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UCAS code:
M102
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Institution code:
S82
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Location:
Ipswich
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Duration:
Three years full-time. |
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Typical Offer:
2023-24 and 2024-25 entry; 112 UCAS tariff points (or above), BBC (A-Level), DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level). |
- Apply your legal knowledge and skills in our mock courtroom and in our Legal Advice Centre.
- Ideal for students looking for a career in law, including roles as barristers and solicitors.
- Benefit from a friendly and supportive team of Law academics many of whom have practitioner experience.
- Opportunities to gain real practical experience and networking through our legal placement module.
Introduction
The law programme at the University of Suffolk was re-designed in 2020-2021 to create a law degree which is fresh, innovative, and distinctive. The course aims to develop students into employable, career-ready graduates who have well-developed practical legal skills as well as high levels of knowledge and a love for the law. We consulted both our existing students and employers to produce a course which meets the needs of our students and their future employers.
Fresh
- We have replaced many of our formal written examinations with alternative assessments including case studies, portfolios, oral presentations, and advocacy exercises.
- You could learn how to apply your legal knowledge in our Legal Advice Centre from the beginning of your first year advising real clients under supervision.
- You will have opportunities to hone your courtroom skills in our realistic mock courtroom.
Innovative
- Using a cutting edge ‘block’ model of teaching, you will study one module at a time in focused four-week teaching periods.
- In our Clinical Legal Practice module, you could take a legal placement one day per week gaining practical legal experience and networking opportunities in the community.
Distinctive
- You will develop your practical legal skills throughout the course conducting legal research, drafting legal documents, and presenting legal arguments.
- Your assessments will be spread at equal intervals throughout the year giving you confidence and understanding of one area of law at a time.
- We pride ourselves in knowing all our students personally, providing you with individual attention and support throughout your degree.
- We keep our teaching groups small to create a friendly, supportive learning environment.
Your first year
Your first year has been carefully designed to provide you with a strong foundation of legal knowledge and skills which can be developed further in the next two years of your degree. Within four weeks of starting your course, you will have the opportunity to argue an appeal case in our mock courtroom, often in front of an actual judge.
Legal skills are embedded within your first-year modules, where you will learn how to research and digest the law from your very first week. You will be provided with support and guidance as you learn how to locate and read cases, legislation, and articles in legal journals, in order to develop your legal writing and oral advocacy skills.
The course has been specifically designed to ensure that you are exposed to a range of different assessment types from the outset – this includes writing and drafting portfolios, online quizzes, traditional essays, case studies, exams, presentations, and other advocacy-based assessments. Many modules have multiple formative assessments, giving you the chance to receive feedback from your tutors before your final assessment.
The focus of your second year is to develop your black-letter legal knowledge through a number of core foundational subjects in law (Tort Law, Land Law, and Equity & Trusts). The Research Methods in Law module will then further develop your legal research skills to prepare you for your Independent Project in your final year.
You will also take two optional modules to develop your own specialisms in areas of interest to you.
Your final year
Your final year will provide you with supported opportunities for focussed and independent learning. The course is designed to allow you to develop your independent research and study skills culminating in the Independent Project module which is the capstone project of your degree and will draw on the knowledge and skills that you have learnt throughout the course. You will also take EU law and Administrative Law, as well as two optional modules.
Student Wellbeing
University can be hard, especially with a demanding degree like law. Here, wellbeing isn’t just a buzz word, it’s something we take very seriously. We offer regular ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ sessions to ensure our students have dedicated time and space for wellbeing. As part of their third year Passport to Graduation programme, we run a session on ‘Dealing with the Dissertation Blues’, proactively addressing what can be a difficult time as students move towards the culmination of their studies. Third year students also benefit from a ’Dissertation Buddy’ programme with regular coffee mornings to provide peer support.
The University has also recently adopted a ‘Personal Academic Coaching’ model which allocates a coach to each student when they begin their studies. All staff have participated in extensive training on coaching and use these skills to support students in identifying and overcoming challenges in their studies.
Watch our video about studying Law at the University of Suffolk here:
Course modules
Full downloadable information regarding all University of Suffolk courses, including Key Facts, Course Aims, Course Structure and Assessment, is available in the Definitive Course Record.
A selection of optional modules are provided from the following list in years two and three:
- Advanced Property Law and Practice
- Clinical Legal Practice
- Community Legal Education
- Company Law
- Criminal Evidence
- Criminal Procedure
- Family Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Human Rights
- Public International Law
- Wills and Probate
Optional modules available in any year will be communicated to you prior to your enrolment to facilitate module choice. Some optional modules may not run in every year of study, and the availability of optional modules depends on the level of student demand, the availability of specialist staff and timetabling constraints. In addition, we regularly review our curriculum to ensure it is up-to-date, relevant, draws on the latest research and addresses contemporary issues. As a result, the modules we offer may change over the course of your degree.
This module introduces the essential characteristics of the English legal system and the fundamentals of common law reasoning. You will engage with the techniques of legal reasoning used in the common law world, the law-making process and the sources of law in England and Wales.
This module examines the main components of the constitutional, administrative and human rights dimensions of public law in England and Wales. You will engage critically with the nature of the British constitution and the function of constitutional principles in balancing the relationship between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
This module examines the concepts and principles of criminal law in England and Wales. It covers the general principles of criminal law and the substantive law concerning a range of offences and defences. You will be able assess the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on criminal law.
This module will allow you to examine the moral and ethical dimensions of law and the practice of law in a range of contexts. Ethics is a broad field and this module will combine the necessary theoretical aspects of the subject in order to facilitate the development of critical and reflective applications to the practice law.
Effective dispute resolution is a very significant aspect of the management of cases undertaken by lawyers. This module introduces a range of dispute resolution mechanisms to students new to the subject of law. The module explores the nature and development of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and the intersections between formal litigation.
You will examine the principles, policies and practical applications of contract law from a variety of perspectives. You will develop a thorough understanding of how contractual obligations are formed and regulated, how legal principles and concepts are used to identify and resolve legal problems, and the function of contracts in society and the economy.
This module places considerable emphasis on the current applications of legal principles, policy and academic discourses in this branch of the law of obligations. Very complex sets of social relationships are governed by legal concepts of duty, harm and compensation.
You would have been introduced to legal research in the first year. This module deepens understanding of legal research for particular purposes and contexts. You will develop insights into how legal research is conducted to address substantive, procedural and contextual legal issues and how to apply techniques from related subjects in the social sciences and humanities.
You will develop a solid understanding of the historical and theoretical foundations of English land law and of the current legal principles and concepts in use today. The module examines the development of the legal frameworks regulating property in land, including the normalisation of the registration of titles.
You will develop a solid understanding of the principles and concepts used in the law of trusts in England and Wales, covering the main forms of trust property. The module examines the development and current application of the fundamental maxims in equity, using both primary legal sources and academic discourses.
Students will need to select two optional modules from the list of optional modules, which appears above.
This module consolidates the legal research skills developed over the previous two years and enables you to undertake an independent project in your final year. You will develop your project proposal with support from a supervisor on the course team.
European Union law (EU law) governs the relations among member states of the European Union and the means by which economic, social and political integration are designed and enforced. This module examines the laws and principles that comprise EU law and determine implementation in member states.
This module will focus on proceedings in the High Court for judicial review of the decision of public bodies. The module will also examine the Human Rights Act 1998 and alternatives to judicial review proceedings such as internal complaints mechanism and ombudsmen.
Students will need to select two optional modules from the list of optional modules, which appears above.
Career opportunities
As a result of our conversations with employers, we have enhanced the employability of our graduates by providing exposure to an increased range of legal and ‘soft’ skills involving interacting with clients, advising the public, interviewing and oral presentation skills would all enhance the employability of graduates.
You will have a number of opportunities to increase your employability whilst study Law with us including:
- Volunteering as a student legal advisor in the university’s Legal Advice Centre
- Developing your advocacy skills by participating in the David White Memorial Trust Mooting Competition in our new mock courtroom
- Gaining a valuable insight into an area of legal practice through our one day per week placement scheme during your second or third year – this allows you to develop practical legal skills outside of the traditional academic environment
- Meeting legal practitioners through your modules and extra-curricular activities
- Developing your awareness of the legal sector through employability and networking events
Student profiles
Fees and finance
2023-24
- UK full-time tuition fee: £9,250 p.a
- UK part-time tuition fee: £1,454 per 20 credits (please contact the Student Centre for further information)
- International full-time tuition fee: £13,992 p.a
Further Information
At University of Suffolk, your tuition fees provide access to all the usual teaching and learning facilities that you would expect. However, there may be additional costs associated with you course that you will need to budget for.
Entry requirements
2023-24 and 2024-25 entry; 112 UCAS tariff points (or above), BBC (A-Level), DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level) or Access to HE Diploma - a minimum of 30 Level 3 credits at merit grade or above.
Applicants are also required to have GCSE English and Maths grade 4/C or above, or equivalent Level 2 qualifications.
Applicants who do not hold these qualifications may be considered on an individual basis based upon their overall application and the course applied for.
If you do not hold these qualifications please contact Admissions directly on 01473 338348 to discuss.
IELTS 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components) where English is not the students' first language.
If you have previously studied at higher education level before you may be able to transfer credits to a related course at the University of Suffolk and reduce the period of study time necessary to achieve your degree.
Staff
Facilities and Resources
Our mock courtroom was installed by professional court outfitters in 2020 and includes a judge’s bench, witness box and dock. The courtroom is a very versatile space as it can be a magistrates’ court, crown court with a jury, or an appeal court. The courtroom is used for specific learning activities within modules, assessments and extra-curricular activities. The David White Trust Memorial Mooting Competition takes place annually in the mock courtroom.
