I was attracted to the University of Surrey because of the excellent graduate prospects, as well as the range of extracurricular activities within the School of Law.
A Law degree at the University of Surrey is both challenging and rewarding. As a law student, you will tackle the fundamental questions facing society, develop understanding of key areas of English and European law and investigate and evaluate ideas such as fairness, justice and equality. You will be provided with a stimulating learning environment that blends traditional and modern teaching methods.
Not only will you be challenged to understand the law, but you will also be encouraged to apply it and to develop your professional skills through a series of activities within the School of Law, focusing on advocacy, client interviewing, negotiation and mooting. Students benefit from voice training from professionals at the Guildford School of Acting. The School is particularly proud of its long tradition of providing students with work placements as part of their study, and of its links with the local legal profession.
Our programmes invite you to consider the law’s impact on society and its challenges. Having been introduced to legal topics in lectures, you will conduct in-depth research and analysis, and then discuss your understanding and evaluation of each topic during small group tutorials. In doing so, you will not only acquire a critical understanding of the law, but will also begin to develop those essential skills of use as solicitors and barristers or in any other high-calibre professional career.
The single honours programme focuses study on law and will allow you to cover the widest range of legal subject areas. You will gain a deep understanding of the main areas of legal knowledge, namely laws regulating private relationships, relationships with the state and relationships with property respectively. Each foundation legal subject is split into two modules, each of 15 credits, running over the whole academic year.
Whilst you will spend a considerable amount of time identifying current legal rules and principles, our law degrees are a far cry from the memorisation of dry legal detail. In addition to learning what law is, you will be expected to debate about it and to analyse its application to given situations.
Your legal training will involve the systematic application of the law through the discussion and analysis of problem questions. It will also require you to analyse the law from a critical perspective through the writing of essays, which often require a theoretical perspective. You will therefore be expected to place law in its social, moral and political context.
In Year 1, the Legal Skills foundation module, which runs across the year, will introduce you to both the fundamental concepts of law that inform and influence the way in which laws are made, and also to the ways in which law students and legal scholars identify, analyse and criticise those laws. Throughout this module, you will examine the complicated process by which both cases decided by the higher courts and enactments of the Houses of Parliament become ‘the law’.
You are encouraged, therefore, to look critically at the law-making process itself. The legal skills developed during this module are reinforced by teaching and assessment on other modules throughout your legal studies. The Criminal Law module analyses the general principles of English criminal law, the substance of criminal offences and the nature of criminal liability. Contract Law, Public Law 1, EU Law 1 and Property Law 1 (Land Law) complete the modules studied in the first year.
In Year 2, you will analyse the substantive law of the European Union in EU Law 2. The Tort Law modules consider the law concerning tortiously inflicted harm in several areas of tort, including: negligence, occupiers’ liability, economic loss, psychiatric injury, vicarious liability, trespass to the person, nuisance and defamation.
Property Law 2 (Equity and Trusts) examines the contribution made by equity to civil law in counterpoint to the common law. Public Law 2 is administrative law and focuses on the issues within the judicial review of public body activity. In addition to the foundation legal subjects, students may select a law option from a variety of modules, which usually vary from year to year.
You may opt to undertake a placement year before returning for your third year of study. This will give you the opportunity to gain legally relevant work experience, either in the United Kingdom, Europe or North America.
In Year 3, you will have the opportunity to study a number of optional legal subjects including a dissertation, Commercial Law, Family Law and Public International Law.
Any four from a range of optional modules. As an example, the options offered for 2012–13 were:
All programmes are Qualifying Law Degrees (QLD). A QLD provides exemption from the academic stage of the Law Society and Bar examinations.
Our Law programmes offer an optional third year on placement. You could work for the full year, or spend half of the year on a work placement and the other half studying at one of our partner universities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Finland or Australia. Most work placements are paid, with the opportunity to experience a variety of contexts including solicitors' offices, local authority legal departments, non-governmental organisations and corporations.
You will return energised and focused on your final year of study and equipped with a broader range of professional skills and abilities. The School of Law provides a comprehensive Professional Training placement year preparation programme, which is undertaken in Year 2. Although the School has a number of contacts, we cannot guarantee that students will find a placement opportunity, and some students arrange their own.
For our core Law subjects, teaching consists of weekly lectures and tutorials in groups of eight to twelve students. Tutorials are weekly in the first and second years. You will carry out extensive research into the law in preparation for tutorials, using lecture content as guidance. During the tutorial, you will engage in discussion, using legal sources as the basis of your answers and presentations.
Each core module is assessed by either coursework or examination (weighted at 100 per cent). The split between coursework assessment and examination across Years 1 and 2 of the LLB programmes is approximately 50/50. Optional modules may be assessed in a variety of ways.
Written examinations are generally two hours long and require you to answer two or three questions out of six posed on the paper. Questions include a combination of problem-based and essay questions that also form the content of tutorials and seminars. You are marked on your ability not simply to identify the relevant law, but to apply it in a logical manner. You are required to identify inconsistencies in the law and to question and critique the theoretical underpinnings of particular laws and of law in general. All work is marked in accordance with identified grade descriptors, which ensure that marking is transparent and consistent.
The School benefits from the substantial support of the University in the provision of its teaching and research activities. As a result of an active programme in building and development, teaching is conducted in a variety of high-quality learning environments, and students have the benefit of access to a broad range of both paper and electronic library resources, as well as state-of-the-art online learning support.
Each year, many former students take up permanent employment with prestigious employers who have included Electricité de France, Clifford Chance, Eversheds and other firms of solicitors, sets of barristers’ chambers and legal departments of large companies.
We offer a varied programme of careers sessions, which provide advice and guidance on what you should do to develop a suitable career path. In combination with our Student Law Society, we run a variety of events, competitions and activities, such as mooting and client interviewing, that are not only enjoyable and rewarding, but will also enhance your employability and introduce you to local and regional solicitors, barristers and other legal professionals.
The School also has close links with the College of Law in Guildford and co-operates with the College in a number of career development activities.
Our graduates include numerous solicitors and barristers, as well as lecturers in law, legal translators, a legal business manager in a huge international corporation, an assistant to a Member of Parliament and a High Court judge. Recent graduates have entered employment in roles such as:
The School of Law offers a considerable range of subject areas, both to aspiring legal professionals as well as to those interested in further academic study or other well-regarded professional careers.
Offering a blend of traditional and innovative methods of legal education, and looking at subject areas from both conventional and critical perspectives, the Law programmes at Surrey provide a depth and a wealth of understanding of law in its national, European and international contexts. The School continues to build upon its traditions in legal education and to offer new and exciting teaching and research opportunities.
Recognising the growing importance of continuing legal education to the professional legal community and working in law-related areas, programmes at Surrey are delivered in a variety of ways and reflect a range of needs that cater for those who are looking for both part-time and full-time learning opportunities. The School continues to provide excellent opportunities for both career development and study of the legal issues of the twenty-first century.
As well as our range of undergraduate and postgraduate Qualifying Law Degrees, we also offer programmes at postgraduate level in a number of specialist areas, and this is reflected in the expertise and varied interests of our teaching staff.
The School draws upon the breadth of experience of its members of staff in devising and running imaginative programmes of study at all levels. Many members of staff are qualified solicitors or barristers and have qualifications in teaching in Higher Education. Teaching includes the use of large group sessions, tutorials, seminars and online tuition.
In addition to its academically focused and energetic teaching staff, the School benefits from a vibrant student community, and active pastoral and learning support is provided to all students.
The School has a strong commitment to scholarship and research, and also offers a PhD doctoral research degree programme. Research and the development of research ideas is a key part of the School’s ethos.
Research activity covers the range of fields of legal study, and there are several research groups:
These research groups represent the greatest concentration of research output within the School, but there are also active researchers in criminal law and criminal justice, employment law, family law, medical law and public law (including US constitutional law). Research activity covers both theoretical research in selected fields, and initiation and implementation of funded research projects. The School’s researchers use their research output to inform and develop their teaching and to enhance the experience of both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The School of Law is to be found on the University of Surrey’s attractive campus, which is located in Guildford. Situated in the south-east of England, the University benefits from its location in a safe but lively and pleasant city, while also being about half an hour away from London.
Law students can therefore benefit from Guildford’s relaxed atmosphere, while also being able to fully enjoy the possibilities of London as one of the world’s leading legal centres. The School plays an active part in the local legal community and has forged strong links with legal professionals in the area and other legal educators nearby such as the College of Law. Students at Surrey undertake a range of voluntary and pro bono activities in the Surrey area.
Come to one of our Open Days, when you can tour the campus, speak to students and academic staff, see our student accommodation and ask as many questions as you like. In the meantime, order a personal prospectus – tailored to only include the subjects that interest you.
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent).
Preference may be given to subjects with a strong theoretical and analytical sub-skill. Please contact us for further details. A-level Law is acceptable for entry.
Offers are normally made in terms of grades. Suitable candidates will be invited to an Applicant Day. During the visit to the University the candidate can find out more about the programme and meet staff and students.
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above (with the reading and writing elements to be passed with 6.5), with a minimum of 6.0 in all other sub-skills (or equivalent).
We offer intensive English language pre-sessional courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
| Award | Course Length | Professional Training | UCAS code | KIS code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LLB (Hons) | 3 years | M100 | View KIS data set | |
| LLB (Hons) | 4 years | M100 | View KIS data set |
We offer a range of bursaries, scholarships and other financial support.
See course information for students applying to start in September 2013.
James Noguera talks about his amazing placement year in New York City.
Phone: +44 (0)1483 681 681
