Law and Social Policy

Law and social policy is a combination that addresses the relationship between legal rules and the broader structures of social organisation, welfare, and public policy. Law is concerned with the obligations, duties, and rights that members of society hold in relation to each other and to the state, and it develops the precise analytical skills needed to work with that framework. Social policy examines how societies organise collective responses to social needs, including housing, health, education, and poverty, and how government decisions shape the distribution of wellbeing and opportunity.

Together they develop a critically informed understanding of how legal and policy systems interact in practice.

At the University of Strathclyde this four-year full-time programme, in one of Scotland's leading law schools, develops your understanding of Scots law alongside the social policy frameworks that shape Scottish and UK public life. You will study the core areas of legal doctrine alongside social policy analysis, welfare theory, and the policy-making process, gaining the dual perspective that is valuable in many professional contexts where law and welfare intersect. The degree includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different legal and policy environment.

The typical entry tariff of 200 points reflects the competitive entry standard for a programme combining law and public policy at Strathclyde.

You will develop legal reasoning, policy analysis, research skills, and the capacity to think critically about how systems of law and welfare are designed and what they achieve.

Graduates pursue careers in law, social work, public policy, local government, housing, health services management, the voluntary sector, and civil service. Postgraduate study in law, social policy, public administration, or social work is a common next step for those wanting to deepen their expertise or pursue professional qualifications.