The Scots Law degree is the required degree for those planning to enter the Scottish legal profession. It also provides an excellent starting point for those who wish to, after qualification in Scotland, seek out qualification in England and Wales and Northern Ireland (not to mention many other jurisdictions around the world). Additionally, the Scots Law curriculum offers intellectual depth and has a range of flexible options and provides a superb starting point for many other careers besides law.
Students taking a Joint Honours degree can complete all the courses necessary to apply for entry to the next stage of professional training for a career in Scottish law, the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. Applicants should apply for either the Scots Law LLB or the Common Law LLB, not both. We will only make an offer of a place on one LLB degree. Students wishing to practise in Scotland or, after qualification in Scotland, dual-qualify in another jurisdiction, should apply for the Scots Law LLB. Students applying for the Common Law LLB should make it clear in their application why they wish to be considered for this degree. Once admitted, transfer between programmes is not permitted by the College of Social Science regulations. The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme is an exacting intellectual discipline and offers a thorough grounding in the principles of basic areas of the law. The degree can be studied to Ordinary level, requiring three years of full-time study, or to Honours level in four years of full-time study.
If you intend to become a solicitor or advocate in Scotland you must, in addition to the professional subjects taken as part of the Scots Law LLB, complete a one-year postgraduate vocational qualification: the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. There is then a period of full-time training for two years to become a solicitor, and up to two and a half years to become an advocate. Graduates of the Scots Law LLB are regularly recruited by international firms and may go on to practise law in England and Wales, the USA, Australia and elsewhere. Qualification in other countries involves additional study and examination in the law of the relevant legal system.
The flexibility of the Law degree at Glasgow, together with the emphasis on developing the key skills required by employers and the opportunities available to study abroad and to take part in placement opportunities, means that the LLB degree provides a sound general foundation for a range of careers. These include the Civil Service, local government, journalism, industry and commerce, international institutions, administration, banking, insurance, social work and the police service.