Law (Philosophy, Politics and Law Pathway)

Why choose this course
-Top lawyers not only know what the law is, but they understand why it is this way, what philosophical ideals and values it is based on, and how it can be made better.

-Take the opportunity to get industry-ready with our award-winning Professional Training placements.

-The heightened analytical skills that can be obtained on our LLB in Law (Philosophy, Politics and Law Pathway) are increasingly in demand by employers. As technology eliminates simplistic tasks, employers are progressively seeking law graduates who have complex problem-solving skills, can think abstractly, argue critically and find creative solutions to novel legal problems. This is what our course delivers.

-We offer our own Professional Legal Practice (SQE Pathway) LLM so you can apply to stay at Surrey for your masters and benefit from the familiar teaching environment.

What you will study
You’ll gain a strong understanding of the main areas of legal knowledge, including law as it:

-Regulates the functions of the state (public law and criminal law)
-Regulates relations between private individuals (contract law and tort law),
-Regulates the ownership and control of land and other property (land law, and equity and trusts).

After your first year, you will immerse yourself in deeper questions about the operation and design of our legal system and the principles of legal change and reform. You will take optional modules on the philosophical, social and political dimensions of law, focusing on cutting-edge legal problems and developing your knowledge of the relation between law and society, and the values and political structures our legal system is based on.

You will learn how to evaluate the law, analyse its application to given situations and apply your legal understanding in a national or international context. We also provide a series of employability training seminars, digital lawyering, pro bono opportunities, and extracurricular activities focusing on client interviewing, negotiation and mooting.

To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.

Academic year structure
The academic year is divided into two semesters which are both 15 weeks long. Each semester consists of teaching, revision/directed learning and assessment periods.

The Philosophy, Politics and Law (PPL) Pathway explores the same compulsory modules as the LLB in Law, including Public, Tort, Crime, Contract, EU, Land, Equity & Trusts.

To complete the requirements of the PPL Pathway, you must complete a sufficient number of optional modules from the specified list of PPL modules (equal to at least 90 credits or six modules). Upon completion of this Pathway, you will receive a recognised LLB degree, but one that also signals your PPL specialism to prospective employers.

An indicative list of modules that count toward the minimum of 90 credits required for the PPL Pathway (subject to change) are:

Year 2:

• Law & Contemporary Social Issues (15 credits)
• Law & Economics (15 credits)
• Environmental Law (15 credits).

Year 3:

• Dissertation in a PPL topic (30 credits)
• Commercial Restitution (15 credits)
• Jurisprudence I (15 credits)
• Legal Obligation and Punishment (15 credits)
• Medical Law I (15 credits)
• Medical Law II (15 credits)
• Core Issues in Private Law (15 credits)
• Tax Law (15 credits).

Expected progression through the PPL Pathway:
In Year 1, you will take eight compulsory 15 credit modules just as other LLB students.

In Year 2, you will take three core compulsory modules and one optional module in each semester. The options available include several modules on the PPL Pathway.

You may then decide to gain work experience through our award-winning Professional Training placement programme, or else progress straight to final year.

In your final year, you will take four optional modules each semester, which include a number of options from the list of PPL approved modules.