Law in Practice with Criminology with a Foundation Year

If you don’t attain the grades needed to enrol on to the LLB Law in Practice with Criminology undergraduate programme, then this 5-year programme, including a Foundation Year, could be for you.

The Foundation Year gives you an exciting introduction to higher education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful on your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after further education or are returning to education after a gap. The Foundation Year (level 3) will be delivered by The College, Swansea University (TCSU) on the Bay Campus. Years 2-4 (levels 4-6) will be delivered by the School of Law on the Singleton Campus.

This is a specialised programme that prepares you for careers at the intersection of law and criminology, while also providing you with valuable workplace exposure.

Designed to prepare you for a wide range of careers, the programme is grounded in academic excellence and informed by leading research. It blends theory and practice, enabling you to understand how legal systems operate within wider social, political, and economic contexts, while critically examining the causes and consequences of crime.

From the outset, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of the foundations of legal knowledge, including Contract Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law, Public Law, Land Law, Equity and Trusts, and EU Law. These core subjects satisfy the academic stage of training required by the Bar Standards Board, and support those wishing to pursue the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

Alongside these core areas, you will study criminology modules that explore topics such as the Sociology of Crime, Policing, Punishment, Youth Justice, and the Criminal Justice System. This will help you develop a critical understanding of how law interacts with crime and society.

In your fourth year, you will undertake a paid internship with an employer in a legal setting. This will allow you to experience legal practice firsthand, where you can pick up key skills that will be infinitely useful in your future career.

As you progress, you can tailor your degree through a wide range of optional modules in both law and criminology. Law options include Human Rights, Medical Law, Cybercrime, Environmental Law, Family Law, and World Trade, while criminology options may cover Penology, Criminal Psychology, and Terrorism and Violent Extremism. This flexibility allows you to pursue your interests and develop specialist expertise across two complementary disciplines.

Our Law in Practice with Criminology programme places a strong emphasis on equipping you with the skills necessary for professional life. The curriculum is carefully designed to reflect the evolving landscape of legal education, including the changes introduced by the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), while maintaining the value of a traditional law degree.

You will be supported throughout the programme in developing a broad range of skills, such as legal writing, oral presentation and problem-solving. The inclusion of multiple-choice question (MCQ) assessments, which are a key feature of the SQE, further ensure that you are prepared for contemporary professional requirements.

As well as in your Year in Practice, opportunities to gain real-world experience are embedded throughout the degree, including participation in the Law Clinic, where you can provide advice to clients under supervision, and there are opportunities to take part in mooting, negotiation, and client interviewing competitions.

Your first year of study will be your Foundation Year at The College. This covers a mix of key themes in law, combined with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in your degree. Themes of study include:
Contract Law, Public Law, Criminal Law, Tort Law, Legal System, Academic Writing, Critical Thinking and Legal Skills

On successful completion of your Foundation Year, you will move to the School of Law to complete your LLB degree.

In Year 2, you will typically study areas including:
Public Law, Tort Law, Contract Law, Law, Professionalism and Ethics, and The Sociological and Criminological Imagination

In Year 3, you will typically study areas including:
Equity and Trusts, Criminal Law and Land Law, with optional modules covering areas including Criminological Theory, Crime Drugs and Alcohol, and Penology and Punishment

Year 4 will be spent entirely on a paid internship in a legal setting.

Your final year offers a wide range of optional modules allowing you to shape your own learning. Optional modules cover various areas including:
Environmental Law, Employment Law, Cybercrime, Counter-terrorism Law, Core and Critical Issues in Policing, Understanding and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism, and Inclusion and Exclusion in Sociology and Criminology

We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes.

In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment may include:

• Writing a letter of advice to a client
• Preparing a legal briefing
• Blog and poster writing
• Group-based tasks
• Oral presentations

For a full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course pages at: www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/law or get in touch with us at study@swansea.ac.uk