Law

Law is the framework of rules and principles that governs how people in a society may behave toward one another and how disputes between them are resolved. Studying it at degree level asks you not only to learn what the law says but to understand how it works, why it takes the forms it does, and what values and assumptions underlie legal rules and their application. It is one of the most analytically demanding undergraduate subjects, requiring close reading, precise reasoning, and the ability to construct and critique arguments from complex material.

University of Brighton's three-year full-time Law programme begins with a foundation year, which prepares you for degree-level study by developing the academic skills, critical thinking, and legal awareness you will need before you move into the core curriculum. This makes the programme accessible to students who may not have followed a conventional academic route to law or whose prior qualifications are in different areas. The foundation year means the total programme is four years of study with a foundation year included.

From there, you will study the foundational areas of English law, including constitutional and administrative law, contract, tort, criminal law, property, and equity, as well as a range of optional areas that allow you to develop expertise in fields of particular interest. The programme includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, and a work placement, meaning you will gain professional legal experience in a placement setting alongside your academic development, which is valuable both for clarifying career direction and for building practical competence and professional contacts.

A typical tariff of 104 points reflects the accessible entry point that the foundation year provides.

Graduates are able to proceed to the professional legal qualifications needed to qualify as a solicitor or barrister, or they may apply their legal knowledge and analytical skills to careers in business, public administration, compliance, human resources, journalism, and the police and justice system. Postgraduate routes include the LPC, SQE preparation, and the Bar course.