M130 LLB (Hons) International Legal Studies (4 years)
Broaden your horizons and expand your career prospects on this exciting LLB International Legal Studies programme, which combines a rigorous legal education with a year’s study overseas.
Find out moreOur next Open Day is Saturday 13 October
Introducing your
degree
The LLB International Legal Studies degree combines an outstanding qualifying law degree with the chance to study law in another country, enabling you to broaden your horizons and enhance your career prospects.
Designed to challenge and inspire, this comprehensive four-year 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. Our staff are leading experts in areas including maritime and commercial law, health care, intellectual property and information technology law, land and housing law, and criminal and public law; many are authors of key text books in their specialist areas. Having studied UK law for two years, you will spend your third year at one of our carefully selected partner institutions in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan or Singapore. You will then return to the UK for your final year of study, having expanded your knowledge and gained the confidence and independence that comes with living in another country.
Our LLB programmes are formally accredited by the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council of England and Wales as qualifying law degrees (QLD) for students wishing to undertake further professional training to become solicitors or barristers.
Programme Structure
This is a full-time degree course taught over four years, with a year of study at an overseas university in the third year.
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.
During years one and two, you will study compulsory modules that 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.
The first year also includes compulsory Legal Systems and Legal Skills modules, the former designed to build your understanding of the legal system and the latter to develop the key analytical skills that are essential to success in your studies and your future career.
Your module choices increase as you progress through the course. In year one you will choose one of two specially designed optional modules; Historical Development of the Common Law or Philosophical Perspectives on the Common Law, which will help you put the law into a broader context of time and theory.
In year two, you can choose two modules from a range that includes criminal justice, health care law, commercial, maritime, family, employment and data protection law.
You can also opt to study a language relevant to your study-abroad country. (Tuition in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore will be in English. In Canada, students can opt to study law modules in English or French.)
In year three, you will choose six optional modules from a choice of 20 to 25 subjects. Topics include home ownership, youth justice, cybercrime law, insurance, maritime and commercial law, child support law, human rights and public international law, criminal justice, international trade and intellectual property law. You may choose to take an interdisciplinary module, depending on your interests, for example, in global challenges or social enterprise, or perhaps a language module.
In the final year, in addition, you will take the Legal Research and Writing module, which further develops your independent research skills and culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation. You choose the research topic and complete your dissertation with support from your academic supervisor.
International studies
You will spend your third year studying law at one of our carefully selected partner institutions. You can choose to study in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan or Singapore, studying aspects of the legal system and substantive law of your chosen country. You will take four modules or equivalent in each semester.
Your year abroad will:
increase your personal confidence, opening up a wider range of career options, and broaden your life experience.
develop your knowledge of a different legal system, showing intellectual curiosity.
improve your language skills.
Our students return to their fourth-year studies with a more mature, independent outlook and greater confidence – qualities that will impress recruiters in today’s global job market.
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 career, 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, the protection of prisoners’ rights, the standards of corporate governance in our businesses, and the impact of technology in diverse areas such as driverless cars and cybersecurity, to the law and ethics of medical treatments, the protection of intellectual property, the management of the oceans and the international trade across them, and the upholding of human rights. 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 can enhance your CV and boost your employment prospects.
There are opportunities to get involved:
applying for a place on one of our three prestigious marshalling schemes, shadowing a senior member of the judiciary in the High Court or Court of Appeal
researching a legal topic to present to sixth-form college students as part of the Streetlaw programme
In addition, our student-run societies hold 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
Study law in a jurisdiction outside the European Union and experience a completely different culture.
Spend a full academic year in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore or Australia.
The School constantly reviews its module offerings and regularly develops exciting and dynamic new options to reflect the results of the vibrant research being carried out in the School.
I chose the University of Southampton primarily for its reputation and in being a Russell Group University. Although I wasn’t sure if I wanted a career in Law when I was looking at universities, I kne
Southampton Law School requires all applicants to achieve at least a Grade 4 (taken in England) or a Grade C (where taken in Northern Ireland or Wales) in English and Mathematics. If you are taking an alternative Mathematics qualification please contact our admissions team via ugapply.FBL@southampton.ac.uk.
A Levels:
Qualification
Grade
GCE A-level
AAA or for students taking the Extended Project Qualification in the same year as their A2 exams, AAB at A level plus A in the EPQ. Applicants should offer at least two traditional, academic subjects.
Dance, General Studies, Photography, Moving Images, Physical Education, Practical Art, Practical Music, Sports Studies, Textiles, Travel & Tourism are not accepted subjects.
IB:
Qualification
Grade
International Baccalaureate
36 points overall (18 at higher level)
An equivalent standard in other qualifications approved by the University is considered, so please contact us if you require advice on equivalency.
LNAT (Law National Admissions Test) is not required.
Other qualifications
We welcome students with other qualifications eg European or Welsh Baccalaureate, Scottish Advanced Highers and Irish Leaving Certificates.
We also welcome applications from overseas students offering foundation programmes with a substantial amount of academic study. Less than half the programme should be English language tuition and you will be expected to reach a high standard in your programme comparable to our A level requirements.
For more details on the suitability of your qualifications or foundation programme please contact the Admissions Team at UGapply.FBL@southampton.ac.uk.
English Language requirements
If English is not your first language, you will be required to pass an approved test prior to joining the University in October. The University’s English Language entry requirement for the Law School programme is;
An overall IELTS score of 6.5 with not less than 6.5 in each component, or equivalent
The link below takes you to a complete list of the other English language qualifications accepted.
Test results should be less than two years old at the time of expected registration at the University of Southampton and must be verified before admission.
If you do not meet the University’s English Language entry requirements for direct entry onto our programmes, you may be eligible to study on one of the University’s pre-sessional English language courses. For further information on these pre-sessional programmes, please visit the Centre for Language Studies website.
Returners to Learning
We welcome applications from returners to learning who are over 23 years of age at the start of your proposed degree programme. You will be required to provide evidence of having completed recent serious and successful study (e.g. Access, Return to Education, Open University Foundation Courses). You will be required to undertake a test and interview to determine your academic suitability to pursue the programme.
Selection process:
Decisions are made on the basis of your UCAS application form, taking into account:
past academic performance
your predicted grades
academic reference
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.
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.
Contextual Offers
The University of Southampton is committed to widening participation and ensuring that all students with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data supports our admissions teams to recognise a student’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Students who flagged in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme
A typical contextual offer is AAB from three A levels or an equivalent standard in other qualifications approved by the University (the excluded subjects above will still apply).
Students studying International Legal Studies will spend this full academic year abroad, at a designated International University. During this year, students study aspects of the legal system and substantive law of that country, taking four modules or equivalent in each semester.
Year
4
Semester One
Optional
3 Option modules from:
LAWS3143Credit[?]
Credits are based on the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS).
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
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
Placements
There will be costs associated with the year abroad placement.
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. In addition, you will have knowledge of another jurisdiction and the experience of living and studying abroad. This combination will be attractive to employers, preparing you for a global career in law. 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. You will receive feedback on your progress from your tutors and formative assessments will help you to identify areas for improvement.
Your host institution will determine the academic content of your study-abroad year, in accordance with the requirements of the university that you are attending.
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 start your LLB International Legal Studies at Southampton Law School, you will join a close-knit, friendly community engaged in a common endeavour, to give you the best possible legal education. We are a relatively small law school, which means that 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.
We also operate the Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) scheme whereby second-year students act as mentors for new students, helping them to settle in and providing informal support on the social and academic aspects of university life.
You will remain part of the Southampton Law School community during your year abroad; we will stay in touch with you throughout the year and you’ll have access to pastoral support at your chosen overseas university.
Breakdown of study time and assessment
Proportion of time spent in scheduled learning, teaching and independent study
Learning, teaching and assessment stage
1
2
3
4
Scheduled learning & teaching study
19%
20%
0%
5%
Independent study
81%
80%
0%
95%
Placement study
0%
0%
100%
0%
Proportion of assessment by method
Learning, teaching and assessment stage
1
2
3
4
Written exam assessment
57%
85%
0%
37%
Practical exam assessment
0%
0%
0%
0%
Coursework assessment
43%
15%
100%
63%
Study Locations
Southampton Law School, Highfield Campus
Situated on the Highfield Campus; occupying building 4, Southampton La...Find out more
