Law and Economics
Law and economics is a combination that sits at the heart of some of the most important debates in public policy and professional life. Law provides the formal rules and institutions through which social and economic activity is regulated, contracts are enforced, and wrongs are remedied. Economics provides the analytical tools to understand how those rules affect behaviour, how markets work, and what the consequences of different legal arrangements are for efficiency, distribution, and welfare.
The interaction between the two disciplines has shaped modern competition law, regulatory policy, contract design, and the analysis of legal institutions, and studying them together gives you a sophisticated understanding of both.
At the University of Derby this programme includes a foundation year, giving you four years in total and a supported route into degree-level study. The course also includes a sandwich year and work placement experience, integrating professional development throughout your studies. You will study the core areas of English law alongside economics modules that explore the application of economic theory to real-life situations, making robust connections between economic frameworks and the practicalities of legal and commercial life.
The combination develops both the legal reasoning skills that professional legal careers require and the quantitative and analytical skills that economics brings.
Graduates from law and economics programmes enter careers in legal practice, finance, consulting, regulatory bodies, competition authorities, policy research, and the civil service. Those wishing to practise as solicitors or barristers will typically go on to the vocational stage of legal training. Others use the economics dimension to move into financial regulation, competition law, banking, and economic policy.
The combination is particularly valued by large commercial law firms, investment banks, consultancies, and public bodies where understanding the economic effects of legal rules is central to the work. Further study in law, economics, or public policy is also a natural option.