This intensive two-year degree offers a fast track for graduates from non-law disciplines who are keen to enter the legal profession. We welcome applications from graduates with a good first degree in a range of disciplines.
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Introducing your
degree
Designed for graduates from a wide range of disciplines, our accelerated LLB programme is an opportunity to gain a qualifying law degree in just two years. You will study all the subjects required for a qualifying law degree as prescribed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Council, with the opportunity to develop an area of interest through in-depth study for your dissertation. Designed to challenge and inspire, our accelerated LLB programme will give you an in-depth knowledge of the law together with strong critical thinking and communication skills. As you would expect from a Russell Group university, you will be taught by active researchers who bring the latest legal developments to the curriculum. They are leading experts in fields including commercial, land, criminal and public law; many are authors of key text books in their specialist areas.
If you are interested in joining the legal profession having studied another subject for your first degree, the two-year accelerated LLB programme is the ideal choice. You will benefit from exceptional teaching and an integrated curriculum, designed to build over two years from foundation subjects through to expert specialist knowledge.
Graduates with a good first degree, who wish to follow this programme, should apply through UCAS using code M101.
Accreditation
Students must complete seven compulsory modules, which are encompassed by the Core modules of this programme, to satisfy the professional requirements of the Bar Council and Law Society of England and Wales.
Students, who intend to practise in a jurisdiction outside the UK should check with the relevant governing legal bodies in your own jurisdiction, to ensure that a two year LLB programme satisfies their criteria. This is not currently the case, for example, in Singapore, where a minimum study period of three years is mandated.
Programme Structure
This is a full-time degree course taught over two years.
When you arrive, you will take part in a comprehensive induction exercise designed to help you get to know your fellow students and develop your teamwork skills in preparation for starting your first-year law studies.
Compulsory modules across both years of the course cover the ‘foundations of legal knowledge’ (such as criminal law, contract and land law) required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board in order to achieve a qualifying law degree.
Year one also includes compulsory Legal Systems and Legal Skills modules that will introduce you to the workings of the English legal system and develop the key analytical skills that are essential to success in your studies and your future career.
Optional modules
In year one you will be able to choose one of two specially designed optional modules: Historical Development of the Common Law, or Philosophical Perspectives on the Common Law. These modules will help you put the law into a broader context of time and theory. Whichever module you choose, you will gain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, develop your critical thinking skills and enhance your ability to construct and present complex arguments.
In the second year, the Legal Research and Writing module will further develop your independent research skills and culminate in a 10,000-word dissertation. You choose the research topic and complete your dissertation with support from your academic supervisor.
Professional and transferable skills
As you would expect from a research-led, Russell Group law school, embedding transferable skills across the curriculum is important to ensure you are well equipped for your future, hence:
You will be helped to improve your critical analysis and problem-solving skills.
Your presentation skills will be developed through participation in tutorials, and mooting competitions (a specialised form of legal debate, essentially a mock case). In the first year, you will take part in a moot judged by external legal practitioners, which is intended to help you improve your skills in constructing and presenting an argument.
Library and other exercises are designed to help you develop appropriate research and writing skills.
Research-led education
You will learn from leading academics engaged in exciting research on issues of daily significance, ranging from the transfer of land and assets, to the protection of prisoners’ rights, to the constitutional and public policy issues of the day. Many of the teaching staff are active members of the Law School’s research centres and closely engaged in law reform, nationally and internationally.
Our strong links with the legal profession enhance your career options.
Solicitors and barristers – many of them former students – regularly visit to give guest lectures and career talks, giving you helpful insights into the profession and how to build a career.
Our links with the profession mean that we can offer a range of prizes and placements for high-performing LLB students, sponsored by leading law firms, which could enhance your CV and boost your employment prospects.
There are many opportunities to get involved. You might:
apply for a place on one of our prestigious marshalling schemes, shadow a senior member of the judiciary in the High Court or Court of Appeal.
research a legal topic to present to sixth-form college students as part of the Streetlaw programme.
In addition, our student-run societieshold employability skills workshops, mooting competitions, guest lectures and networking events. Societies include the University of Southampton Law Society, Inns of Court Society, Mooting Society, Lawyers without Borders and the Canadian Law Society.
Key Facts
Gain a qualifying law degree from a renowned law school in just two years – including an in-depth dissertation in the second year.
Learn from inspiring, expert, academics, many of whom have written key text books in their specialist areas.
Join a close-knit, friendly learning community in which you will be challenged and supported to achieve your ambitions.
Benefit from a bespoke careers programme, including recruitment fairs that attract the ‘magic circle’ of law firms and leading sets of barristers – key career destinations for our law students.
I enjoy discovering the different parts of law that I love the most, and discovering things about myself and what my drive is. Studying law pushes me out of my comfort zone and makes me think outside
Graduates with a Bachelors (Honours) degree in a law or non-law academic discipline, completed within the last 3-4 years with a final cumulative GPA equivalent to 3.0 out of 4.0. (2.1 equivalent)
LNAT (Law National Admissions Test) is not required.
Language Requirements
In accordance with University regulations, applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of competency in English by offering one of the recognised tests in English. Alternatively, you should supply evidence that you have undertaken formal study in English at an institution that teaches award-bearing programmes in English.
The following test scores are accepted for direct entry:
IELTS 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in all bands
For further information about English language requirements recognised by the University of Southampton visit the University's English Language Proficiency page.
Selection process:
Decisions are made on the basis of your UCAS application form taking into account:
1. past academic performance 2. your predicted grades 3. academic reference 4. your personal statement
No application is rejected unless two assessors have independently reached that decision.
Candidates are not normally interviewed. We select those who demonstrate the potential and commitment to study Law at degree level.
LNAT (Law National Admissions Test) is not required.
If you have professional experience, or credit through prior learning at another institution, you may be eligible to use this experience against some of the programme requirements for period of study. You will need to present evidence that you have met the learning outcomes of the programme. Full details can be found in the University’s Policy on the Recognition of Prior Learning.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the
programme and the learning outcomes that a typical
student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if s/he takes full advantage
of the learning opportunities that are provided.
More detailed information can be found in the programme handbook (or other appropriate guide
or website).
Scholarships, bursaries or grants may be available to support you through your
course.
Funding opportunities available to you are linked to your subject area and/or
your country of origin.
These can be from the University of Southampton or other sources.
Students are responsible for meeting the cost of essential textbooks, and of producing such
essays, assignments, laboratory reports and dissertations as are required to fulfil the
academic requirements for each programme of study.
There will also be further costs for the following, not purchasable from the
University:
Type
Description
Equipment
Approved calculators:
Candidates may use calculators in the examination room only as
specified by the University and as permitted by the rubric of individual
examination papers. The University approved models are Casio FX-570
and Casio FX-85GT Plus. These may be purchased from any source
and no longer need to carry the University logo.
Stationery
You will be expected to provide your own day-to-day stationery items,
e.g. pens, pencils, notebooks, etc). Any specialist stationery items will
be specified under the Additional Costs tab of the relevant module
profile.
Books
Where a module specifies core texts these should generally be
available on the reserve list in the library. However due to demand,
students may prefer to buy their own copies. These can be purchased
from any source.
Some modules suggest reading texts as optional background reading.
The library may hold copies of such texts, or alternatively you may
wish to purchase your own copies. Although not essential reading,
you may benefit from the additional reading materials for the module.
Printing and copying
In most cases, written coursework such as essays, projects and
dissertations is submitted online and by hard copy. The costs of
printing a hard copy for submission of such coursework will be the
responsibility of the student.
The cost of photocopying will also be the responsibility of the student.
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/isolutions/students/printing
Other
Some modules may include optional visits. You will normally be
expected to cover the cost of travel and admission, unless otherwise
specified in the module profile.
In some cases you'll be able to choose modules (which may have different costs associated
with that module) which will change the overall cost of a programme to you. Please also
ensure you read the section on additional costs in the University’s Fees, Charges and
Expenses Regulations in the University Calendar available at www.calendar.soton.ac.uk.
Career Opportunities
The Law School’s dedicated careers and employability coordinator runs an extensive programme of events and activities designed to boost your career prospects. These include:
an annual law careers fair attended by around 50 law firms, including the ‘magic circle’ of five top law firms.
a one-week Employability Skills Programme to help you develop key transferable skills, which includes practitioner-led events.
presentations and workshops led by prestigious law firms including a writing skills clinic led by a former partner of a magic circle firm.
visits to law firms, local courts, social security and employment tribunals.
talks about postgraduate opportunities for those considering further studies.
You will graduate from a highly regarded school with an in-depth knowledge of the law and the ability to think independently and communicate effectively – a firm foundation for a career in law as a solicitor or barrister. You will also be well placed for success in the world of industry, banking, government, the media or politics. Our graduates work in law firms, barristers’ chambers, industry, and in governmental and non-governmental organisations worldwide.
Learning & Assessment
You will learn through a combination of lectures, small-group seminars and tutorials, and through independent study. Our inspiring academics use a range of teaching methods to enhance your learning experience, for example, highly interactive lectures that incorporate digital voting tools and social media.
Group exercises, problem-solving tasks and case studies are also used; these exercises help to embed your knowledge and to apply it to real-world scenarios and current topics.
Modules are assessed through exams and/or written assignments. Your dissertation also contributes to your final degree classification. Your tutors will give feedback on your progress throughout the course, and formative assessments will help you identify areas for improvement.
Facilities
You will have access to excellent learning facilities to support your studies. These include:
superb library resources including comprehensive collections in all the main subject areas such as contract law, property law, maritime law, criminal justice and public law as well as European and international resources, all housed in the main University library.
extensive electronic resources such as Westlaw, Lexis and Lawtel, which ensure that you can access the teaching resources wherever you are.
a purpose-built moot room in which you can practise your debating skills.
Support
When you begin your course at Southampton Law School, you will become a member of a friendly, dynamic learning community engaged in a common endeavour, to give you the best possible legal education. We are a relatively small law school which means we can offer a high level of support to ensure you achieve your personal and academic ambitions.
Every student is allocated a personal academic tutor who can advise on course-related matters or direct you to one of the University’s many support services.
In addition, we operate the Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) scheme whereby second-year students act as mentors for new students, offering advice and guidance on the social and academic aspects of university life at Southampton.
Breakdown of study time and assessment
Proportion of time spent in scheduled learning, teaching and independent study
Learning, teaching and assessment stage
1
2
Scheduled learning & teaching study
19%
17%
Independent study
81%
83%
Placement study
0%
0%
Proportion of assessment by method
Learning, teaching and assessment stage
1
2
Written exam assessment
67%
71%
Practical exam assessment
0%
0%
Coursework assessment
33%
29%
Study Locations
Southampton Law School, Highfield Campus
Situated on the Highfield Campus; occupying building 4, Southampton La...Find out more
