Law

Law is the system of rules, institutions and principles by which societies organise themselves, resolve disputes and enforce rights and obligations. A law degree is both an intellectual education in the nature of legal systems, rights and justice, and a practical training in the analytical methods that lawyers, judges, policymakers and advocates use to interpret and apply rules in complex and contested situations. Legal study develops close reading, logical argument, the ability to handle competing authorities and the skill to write with precision and clarity, capacities that are valuable well beyond the legal profession.

Northumbria University's Extended Law Degree runs over four years full time, providing additional time and breadth for legal education through a structure that includes a sandwich year with embedded work placement opportunities and a year abroad. This combination of features makes it one of the more comprehensive law degrees available in the UK in terms of experiential learning, giving you both international academic exposure and substantial professional experience within the degree itself. The typical entry tariff is around 120 UCAS points.

You will cover the foundations of English law including contract, tort, criminal law, public law, equity and land law, alongside EU law and international dimensions of legal practice. The extended structure is likely to include additional study of specialist areas such as commercial law, employment law, human rights or family law, alongside legal skills development in research, writing, oral advocacy and client handling. Northumbria has a strong tradition in professional legal education and good links to the legal profession in the North East and nationally.

Graduates of law degrees who wish to practise as solicitors in England and Wales now typically proceed via the Solicitors Qualifying Examination route, while those seeking to become barristers take the Bar Training Course after their degree. Many law graduates choose careers outside practice in business, compliance, human resources, financial services, policy, journalism, politics and public administration, where legal literacy is a significant advantage. The sandwich and international elements of this programme give Northumbria graduates a professional profile that helps them stand out in competitive legal and non-legal graduate recruitment.