LL.B (Hons)
When can you start this course? | UCAS code | Fees | Course length | Entry requirements
Why choose this course?
Law at Derby is all about learning practical skills. Every Autumn, our LL.B students are paired with trainee solicitors to form teams who compete in a one day Skills Triathlon. Watch the video to find out more.
Do something extraordinary - the University of Derby Law degree
"How would I sum up law at Derby? Life-changing!
Not only did studying law at Derby change my life, while I was doing it, I was able to make a real difference to people's lives."
FM, Barrister & Kalisher Scholar
What do you get at Derby?
- A complete legal education - including a personal tutor to guide you
- A commitment to justice - we have a passion for justice and are already the largest supporter of voluntary legal services in the region.
- Actual legal practice, not just academic role-play - our law degree ensures you have the opportunity to get real-life practical experience at every stage of your academic career.
- Award-winning teaching and inspiring education - outstanding NSS results, and the outstanding employment achievements of our graduates
- Full exemptions from the first stage of the Bar Standards Board and Solicitors Regulation Authority professional exams. The degree is also recognised by the Council of Legal Education (Northern Ireland).
- Find out what it's like to graduate from Derby. Follow Rachael and Frankii on their graduation day.
About the course
Turning yourself into the model lawyer
Our LL.B ensures that throughout your programme of study you will progressively have the opportunity to:
- Experience and develop every aspect of legal services
- Appreciate and engage in every one of the core professional skills
- Get hands on experience of each of the fundamental areas of law
- Not just read about injustice, but do something about it.
Understanding legal subjects in practice
Stage one
- Contract - you will draft contracts but also provide advice on consumer and employee rights
- Tort - you will be defending the rights of people accused of nuisance, trespass and breaches of statutory duty.
- Administrative Law and Human Rights - you will be feeding back on the human rights, constitutional and administrative law implications of new legislation being proposed by the government.
Stage two
- Criminal Law - you will be acting as a friend at court for vulnerable victims of crime, developing your advocacy skills.
- Land Law - you will advising on tenancy contracts and leases
- European Union Trade Law and its International Context - you will be able to provide up to the minute advice for small businesses on the impact of European Law.
Final stage - and specialisation
- Equity and Succession - you will be drafting wills
- You can then choose to study four specialist areas, one of which will be built into an Advanced Legal Study, by combining it with work placement, comparative method, interdisciplinary study, cross-disciplinary study or in-depth research.
- In effect, you will become a real specialist in the area, as this is the ultimate in personalised curriculum.
A curriculum rooted in legal technical excellence
You will be developing four key areas:
- The delivery of personal legal services
- Case law and courtroom method
- Legislative and regulatory impact assessment
- Legal method, skills and practice.
Your career
You could enjoy a successful career at home or abroad in private practice, local government, the Crown Prosecution Service, government departments, the courts, law centres, the police service, banking, commerce, industry, publishing and education. Or you could choose to continue in education at a postgraduate level either at Derby or elsewhere.
On completion of the LL.B (the academic stage), if you wish to become a solicitor you should complete the vocational stage of training - the Legal Practice Course (LPC). This can be studied full time over one year or part time over two years. After completing your LL.B, all intending barristers must take a one year full-time, or two years part-time, Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC).
Other careers
An LL.B degree is a valuable qualification in itself and even if you don't want to become a practitioner you will find that it still provides a stepping-stone to many other careers.
What you need
As a guide, we look for 320 UCAS points for entry, but we may also want to interview you and set you a little practical challenge so you can get a taste of hands-on legal education. It will also help you to get to know us.
How you'll learn
- You get support from our award-winning team
- Our Ethics and Skills programme ensures that you're supported by experienced practitioners achievements.
- You will have the opportunity to get hands on experience.
How you're assessed
Modules are assessed by a variety of methods incorporating coursework, examinations, presentations, negotiations, mooting, and interactive online assessments.
Anything else?
A UK Law degree with international students at its heart
International students have always valued the English law degree because of its unique discipline and its insight into a unique and ancient approach to law. With changes in visa conditions, the highly valued opportunity for post-degree work experience has been removed for many students. The inclusion of hands-on experience in British legal practice in the LL.B degree goes some of the way to make up for this.
The LL.B is unashamedly focused in its foundation years on the English Legal system, but the second year embeds and understanding of European and international trade law and practice, leading to a final year that can be focused entirely on study with an international and comparative practice.
With a teaching team which encompasses knowledge of virtually all the major legal families of the world, Derby's unique Advanced Legal Studies module in the final year means that as an international student you can extend your taught understanding of specific legal areas like company law into a comparative perspective, so that you can analyse areas of law as it applies in home or third country jurisdictions.
The best environment for legal study
We believe a truly brilliant law degree needs the following ingredients and we have set out to make sure you have them:
- Fantastic teachers
- Access to tutors
- World class facilities - Derby has purpose-built courtrooms, interviewing rooms, legal practice space, a crime house and all of the latest learning technology.
- All the books and resources you need
- Carefully selected practical placements
- Opportunities to complete your legal education - we are committed to our students and provide excellent and challenging postgraduate opportunities in our LLM suite, incorporating our unique approach to legal education. We also to offer an affordable and practical LPC with a price guarantee and preferred entry for our graduates, as well as the ILEX Graduate Diploma.
Start dates
If you're from the UK or EU you can apply to study this course in:
- September 2012
If you're from a country outside the EU you can apply to study this course full time in:
- September 2012
UCAS code
M100Fees
This is a classroom based course.
UK/EU students
- Full time: £6,995 (each year)
- Part time: £875 per module (you usually take 18 of these modules in total).
International students
- Full time: £9,700 (each year)
*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2012 and August 2013. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.
More information about our fees for September 2012 and the support available
Course length
Full time: three years
Part time: four to six years. See part time LL.B (Hons) course information
Entry requirements
Our entry requirements are usually 320 UCAS points from A levels or equivalent qualifications, ...
