Law (with Foundation Year)
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UCAS Code: Combined Honours only – see combinations tab|Duration: 4 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Law shapes our society and influences every aspect of our lives. It defines our obligations and legal requirements, serves to regulate and define relationships and provides a means of redress when problems arise. To study Law is not only to study a challenging subject, but also to study the rules, principles and policies that underpin society. This degree gives you a theoretical and philosophical grounding in Law, as well as the ability to engage in its practical study and application.
Study Law with us and you will gain an understanding of the fundamental principles, theories and key ideas that underpin the law in England and Wales. You also learn about the way Public Law provides the legal framework within which government and administration functions, the structure of Law and Government under which we live, and the values of democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism that underpin that structure.
We aim to produce graduates who do not merely know or know how to, but understand why things are as they are and how they could be different. It is about gaining a deep approach to the subject, in which you try to relate ideas in one subject to those in others, to understand what you read, questioning material, making links and pursuing lines of inquiry out of interest.
The LLB degree and Joint degrees can be taken over 3 or 4 years. If taken over 4 years, the third year would be spent in an appropriate legal work experience setting in light of the requirements set down to undertake the Solicitors Qualify Exams.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 15-20 students, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. You also have the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week.
For the Law part of your Combined Honours degree, in your first year there are approximately 6 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second and third years. On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend a number of hours studying independently each week, as well as studying in groups to prepare for any group assessments you may have.
Assessment and feedback
Throughout your studies, you will have a number of assessments each year, including written exams, essays, repots and portfolios.
You will be given written feedback on your assessments, and you will have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor in more detail.
Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.
Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.
Year One
The Year One foundational curriculum is designed to provide students with courses on some of the foundational substantive subjects of the law, legal theory, and the legal study skills as foundations for future legal study. Thus, students will study Public Law that examines by who and how laws are made and the relationship between law makers and the subjects of the law. Students are also introduced to the Law of Obligations or the rules that determine and shape binding agreements between natural and legal persons and the rules that define the civil liabilities and responsibilities of natural and legal persons. Students will also study a course that will introduce and familiarise students with the skills and capacities of how to study and read the law, how to apply the law. All Year 1 courses are compulsory.
Public Law
This course introduces and examines the rules, conventions and principles that govern the workings of institutions of the United Kingdom, such as Parliament and the Cabinet and the rules that govern the relationship between citizens and public administration.
Contracts
This course introduces the rules that govern binding agreements between natural and legal persons that are essential to the workings of our communities and societies more generally. The course will cover topic such as formation of contracts, capacity to conclude contracts, breach of contract and remedies for breach.
Legal Methods and System
This course introduces students to the legal system, legal procedures and the key principle of the system such as binding precedent and judicial interpretation. It also covers legal study skills such as reading the law, identifying, and accessing the law, and legal referencing.
Year Two
In Year Two students will build on the knowledge and understanding gained during Year 1. Students will broaden and their knowledge and understanding of the foundations of legal knowledge by studying the doctrines and principles of three more foundations of legal knowledge. Thus, they will study courses on the Criminal Law, Land Law, and Torts. Students will also attend tutorials that builds on the development of their legal skills. Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to identify and evaluate the law as pertinent to problems of intermediate legal and factual complexity.
Criminal Law
It will explain the general principles of criminal law and explore the legal requirements of main criminal offences. It will look at basis of criminal responsibility, modes of participation, capacity, inchoate offences as well as explores a wide range of specific offences from theft, robbery, non-fatal offences to homicide.
Land Law
This course examines the various interests that can exists in land. It explores principles governing the creation, ownership, use, transfer, and extinction of these interests.
Torts
This course covers the rules that govern our civil liabilities to others. The course covers a set of rules that are essential to the workings of our communities because they determine and allocate individual and group responsibility for acts that may infringe the rights of others. In short, the law that governs civil wrongs and our duty to others
Year Three
In the final year of study, students. shall complete the study of the foundations of legal knowledge and can undertake a research project on a law topic of particular interest. Students will also attend small group tutorials that will focus on the development of their career planning and management skills. Students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to deal with complex legal issue and the capacity to evaluate and critique the law.
Equity and Trusts
This course examines the principles governing legal and equitable interests in propriety and an interplay between equity and the common law. It explores the principles governing the creation of legally binding trusts and its extinction, as well as duties of trustees, and remedies available in Equity for breaches of trust terms.
European Union Law
The course examines the nature of the EU as a constitutional system of conferred powers, the key principles and doctrines of EU Law and the rules governing the relationship between the UK and the EU following the UK leaving the EU.
Research Project
The research project requires students to plan, undertake the research and complete a piece of written work under supervision. Students can choose their area of particular interest and develop advanced knowledge and expertise of their chosen topic.
Entry requirements
There may be some flexibility for mature students offering non-tariff qualifications and students meeting particular widening participation criteria.
Careers
The Combined Honours law degree teaches a range of subject knowledge, intelligences and skills. In this way we aim to produce graduates who can demonstrate an adaptable approach to problem solving, an ability to work in a diverse range of situations and subject areas and who have a real concern and regard for their client groups and service users. We believe that it is these graduates who will have a real advantage in the workplace and are likely to be well regarded by prospective employers. We also know that we produce students who are confident and capable.
By studying law as part of a combined degree, you will have a spectrum of opportunity for employment before you either in the public or private sector, or it will enable you to proceed further with your studies at postgraduate level. Graduates who can demonstrate an adaptable approach to problem solving and an ability to work in a diverse range of situations and subject areas have a real advantage in the workplace and are likely to be well regarded by prospective employers.
This degree will also enable you to continue on to qualification courses for those wishing to qualify as solicitors or barristers. Many of our recent graduates have gone on to careers in the legal profession
Enhancement opportunities
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are £9,535* for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,535*.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
*subject to Council approval.
Additional costs
As well as tuition fees, you will need approximately £10 per year for travel to fieldtrips. You will also need approximately £150 per year for purchasing core textbooks.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2025/26 are £14,500.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is only available with Foundation Year as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: