.
- Economics and Society
- Finance for Law
- Financial Accounting for Law
- Introduction to Political and Policy Studies
- Introduction to Psychology
- Introductory Statistic
- Understanding Societies
SMU Core Curriculum
The SMU Core Curriculum is a menu of carefully selected course units to initiate undergraduates into their journey to becoming holistic SMU undergraduates. The Core Curriculum also serves as a means for students across all disciplines to bond through a common intellectual experience. It stands on 3 pillars of learning or inter-related paths of development: Capabilities, Communities and Civilisations.
Starting in A.Y. 2019-2020, all incoming SMU freshmen will experience a new Core Curriculum comprising a series of courses and activities that initiate undergraduates into their transformative education. School of Law Students need to read 6 Course Units across 2 selected courses per pillar.
To develop specific competencies and skills that are necessary to dexterously operate in an increasingly complex digitised and data-driven working environment. School of Law students will read 2 courses from this cluster and complete an internship, either locally or overseas.
- Managing
- Modes of Thinking
- Internship (Non-credit bearing)
To promote understanding of the economic, technological, and cultural systems that structure our interactions with our communities, School of Law students will read 2 courses from this cluster and complete a community service project, either locally or overseas.
- Cultures of the Modern World
- Technology & Society
- Community Service (Non-credit bearing)
To engage in critical dialogue and problem solving through immersion into fundamental and perennial debates that cut across time and space: Such as Happiness and Suffering; Wealth and Poverty; War and Peace; and Global and Local issues; School of Law students will read 2 courses from this cluster and complete a Global Exposure Experience.
- Big Questions
- Ethics & Social Responsibility
- Global Exposure (Non-credit bearing)
Introducing LL.B. Tracks
There are a multitude of pathways to a career in law. Therefore, LLB students may pursue one of three specialisation tracks. Students declaring a track will benefit from greater disciplinary knowledge, industry awareness and practical skillset so as to be better prepared to pursue a career in their selected fields. Students are also free not to pursue a track, and instead customise their learning experience by choosing from our curated range of electives.
Building upon the firm foundation laid by the core law courses as well as the multi and interdisciplinary dimensions of the existing LLB curriculum, each track consists of 5 specifically curated electives from the following baskets.
CORPORATE TRANSACTIONS
Introduces students to the role of corporate transactional lawyers in the world of business, in facilitating mergers and acquisitions, business restructuring, project financing, joint ventures, and others.
Track Electives (Select 3)
- Comparative Corporate Governance
- Comparative Secured Transactions
- Compliance and Risk Management
- Corporate Insolvency Law
- Corporate & Securities Laws in China & the US: A Comparison
- Entrepreneurship in Singapore - From Cradle to Grave
- Financial & Securities Regulation
- International & Comparative Insolvency Law
- Law of Real Estate Securitisation (LLM)
- Legal & Commercial Principles in Project
Law-related Elective (Select 1)
- Finance for Law (LKCSB)
- Finance (LKCSB)
- Financial Accounting (SOA)
- Financial Accounting for Law (SOA)
Law Capstone (Select 1)
- Corporate Deals (SMU-X)
- Law of Mergers & Acquisitions (SMU-X)
- The Law & Finance of Corporate
Transactions (SMU-X)
LAW AND TECHNOLOGY
Exposes students to the intersection between law and technology, in particular how laws respond to technological advancements and how technology can be harnessed to enhance the practice of law.
Track Electives (Select 3)
- AI, Law & Ethics (LLM)
- Blockchain & Governance (LLM)
- Computational Thinking & Legal Technology
- FinTech: Law & Policy
- Infocomm Technology & the Law
- Intellectual Assets & the Law in Asian Economies
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Commercialisation of
Intellectual Property - Introduction to Large Language Models, GPT & Legal Technology
- Law & Technology
- Legal Design
- Legal Innovation & Technology
- Privacy & Data Protection Law
Law-related Elective (Select 1)
- Digital Intelligence for Lawyers
- Business Data Management (SCIS)
- Introduction to Programming (SCIS)
Law Capstone (Select 1)
- Digital Innovation for Access to Justice (SMU-X)
- Law & the Digital Commerce (SMU-X)
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Provides a comparative overview of the various dispute resolution mechanisms—litigation, arbitration, mediation, and negotiation—so that the most suitable method (or a combination) is used to advance a client’s interest.
Track Electives (Select 3)
- Evidence, Litigation, & the
Criminal Process - Dealmaking & Dispute Resolution:
Negotiation in an Age of Disruption - International Moots 1
- International Moots 2
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Mediation Law & Practice
- Introduction to Civil Procedure
- Negotiation in an Age of Disruption
- Pre-trial Practice in Civil Litigation
- Professional Mediation Skills
- The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) & Institutional Arbitration
Law-related Electives (Select 1)
- Introduction to Psychology (SOSS)
- Law & Psychology
Law Capstone (Select 1)
- Digital Innovation for Access to Justice (SMU-X)
- Dispute Resolution Advocacy (SMU-X)
- Law & the Digital Commerce (SMU-X)
Award of the LL.B.
On successful completion of the LL.B. programme, students will be awarded the LL.B. degree. Depending on their overall performance, the degree will be accompanied by one of the following designations: LL.B. (merit), LL.B. (high merit), LL.B. cum laude (with distinction), LL.B. magna cum laude (with high distinction) or LL.B. summa cum laude (with highest distinction).
Graduates must attain a GPA of at least 3.00 in the courses leading to the LL.B. degree in order to practise law in Singapore. After graduation, graduates must pass Part B of the Bar Examinations before they are entitled to serve their Practice Training Period. If you graduate from SMU in December instead of June, you are allowed to serve your practice training period before passing Part B if you are able to complete the practice training period before attending any part of the preparatory course leading to Part B of the Bar Examinations (Rule 16(2)(c)); or where your practice training period (or part thereof) is served through working as a Legal Service Officer or under the supervision of a qualifying relevant legal officer (Rule 16(2)(d) read together with Rule 17(2)).
Under Rule 24 of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2011, all graduates who are “qualified persons” are required to obtain approval from the Singapore Institute of Legal Education before commencing the practice training period.