Law with a Foundation Year
Law is one of the most intellectually demanding and socially important disciplines available at degree level. It is the study of the systems of rules, principles, and institutions that organise social life, resolve disputes, distribute rights and obligations, and hold power to account. Studying law develops rigorous analytical thinking, the ability to construct and evaluate complex arguments, skills in research and written communication, and a deep understanding of how societies regulate themselves and protect individual freedoms.
At the University of Kent, this four-year programme includes a foundation year for those who would benefit from additional preparation before beginning the main law degree. Kent Law School is known for bringing the study of law to life through a combination of academic rigour and practical experience: students have the opportunity to work on real cases through the university's Law Clinic, developing the applied legal skills and professional awareness that the legal profession values. You will engage with the critical and analytical tools of legal scholarship, examining the role of law in society as well as the detailed content of specific legal areas, and you will develop the broad skills that make law graduates highly employable beyond the legal profession itself.
A law degree provides the academic foundation for professional qualification as a solicitor through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam or as a barrister through the Bar Professional Training Course. Beyond the legal profession, law graduates are valued in finance, business, compliance, human resources, the civil service, journalism, international organisations, and a wide range of analytical and advisory roles. The habits of careful reasoning and clear communication that law develops are applicable wherever complex decisions must be made and justified.
Further study at postgraduate level in law or a related specialism provides a further route for those who wish to develop specialist legal expertise.