Common Law (Graduate Entry)

The two-year degree provides graduates with a pathway towards professional qualification. This is an accelerated undergraduate degree, which is available to graduates of any discipline, including Law.

Why study this course at the University of Glasgow?

The programme is a foundational training in law and satisfies the Bar Standard Board requirements for the academic stage of legal training. It is not an approved pathway to legal practice in Scotland.

The programme is particularly suitable for students coming from Common law countries such as Canada, and it is a recognised degree in Northern Ireland.

This flexible degree offers courses that put an emphasis on developing the key skills required by employers.

The programme also provides you with a sound general foundation for a range of careers beyond law, such as the civil service, local government, journalism, industry and commerce, international institutions, administration, banking, insurance, social work and the police service.

On successful completion of the LLB you will be able to apply to one of our specialised or general LLM (Master of Laws) degrees.

Career Prospects?

The flexibility of the LLB (Common Law) 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 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.

All Glasgow law students benefit from a dedicated employability programme featuring tailored events focusing on various aspects of legal practice. These events feature a range of legal professionals from solicitors and barristers through to judges (many of whom are Glasgow graduates themselves). Law students at Glasgow may also gain real world legal experience and an opportunity to develop their skillset through legal clinical projects run via the GO Justice Initiative.

For those seeking to work as a lawyer in England and Wales, Ireland or Northern Ireland, the LLB (Common law) will provide an invaluable foundation in the academic study of law.

If you intend to become a barrister in England and Wales, the LLB (Common Law) satisfies the Bar Standards Board requirements regarding the academic component of training based on a law degree. After completing our degree, you would then undertake the ‘vocational stage’ of training, which requires completion of a postgraduate Bar course. The final step in qualifying as a barrister involves a period of full-time training for one year (‘pupillage’).

If you intend to become a solicitor, the LLB (Common law) is currently recognised for the purposes of qualifying as a solicitor in Northern Ireland (the Solicitor course at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Belfast).

If you intend to become a solicitor in England and Wales, the Solicitors Regulation Authority administers an independent, centralised assessment called the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). This includes:

A degree in any subject or a qualification or experience that is equivalent to a degree, such as a solicitor apprenticeship.

Passing the SQE 1 and SQE2 assessments

Two years’ full time (or equivalent) qualifying work experience.

Passing character and suitability requirements.

The LLB (Common Law) is also a recognised degree in Northern Ireland and is foundational for those seeking entry to the legal profession in a range of other jurisdictions such as Canada.

To qualify for legal practice, you must pass additional examinations in the appropriate legal system before proceeding to professional training and qualification. These requirements will vary according to the intended jurisdiction for professional practice.