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11th for (joint) for student satisfaction (Law)
The Complete University Guide (2024)
World top 100 Law School Times Higher Education 2023
Purpose-built Mock Court Room
Why Lancaster
Unravel technical legal topics and uncover how law shapes our society. Studying our LLB Law, you’ll learn from law experts and study modules designed with your future career in mind.
Giving you a head start
Preparing you for success is our top priority. To help you create connections and gain valuable insight, we’ll invite you to alumni visits, as well as a Law Fair attended by top lawyers and their recruitment teams.
Our student-run Law Society will help you build your network too. Take part in a range of activities including mooting, career dinners and negotiation competitions (judged by barristers and members of the judiciary).
Practical experience is key
Perhaps you’ll take part in our Law Clinic which offers free legal advice to the local community on a range of areas including family law, consumer disputes, and wills and probate. Or maybe you’ll join the Street Law project and deliver interactive sessions in schools on topics like cyberbullying. You’ll also find volunteering opportunities with organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau or Lancashire Constabulary's Special Constables.
We offer a wide range of diverse opportunities and try to ensure that all students can access the opportunities that interest them, however please note that places are limited on some schemes and modules.
The study abroad option is an exciting opportunity for anyone who is thinking of working abroad during their career or who simply wants the experience of living and studying overseas as part of their degree.
Often study abroad students describe the year abroad as a “transformative experience”, as it can shape your future career path as well as having a positive impact on your personal development.
Study abroad - Lancaster students
You will study in your third year at one of our international partner universities. This will help you to
During your year abroad, you will choose specialist modules relating to your degree and potentially other modules offered by the host university that are specialisms of that university and country.
The places available at our overseas partners vary each year, but destinations have previously included Australia, USA, Canada, Europe and Asia.
We will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner university that offers appropriate modules. Occasionally places overseas may not be available for all students who want to study abroad or the place at the partner university may be withdrawn if core modules are unavailable.
If you are not offered a place to study overseas, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent standard 3-year degree scheme and would complete your studies at Lancaster. Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the year abroad.
Armed with a law degree, you’ll be ready for roles in the legal sector and beyond. As well as law expertise and experience, you’ll be the type of graduate employers want – a strong communicator and an excellent problem solver.
Deciding what to do next can be daunting, but you’ll have the support of our specialist law career advisors who are practising solicitors and know the sector inside out.
Our students secure places on graduate training schemes while others kickstart careers in the Civil Service, Ministry of Justice, Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, HMRC and Trading Standards.
Many Lancaster law graduates complete further training to prepare for roles such as:
Outside of the legal sector, you can apply your skills to careers in everything from media to taxation, finance to politics. Graduate roles include legal recruitment consultant, compliance officer and investment banker.
Want to specialise further or carry out research? We have a wide range of postgraduate programmes which are designed to deepen your knowledge and be a natural next step after this course.
Giving you the skills you need for success is important to us. Whatever course you study, you can take part in The Lancaster Award. It’s a unique opportunity to complete activities that boost your employability, support your career development, and create connections within our campus community. Visit our Employability section for full details.
Your journey to becoming a barrister or solicitor
If you’ve studied the right modules, you can start the professional course to be a barrister straight after this programme. However, the route to qualify as a solicitor has changed. To start a career as a solicitor, you don’t need a qualifying law degree, but you do need to pass the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
Our law degree is designed to give you the skills to succeed on the SQE while also giving you insight into law in context and wider societal issues. To show our commitment to your success, we also work with two SQE training providers – Barbri and BPP. These organisations provide our students with discounts, free training modules, masterclasses and events, and careers advice.
A Level AAB
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.
International Baccalaureate 35 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualifications. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.
Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
This engaging module immerses you in a broad investigation of criminal law, typically including legal rules, substantive crimes, the conditions of criminal responsibility, and law in practice. We will explore the scope of law and its enforcement in a political, economic, moral and social context.
You will develop an understanding of the principles of criminal liability, and the elements of major offences typically including homicide to theft, fraud to sexual offences, and offences against the person. You may also have the opportunity to explore such topics as complicity, inchoate offences and defences.
We encourage lively discourse and debate through a combination of workshops and seminars, both of which are linked to a lecture programme. This will help you to consolidate knowledge, analyse and argue about criminal law.
Our teaching is research-led and you will be encouraged to read as widely as possible on the subject. Not only does this module provide the foundation for further study in your second year and beyond, but it also establishes key skills in presentation, critical analysis, and intelligent debate.
This year-long module introduces you to the central tenets of the English Legal System and supports the development of the legal skills that will see you through your degree.
The module is your initiation into legal reasoning and the process of legal research. Within it we would typically include such topics as:
A combination of lectures, workshops and seminars provides you with a sustained opportunity to: deepen your knowledge of the English Legal System; learn how to read legal cases and journal articles and critically analyse legal materials; write law essays; and problem solve.
The module was developed by Dr Siobhan Weare who co-authored one of the leading textbooks in this area of Law.
Contract Law at Lancaster is studied from an interesting perspective – we begin by looking at resolution for breach of contract. This includes monetary compensation, injunctions and orders compelling parties to carry out their promises.
By starting at the end, you are constantly reminded of the purpose of Contract Law (to provide a remedy to an aggrieved party when the other party has broken its contractual obligations). It also means that you get to practice applying the law while studying this important but difficult topic, and, you will be able to competently address the main concern of clients when you begin practicing law: resolution.
Of course, we also typically study the formation of contract, terms of contract, and their interpretation and enforceability. But heavy emphasis remains on remedy.
The module involves self-study of the historical and theoretical aspects of contracts and contract law, including ‘Contract in Context’ which was co-authored by staff member Dr Richard Austen-Baker.
Public Law is an engaging, compulsory module that will introduce you to constitutional law, administrative law and human rights law.
You will typically journey through:
We begin with an introductory workshop, which will familiarise you with the political and legal structures that make up the UK’s constitutional framework. Then we venture into an innovative mix of traditional lectures, problem-based workshops, and small-group seminars, all of which cement the connections between key legal theories and their practical, real-world application.
You will engage with a series of short legal problems through group discussions, critically analysing arguments in legal journals and reading cases for your coursework, as well as preparing a group presentation.
You will be taught by academics who are researching constitutional theory, constitutional conventions, and/or human rights law. They will support you to develop understanding, deepen your legal knowledge, and hone your critical evaluation skills.
How does the law relate to land and property? And is the current law still fit for the 21st Century?
Our Land Law module immerses you in real life scenarios to promote an understanding of how the law actually works. You are given the opportunity to work through legal problems as though you are advising a client, and we discuss some of the documentation and protocols that are used by property lawyers.
We encourage lively debate and discussion, and aim to develop your skills in thinking and reasoning logically and creatively, challenging convention and understanding how land law has shaped our environment and society. You should also have an appreciation of the ways in which land law has developed and changed.
Topics typically covered include:
Your lecturers will be specialists in their field and active researchers. Current research within the teaching team addresses the system of land registration for the protection of title or ownership of land, and the history of property law and how well it works.
This core module introduces you to torts. You will critically explore the key torts and tort principles typically including such topics as trespass to the person, negligence, torts of strict liability and vicarious liability. You will also consider defences to torts and remedies for aggrieved parties.
This module introduces students to a range of contemporary crime ‘problems’ through a study of academic debates and perspectives. The historical, socio-economic and cultural contexts will be explored whereby students will be encouraged to critically analyse the process of criminalisation, criminal justice responses, and how these criminal or ‘deviant’ activities have come to be considered problematic. Specialist areas of criminological debate will be addressed, such as cultural criminology, the criminology of everyday life and the relationship between crime, pleasure and transgression.
This module tackles key questions around the organisational and institutional structures of the legal profession, taking a close look at the contemporary challenges that it now faces.
While the module primarily focuses on the Anglo-Welsh system, we will also address other systems through literature on law in the USA, Australia and other commonwealth jurisdictions.
Topics covered in the module may include:
Throughout the module, you should develop a solid understanding of issues relating to lawyer/client interactions, such as ethics, confidentiality, legal professional privilege, conflict of interest. You will also have the opportunity to study representations of lawyers and lawyering in fictional settings, such as TV, film, literature and plays. This module exposes you to a range of debates and encourages you to think creatively and critically, as well as from a socio-legal perspective.
How does the law define familial relationships? And how do the law and family justice systems regulate those relationships – between adults, and between parents and children?
Our Family Law module focuses on such questions, and more. We will delve into family life and intimate relationships, exploring issues such as marriage, divorce and custody. You will critically evaluate legal issues relating to family, and develop a sound legal understanding of how the law affects family relationships and resolves familial conflicts.
Topics covered in this module may include:
What are human rights? How are they implemented or contravened? What is the relationship between complex human rights issues and society today?
This module uses the context of the European human rights regime to investigate civil liberties and human rights protection. You will adopt a critical and comparative approach as you gain a comprehensive grounding in the law of human rights.
We will tackle some of the most complex and relevant issues such as the right to life, freedom from torture, freedom of expression, and capital punishment. Specific case studies allow you to engage with issues and questions regarding whistle-blowing and enforced disappearances.
Our teaching is research-led and combines seminars, tutorials and lectures. You will be encouraged to read as widely as possible on the subject and we will help you to develop your skills in critical analysis, discourse and debate.
Social research is at the heart of social science perspectives on criminology. Research provides an important means of producing evidence within criminology and in the planning and evaluation of policies and provision within the criminal justice system. The module introduces the theoretical foundations and processes of different forms of social research used within criminology focusing in particular on criminological fieldwork.
Our Youth Justice module is an opportunity to consider the tension between perceptions of children as ‘troubled’ and ‘troublesome’. We will also explore the criminal justice response to children who are in conflict with the law.
The competing themes of welfare and justice are closely examined, along with the recent history of youth justice policy. Following these thematic explorations, we take a more in-depth look into specific topics, including:
This module is led by a research-active lecturer with an interest in children in the care and criminal justice systems; the lecture on children in care draws specifically on their cutting-edge research. The combination of lectures and small group teaching helps you to develop your understanding, deepen your criminological knowledge, and develop your critical evaluation skills.
Spending your third year of four with one of our highly-regarded partner universities in the US, Europe, or Canada, you will study Law or Law-related subjects, providing you with insight into the way law impacts on societies around the world.
You will need to pass your first and second year studies at the first attempt (without resits) in order to progress to the year abroad.
Lancaster University will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner university that offers appropriate modules which contribute credit to your Lancaster degree. Occasionally places overseas may not be available for all students who want to study abroad or the place at the partner university may be withdrawn if core modules are unavailable. If you are not offered a place to study overseas, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent standard degree scheme and would complete your studies at Lancaster.
Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the year or term abroad.
This module covers the major types of trust and the key elements required for their validity and operation as well as relevant aspects of equitable remedies. The overarching imposition of Equity will be interwoven with the discussion of the substantive types of trust. As well as an in-depth exploration of the workings of each mode of trust, the emergence of each will also be examined before modern uses and policies are considered. Key current developments in relation to the law of trusts will also be drawn upon.
The company law module covers the key areas of company law from incorporation to insolvency including corporate personality and piercing the corporate veil, the company’s constitution, contracts and companies, directors’ duties and minority shareholder protection. These practical, substantive areas of company law are discussed in accordance with relevant theories relating to the corporation and its role in society generally.
The Competition Law module is designed to give students a good grounding in contemporary competition law and the economics and policy which underlie it. The main focus will be on EU and UK competition law, but reference will also be made to US and Australian law where it provides a useful counterpoint. The module will examine the way in which antitrust and behavioural economics interact and inform the development of competition law and policy. Substantive areas such as the main EU antitrust provisions, their UK counterparts, and the merger control regimes in the EU and UK will be covered. The module will cover the basic provisions but special focus will be given to areas of controversy or recent reform. The enforcement of the law will also be given special consideration.
This module focuses on the crimes that power makes possible. Criminological theory and research has traditionally prioritized the crimes of the powerless over and against the crimes of those that make laws, wield influence and capital or authorize State violence. As such, this module will introduce you to theory, research, and case-studies on corporate and white-collar crimes, as well as state crimes like genocide and torture, in order to provide an analysis of the commission and punishment of such crimes.
The dissertation is an independent, in-depth inquiry into a research topic of your choosing, subject to there being a suitable expert in the department to supervise your project. The topic will relate to a key legal question or issue and may also directly relate to your professional/career interests.
This is your opportunity to make a contribution to the legal and academic community with new and original research and writing on a legal issue.
This module introduces you to the principles of the law of evidence in criminal cases. It also introduces you to the nature and theory of proof. These general issues are developed through the study of particular topics such as the burden and standard of proof; confessions and illegally obtained evidence; disputed identification evidence and other warnings to the jury; hearsay; the credibility of witnesses and bad character evidence.
This module introduces the principles of UK immigration and asylum law. Asylum is a subject seldom out of the press and it has received unprecedented political attention in the last decade. Given that immigration is now such a wide subject, with a number of major new statutes, you will only be introduced to selected highlights and the module will focus mainly on the asylum process. Consideration of the general issues is developed through the study of particular topics such as the nature of an asylum claim and the link between human rights and asylum. Immigration detention and the foreign prisoner crisis and deportation issues will also be discussed. If possible, the module will be supplemented by a visit to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.
Focusing on new technologies and our own research in this area, this module addresses the changes in the law that are necessary to accommodate the impact of the internet, developments in 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and advancements in bio-technology.
You will examine intellectual property law and the protection of intangible property, particularly copyright and patent law. And you will explore the theories that justify the legal protection of human creativity, whilst also studying its practical application.
You will consider copyright protection and its basic tenants alongside the defences and exceptions that allow society to benefit. Following this, you will look at the impact of the Internet and the ability to infringe upon copyright at an unprecedented level.
We will also cover the basics of patent law protection, along with issues relating to the ownership of patents by employers. And you will undertake an in-depth study of the current UK and international policies relating to bio-technology patents.
To what extent does English law accommodate religious belief and practice? How has the law interacted with religion historically? What is the current interplay between law and religion? And how does the UK model of religious accommodation compare with those adopted in European jurisdictions?
Religion in the 21st century continues to attract and engage the attention of the government, parliament and the courts - as it has done throughout English legal history. Law and Religion, an engaging, policy-significant and popular module, will tackle the central questions outlines above and introduce you to the laws that regulate religion and belief in the UK.
Typically the module covers the following topics:
The module focuses on two very pertinent topics in the area of religion and law: the application of Islamic law in the UK, and religious tribunals in the UK. We will draw on our research as we discuss issues that are high on the agenda of policy makers and are part of current media discussion.
This module will assess the legal and practical issues surrounding responses to massive violations of human rights, before the political and moral issues involved in using national and international courts will be discussed. The imposition of truth commissions as well as other techniques of ‘transitional justice’ to respond to massive human rights violations will be critically analysed in order to deduce the success of such responses.
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2024/25 entry fees have not yet been set.
As a guide, our fees in 2023/24 were:
| UK | International |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £21,980 |
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities.
For students starting in 2022 and 2023, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2024 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2024-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2023-entry applicants as guidance.
Check our current list of scholarships and bursaries.
Our summer open days give you Lancaster University in a day. Visit campus and put yourself in the picture.
Undergraduate Open Days
Join Meenal and Vlad as they take you on a tour of the Lancaster University campus. Discover the learning facilities, accommodation, sports facilities, welfare, cafes, bars, parkland and more.
Undergraduate Open DaysThe information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
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