Study Overseas

British law schools are respected world-wide for their excellence, and have a long and enviable reputation for expertise in educating international students, as they offer good value for money in a safe and accessible country. Studying Law in Britain gives international students the unique opportunity to learn in the original Common Law jurisdiction, with a wide range of institutions and courses from which to choose.

There are Universities to suit all tastes, from big-city campuses to rural or sea-side environments. Some are many centuries old, whilst others are new. Nearly all institutions offer University accommodation for the first year of study, and will help students find accommodation for further years. Specialised support for international students, including English language provision, is provided at institutional level and frequently at Faculty or Departmental level.

The most popular undergraduate law degree is the LLB, but law with a language or business is offered by many Universities. Law may also be combined with a variety of other subjects at institutions that operate a modular structure. A law degree takes three years, although some institutions offer four year courses with a placement year in commerce or studying a language abroad.

Few universities offer intensive two-year LLBs. Although Scotland retains its own distinctive legal system when it united with England in 1707, English law may be studied at its Universities. Scotland also kept its own education system where students enter higher education a year earlier than in the rest of Britain, and consequently a degree with Honours takes four years.

Typically, four or five subjects will be studied each year. Most institutions offer a wide variety of options, so it is possible to concentrate on, for example, criminal justice or commercial law.

If a student wishes to become a lawyer in Britain, the degree will need to be professionally recognised - this means that the following must be studied: contract, tort, criminal law, constitutional and administrative law, European law, land law and equity and trusts. In addition, many countries have further requirements for professional purposes, and students who wish to become lawyers should check these carefully with their relevant professional body.

Most teaching on law degrees is by way of lectures and seminars. Assessment methods vary, but will include examinations with the additional options of written coursework, oral presentations, group work, seminar performance, dissertation, or a combination of these. British Universities also provide a wide variety of postgraduate opportunities, both professional and academic. Some institutions offer the Common Professional Examination or the Diploma in Law, which are intensive one year courses designed for those with a non-law degree who wish to qualify as lawyers.

A few institutions offer the one year full-time Bar Vocational Course and/or the Legal Practice Course, which are necessary for practice as a barrister or solicitor respectively. Most British Universities offer academic postgraduate law qualifications, both taught and by research.

The subject-matter of research degrees at any institutions depends on the research expertise of the staff, and their availability as supervisors. Short taught research methodology courses are generally provided for research students, as well as for those on taught courses.

Research degrees normally take two years full-time for an MPhil, and three years full-time for a PhD. PhD students normally register on an MPhil before transferring to a PhD after twelve to eighteen months of study. Structured taught Masters courses of one full year are increasingly popular.

These generally require a good law or law-related degree. Typically, a student chooses four from a list of related subjects, though it is often possible to choose from contrasting subjects. Assessment is usually by examination, with or without coursework, but some Masters are assessed by dissertation only.

Some Masters are general, some are highly specialised and many are innovative. The non-jurisdictional and comparative law-based programmes such as International Law are particularly attractive to international students. A feature of most taught Masters is small class-size, fostering good lecturer/student contact and integration with other students.

Although many law students enter legal practice, 16 numbers pursue other employment. Employers recognise and value the high entrance qualifications for law, the rigour of law degrees and the range of general transferable skills acquired through legal study, especially clear oral and written communication, the ability to assimilate 16 amounts of information fast, problem-solving, critical and analytical thought, team-working ability and the art of persuasion.

Thus law graduates are highly employable in a variety of careers, including accountancy, commerce, management, personnel, banking, finance, administration, research, social work, the police, teaching and journalism. Students may obtain information from their local British Council, local University or school, University websites, and sometimes local agents or offices.

Author

Colleen South
International Student Tutor
Faculty of Law
University of Hertfordshire