Law (graduate programme)

This two-year course is designed for those who already have an undergraduate degree in a non-law subject who wish to convert to a career in law.

You’ll learn about how and why law is created and changed, and how it operates as a social institution. You will gain expertise in analysis, research, logical argument and more, as you develop an understanding of key legal topics and subject areas.

Through core and optional legal modules, you will examine the broader context of the law and its relationship with society. You can develop your interests in specialist legal areas, which might include company law, employment law, human rights law, environmental law, media law and family law, amongst others. You could also explore topics in criminal justice and criminology, such as policing or youth crime.

Throughout the course you will gain diverse skills that will be valuable to you as a global citizen, as well as in your professional career – whether you choose to enter the legal profession or not.

The School has four world-leading research centres specialising in Business Law, Criminal Justice, Legal Education and Social Justice, with staff from those Centres teaching across a range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes. You will have the opportunity to be taught by some of those staff and will also have the opportunity to apply to explore the practical application of law through our award-winning Community Engagement (pro bono) opportunities.

If you want to qualify as a barrister, all our law courses satisfy the degree requirements set by the Bar Standards Board in England and Wales. You can visit the Bar Standards Board website for more information.

If you want to become a solicitor in England and Wales, you will need to complete the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and have two years of full-time equivalent work experience. The Solicitors Regulation Authority website provides more details.

Although you no longer require a law degree or a diploma in order to qualify as a solicitor, a law degree will be particularly effective in allowing you to gain the knowledge and skills required for SQE1 (the first stage of the SQE, set by the SRA).