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University Degrees - Law
Studying law has never been so relevant. An undergraduate law degree can lead to an exciting and rewarding career, and can be as general or specialized as you choose.
Undergraduate law degrees
Laws regulate almost every aspect of our lives and touch upon areas as diverse as business, civil society, economics, the environment, human rights, international relations, politics and trade. Universities in all corners of the world offer law degree programs. Some have particular areas of expertise, such as criminal law, environmental law or property law, while others specialize in topics particular to their location, such as Islamic law, law of the European Union or maritime law. The most commonly recognizable law degree at the undergraduate level is the LLB – the bachelor of laws degree. Offered by universities in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and across many countries in Europe, the LLB qualification covers a range of compulsory subject areas in order to satisfy either local or international professional requirements for the entry into the legal profession.
In many cases, professional accreditation bodies such as the bar council or the law society of a particular country will recognize the content of an LLB undergraduate law degree offered by another country or, in legal terms, jurisdiction. Remember, however, that an undergraduate law degree rarely qualifies you for legal practice immediately after graduation and additional professional training will be required before you are fully qualified.
Choosing an undergraduate law degree is very much dependent on your own interests and ambitions. It is important to remember that studying a law degree is interesting in its own right and provides an excellent preparation for a range of careers and professions. As you will hear many people say, you don’t have to become a lawyer after you have studied the law: many leading business people, journalists, civil servants, teachers and, in one particular case, DJs hold an undergraduate law degree. If you are certain that you wish to become a legal professional, then ensure that the law program you are considering covers any professional requirements set by the jurisdiction you are likely to practice in. For example, some governments, such as that in Singapore, operate a list of recognized law programs and the universities that teach them to ensure that all graduates reach the required level for local practice.
Law school
The teaching of law is often undertaken in university law departments, as part of a broader liberal arts program or under the auspices of a law school. However, in almost all cases outside of North America, law is taught outside of what is often termed a “law school” and is located in the mainstream of undergraduate education. This can be a very valuable thing to bear in mind as it allows the study of law to be placed in a much broader context, taught in tandem with other complimentary academic disciplines such as the social or environmental sciences. Often there is no better way to understand the law than by studying it from the varying perspectives of other academic areas, such as anthropology, economics, history or sociology. Undergraduate programs of this kind are offered by many different universities and are often broadly called “law in context” or “law and society” programs.
‘Black letter’ law programs
Another approach to the study of law is a little more traditional and focused on the teaching of the key individual areas making up the entire discipline, for example the basic tenets of criminal law, property law, the law of tort and legal procedure. Much of the content of these kinds of undergraduate law degrees are based around case histories, legal precedents and significant judgements, allowing you to build up an excellent technical and theoretical knowledge of the law and legal systems. In some cases you may see this approach to undergraduate legal education as termed “black letter” law programs.
The study of law is now one of the most popular of all undergraduate programs. Whether you wish to study the subject as part of your career ambitions or as a means of gaining a broad and interesting education, you will find a variety of options waiting for you at any of the top 200 universities in the world today.
