A radical and innovative approach to the academic study of law
Year of entry: 2023/24
M101
Y50
2 years full-time
2:1 undergraduate honours degree (full entry requirements)
September 2023 (semester dates)
Our LLB Law (Senior Status) provides graduates of other subjects with an opportunity to study for an LLB over two years.
Applications for this course are closed to UK (home) applicants for 2023/24. Applications for 2024/25 will open in September.
Our distinctive degree combines academic rigour with applied, practical and interdisciplinary perspectives, ensuring you develop an understanding of law in all its contexts.
We are the only law school in the UK to use a problem-based learning approach as the basis for our undergraduate programmes. We believe this modern, practical method will help you to develop the skills and techniques you will need to stand out as a professional. Our programme allows you to choose a pathway based on your interests, while fitting closely together to form an integrated and comprehensive course.
We want you to feel a part of our vibrant community from day one. Our highly approachable, expert tutors are committed to providing you with high-quality teaching, feedback and support. Staff and students work alongside each other in lectures, seminars and extracurricular activities including The Student Law Society and projects such as the Global Day of Action. The Baroness Hale Legal Clinic provides free legal advice to people and business, helping students gain practical experiences within the friendly and supportive surroundings of our purpose-built law school.
This degree meets requirements that can enable you to progress to the next stages of professional qualification as a barrister or solicitor in England and Wales. In addition, it may also contribute to the entry requirements of qualification in other jurisdictions. For more detail, see the Careers area.
What I enjoy most about York Law School is the supportive nature that the instructors create for students. As I am an international student, right from day one, we were put into contact with the upper year international students, who heartily welcomed us to York.Arjun, LLB Law (Senior Status)
Our distinctive course comprises core modules and a wide choice of options. The core modules include a series of Foundations modules, which cover the core areas of English law and academic skills as defined by professional bodies. There are also core legal skills modules through which you will develop key skills applied by professionals in practice.
Our range of option modules allow you to develop an individual learning pathway to reflect your career interests. If you are considering practising law, you can select from modules which simulate a number of areas of legal practice, as well as our law clinic module. If your interests lie in academic or interdisciplinary perspectives on law, you can choose modules which focus on the nature of specific areas of law in society.
There are opportunities for you to spend time abroad during your course:
There are opportunities to spend time in industry as part of this course.
The Year 1 core modules will provide you with an understanding of the traditional core subjects integrated with a number of key legal skills and a range of critical and socio-legal perspectives on the law.
In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.
This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.
This module will:
You will also study two option modules. In previous years, options have covered topics such as:
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.
Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
| UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £21,950 |
The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.
Although students may decide to purchase some textbooks or other resources, we have an extensive physical and electronic library, so that there is no requirement to do so.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2023/24 throughout the year.
We offer a number of scholarships to help cover the cost of tuition fees and living costs:
If you have already completed an undergraduate degree, you normally will not qualify for student finance for a second undergraduate degree. This means that if you are applying for this programme, you would not receive a maintenance or a tuition fee loan, and would have to self-fund for your studies.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Our LLB is taught mainly through problem based learning. This method will develop your skills of analysis, reasoning and judgement as you work on topical questions with ethical, political, social and practical dimensions. Through this approach you will also develop communication and project management skills that will enhance your effectiveness in the world of work.
You will be part of a student law firm during your studies. Within your firm you can decide how you want to operate and and so work in collaboration most effectively. Your firm may be working alongside or in opposition to other firms. You will build relationships with your firm and work in a team to approach these problems in a realistic way.
Your firm will be faced with complex legal issues as part of each of your modules. You will learn to identify the key legal principles and establish what you know and what you need to ascertain in order to unravel the problem. Through the process, you will reflect on deeper social and theoretical issues, such as questions of justice, fairness and human rights. Tutor-facilitators will guide you through particular points and issues, helping you to gain the maximum possible from each study.
You'll also learn through a range of other resources including: plenary lectures, written subject guides, and a variety of relevant material in our virtual learning environment.
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures | 5-6 hours per week |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 6-7 hours per week |
These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during term time. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
York Law School has a dedicated Problem Based Learning Suite and mock up court room for our students. You can use these during your contact hours and for independent studying.
York Law School is located on Campus East. Nearly all of your teaching will take place within the Law and Management building or nearby on Campus East.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
York Law School uses two main forms of assessment, formative and summative.
You will complete and submit all assessments as an individual. Some assessments have, however, been specially designed to reflect the PBL learning process and so facilitate group work as part of the preparation.
None of the modules offered by York Law School currently include formal examinations as a form of assessment.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Written exams | 13% | 8% |
| Coursework | 80% | 85% |
| Practical exams | 7% | 7% |
The figures above are based on data from 2017/18.
Our pioneering Careers and Development programme will help to ensure you are ready to pursue your chosen career path. Created through collaboration with leading local, national and international firms and key vocational providers, the programme includes professional skills workshops, personal development, mentoring schemes and link days.
We also have a dedicated full-time Employability Tutor, who can give you advice on a wide range of matters, from CV and assessment centre techniques to general career planning.
We have established a wide range of professional links and partnering arrangements. Through these you benefit from 'real world' lawyers as part of the teaching team and gain access to practical, work-based learning opportunities that can help you to prepare for your career.
Qualifying as a solicitor or a barrister
If you wish to qualify as a solicitor (in England and Wales), the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requirements are that you:
Your LLB from YLS will fulfil the first requirement, and enable you to develop elements of the legal knowledge and skills assessed in SQE1 and SQE2.
If you wish to qualify as a barrister, the first stage of qualification is to meet the academic requirements of the Bar Standards Board (BSB). Your LLB from YLS includes the seven foundations of legal knowledge required by the BSB for the academic component of barrister training.
Qualifying as a lawyer in another jurisdiction
If you want to qualify as a lawyer in another jurisdiction your law degree from YLS may be recognised as contributing to the entry requirements of the professional stage of legal training.
Undertaking further study or research
Our thriving research environment offers a number of postgraduate study opportunities. We have a number of taught postgraduate programmes and welcome proposals for MPhil and PhD study. As an LLB student here you can prepare for further study and experience working with academic colleagues through our research internship programme.
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Degree | 2:1 or the equivalent class of honours degree from an overseas higher education institution, in any subject. For graduates of Canadian universities, the requirement is a B+ degree or higher. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 7.0, with a minimum of 7.0 in Writing and 6.5 in all other components |
| C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency | 185, with a minimum of 185 in Writing and 176 in all other components |
| Duolingo | 130, minimum 130 in Production and 120 in all other components |
| GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) | Grade C / Grade 4 |
| LanguageCert SELT | C1 with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert International ESOL | C1 Expert with a minimum score of 25/50 in each component |
| PTE Academic/PTE Academic Online | 67, with a minimum of 67 in Writing and 61 in all other components |
| TOEFL | 96 overall, with a minimum of 24 in Writing and 23 in all other components |
| Trinity ISE III | Distinction in all components |
For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.
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