LL.B. Law Ordinary/Honours

The LLB offers flexibility and choice in fixing exactly what and how you want to study.  You can decide to complete a professional degree qualifying you to go on to the legal profession either as an ordinary degree or as an honours degree.  Alternatively, as long as you complete the subjects listed in bold in the examples below (and another 80 credits of law) , you can add in other subjects you are interested in and complete an LLB which will not qualify you for the legal professions.  If you are thinking of taking this second alternative you might consider taking a degree with joint honours in Law and another subject.

Regardless of which of these choices you make, all honours students have the opportunity of spending all or part of their third year studying abroad in English.  This can be either in an English-speaking country such as Canada or Australia, or taking courses taught in English in another European country.

The various pathways below show the courses that are taken in the LLB depending on the choices you make.  These courses are described in more detail here.  The courses in bold are compulsory courses for the LL.B.  Those in italics are required by the Law Society of Scotland for the solicitor branch of the legal profession.  If you wish to become an Advocate you must take two additional subjects: Roman Law of Property and Obligations, and International Private Law.  Optional courses could come from within the School of Law or from other Departments in the University.  The main School of Law options suitable for study in all of the first three years of the LL.B. are Criminal Law and Evidence, Roman Law of Property and Obligations, Public International Law and Forensic Medicine.  Labour Law, International Private Law and Environmental Law are options only suitable for study after first year.  In addition there are level 3 courses at least two of which (or the equivalent of two if you study abroad) must be taken in third year.  In your final year you will study three honours courses and complete a dissertation.

• Pathway 1: The Professional Degree – courses required to become a solicitor
• Pathway 2: The Professional Degree – courses required to become an advocate
• Pathway 3: Professional degree (solicitor) with study overseas
• Pathway 4: Professional degree (advocate) with study overseas
• Pathway 5: Non-professional degree
• Pathway 6: Non-professional degree with study abroad