Law/Politics

Law and politics is a combination with deep intellectual coherence, since the law is one of the primary instruments through which political power is exercised, constrained, and contested. Law provides the formal rules and institutions through which societies define rights, resolve disputes, and govern themselves. Politics examines the distribution of power and influence within and among societies, asking how decisions are made, whose interests are served, and what ideas and ideologies shape political life.

Studying them together reveals how each is incomplete without the other.

At Glasgow this four-year full-time programme leads to a common law degree suitable for those planning to practise in common law jurisdictions such as England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and other common law countries. The politics component examines how power and influence are distributed within society and how this affects decision-making, at both national and international levels. The combination develops legal and political analysis in parallel, with each discipline informing and enriching the other.

A year abroad is embedded in the programme, giving you the opportunity to study law or politics in a different national context. The typical entry tariff of 232 points reflects the high academic expectations of a leading Scottish research university.

Graduates go on to careers in legal practice, politics and government, the civil service, international organisations, NGOs, journalism, policy, and many other fields where the combination of legal knowledge and political understanding is valuable. Many pursue professional legal training as solicitors or barristers. Postgraduate study in law, politics, or public policy is a natural continuation for those wishing to develop specialist expertise.