Executive Summary

The Master of Laws (LLM) Program at Somali National University is designed as a postgraduate legal education pathway responding to Somalia’s continuing demand for stronger rule of law, professional justice institutions, accountable public administration, and legally informed private-sector growth. The program builds on the reopening of the Faculty of Law and the later establishment of the Graduate School of Law, using advanced legal teaching, research supervision, and professional skills development to address national skill gaps among legal practitioners, justice-sector officers, public institutions, corporate actors, and academics.

The curriculum is structured around two major pathways: Public Law and Private Law. The Public Law major develops expertise in constitutional law, administrative law, governance, international law, criminal justice, federalism, and local government. The Private Law major develops expertise in commercial law, e-commerce, property, taxation, international trade, civil procedure, labour law, Islamic transactions, alternative dispute resolution, and legal drafting. Across both majors, students complete three semesters of classroom-based coursework followed by a fourth semester dedicated to thesis research and viva voce preparation.

Program Snapshot and Academic Structure

Award	Master of Laws (LLM)
Host Faculty	Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research / Graduate School of Law, Somali National University
Available Majors	1) LLM Major in Public Law; 2) LLM Major in Private Law
Duration	Twenty-four (24) months: three taught semesters and one thesis semester
Semester Structure	Year 1 Semester 1: In-class; Year 1 Semester 2: In-class; Year 2 Semester 3: In-class; Year 2 Semester 4: Thesis
Intake	Annual intake, normally in August
Delivery Mode	Full-time, on-site learning at SNU, with day and evening coursework to accommodate different student needs
Course Weight	Each coursework module is listed in the source curriculum as 100 CHS and 4 Hrs per week (CHW).

Strategic Focus Domains

1. Theoretical Mastery & Academic Foundation

The program gives students an advanced legal foundation through comparative legal systems, Somali law, public institutions, governance, human rights, commercial transactions, international legal frameworks, dispute resolution, and Islamic legal principles. Public Law students examine the relationship between the state and its population, while Private Law students examine legal relationships between individuals, corporations, and market actors. This combined structure allows the Faculty to produce graduates who understand both the public and private dimensions of Somalia’s legal development.

1. Methodological & Analytical Implementation

The curriculum emphasizes doctrinal legal analysis, comparative legal reasoning, case briefing, case studies, exam-writing practice, legal drafting, legal research methods, and thesis-based academic inquiry. Students are expected to evaluate legislation, judicial decisions, legal institutions, public policies, commercial arrangements, and rights-based issues in both Somali and international contexts. The program also strengthens oral presentation, legal argumentation, seminar participation, and structured legal writing.

III. Research Integrity & Professional Leadership

The LLM prioritizes research integrity, ethical scholarship, and responsible use of sources, anti-plagiarism standards, supervised thesis development, and professional defense preparation. It also develops leadership capacity for graduates who will serve courts, ministries, universities, public prosecution offices, corporate legal departments, law firms, non-governmental organizations, and policy institutions. The curriculum promotes integrity, honesty, tolerance, professionalism, transparency, respect, and public service.

Candidate Profile & Career Pathway

This postgraduate curriculum is strategically curated for lawyers, judges, prosecutors, law lecturers, researchers, public administrators, corporate officers, NGO professionals, and other sector practitioners who require advanced legal knowledge and research capacity. Upon successful completion of coursework and thesis defense, graduates may transition into the following pathways:

• Public Governance and Justice Institutions – Federal ministries, public agencies, legislature-related offices, local government bodies, regulatory institutions, and justice-sector administration.
• Legal Practice and Dispute Resolution – Courts, prosecution services, law firms, legal aid providers, bar associations, arbitration centers, and alternative dispute resolution services.
• Corporate, Commercial, and Private-Sector Legal Services – Corporate legal departments, banks, trade and commerce institutions, taxation bodies, labour-relations offices, and commercial consultancy services.
• Academic, Research, and Development Sectors – Universities, research centers, policy institutes, international organizations, humanitarian/development agencies, and civil society organizations.

Curricular Roadmap & Academic Milestones

The following roadmap fills the SNU graduate template using the course scheme contained in the Master of Laws curriculum proposal. The term “credits/contact weight” is presented as stated in the curriculum: 100 CHS and 4 Hrs per week for each taught module.

 

LLM Major in Public Law

Academic Term	Code	Course Title / Module Name	Credits / Contact Weight	Classification
First Semester	LLMP1101	Comparative Legal Systems	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP1102	International Law	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP1103	Constitutional Law	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP1104	Rule of Law and Governance	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
Second Semester	LLMP1205	Administrative Law	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP1206	Comparative Federal System	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP1207	Law of International Organizations	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP1208	Criminal Law	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
Third Semester	LLMP2309	Principles of Islamic Public Law	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP2310	Local Government Laws	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
	LLMP2311	Legal Research	100 CHS / 4 Hrs/Wk	Compulsory
Fourth Semester	THES-2400	Postgraduate Thesis & Viva Voce	6 Months	Degree Milestone