About Law (joint Honours) BA/bsc (hons) in University of Northampton

This course is accredited as a Qualifying Law Degree in England and Wales by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board. Our Law modules have been designed with the aim to provide you with a sound basic legal education, as well as catering for the teaching of Law in its social, economic and political context. This course will complement other subject areas in the joint honours programme, particularly social science and business-oriented subjects.

The Law team is the current University of Northampton Changemaker Team of the Year.  They received this award for their work in giving students as many opportunities as possible to make a difference in a range of communities such volunteering, our Street Law Project, the Pro Bono Clinic, setting up charities and so much more. The team were commended for “their commitment and passion to all their activities which provide law students with valuable exposure to real life experiences and situations and in no small way ensures that people with access to legal aid can gain justice”.

We will support you to achieve your career and study ambitions, which is why if you complete our Employability Plus Gold programme or Changemaker Gold certificate alongside your studies and if you haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating* we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you, or support you into postgraduate study.

Course Details

If you choose to study Law Joint Honours, you will benefit from a varied modular scheme, which is designed to offer you a wide range of options in addition to the foundation subjects required by the legal professional bodies. Our approach to teaching and learning is centred around you, we ensure that we teach Law in its social, political, and economic context across all three stages of the course.

We offer a variety of additional voluntary activities, such as court visits, mooting, client interviewing and negotiating. You are encouraged to participate in our Student Law Society, which organises social and professional activities that will help you in your future legal career.

You will study four compulsory law modules and two modules from your other subject in your first year. If you are majoring in Law and wish to use your degree to satisfy the professional legal bodies for exemption purposes, at least two thirds of your degree must be in Law and must cover the foundation subjects identified by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board. If you are looking to satisfy professional legal bodies for exemption purposes then we can provide you with valuable advice and guidance when making your module choices.

You will have the opportunity to gain practical experience from moots and mock trials in our dedicated Moot Room. We offer a range of visits to law firms and have a student mentoring scheme with Shoosmiths solicitors, which will provide you with valuable career advice and contacts.

Take a look at the blogs written by staff and students in the Law division.

Work Experience

You are encouraged to undertake a year-long placement in between Stages Two and Three of study. If you meet the entry criteria, and choose to take up a placement year you will find it an invaluable experience that helps you to apply your learning in your final year and prepares you for your career. Whilst on your Optional Work Placement Year you will study a 40 credit module ‘The Placement Year Experience – Organisations in Context’. We offer a lot of support in helping you to find a placement, which can be in the UK or overseas.

Methods of Learning

Our Law team uses a variety of teaching methods including face-to-face lectures and seminars, workshops and online materials. You can expect to put in 200 hours of work on each module and you will also have two hours a week contact time with your tutor.

Assessments

Assessment methods vary on our Law Joint Honours course. Most modules involve a variety of activities such as seminar debates, group and individual presentations and project work.

Information from the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Currently, if you want to be solicitor in England and Wales you can take a Qualifying Law Degree (usually three years), followed by the Legal Practice Course (one year), followed by a training contract (on the job training secured through a law firm, two years).

Taking our Qualifying Law Degree enables you to gain an exemption from the current qualification process.

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is a centralised assessment for anyone who wants to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. It will provide a fair and consistent assessment for all candidates regardless of whether they have taken a law degree or qualified through new routes like the solicitor apprenticeship.

When will the SQE be introduced?

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) are working towards an introduction date of 2020 and are currently on target to meet it.

How much will the new system cost?

There will be the cost for sitting the SQE assessments and the cost of any training courses.

for the SQE. Information about the cost of the SQE assessments is not yet available because the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have not decided exactly what the final examinations will look like.

The Faculty of Business and Law is currently monitoring these developments closely with a view to advising students about law career routes. We are also reviewing our curriculum to ensure that our legal education provisions continue to prepare students effectively for legal practice and/or professional careers more widely and will be seeking input from students and other stakeholders into the review process.

Scholarships

EU and International Scholarships

We’re committed to offering the opportunity to study in the UK to the best and brightest students from around the world.

Sir Thomas White Scholarship

The Sir Thomas White scholarship will support and acknowledge an academically gifted student, with the proviso that the selection panel is confident that there is…

TD Lewis Scholarship

The T D Lewis Scholarship provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students with financial awards of up to £1,000.  This scholarship is awarded on educational excellence…

The Chancellor's Fund

The Chancellor’s Fund is a bi-annual fund providing students with awards of between £100 and £1,000. You must be a current student to apply.  The…

The Max Engel Memorial Bursary

The Max Engel Memorial Bursary currently awards £1,500 to one student or, in some cases, divided between two or more students. It is intended to…

Wilson Endowment Scholarship

The Wilson Endowment Scholarship provides a £1,500 scholarship to undergraduate students from the Northamptonshire area. The endowed scholarship was donated in memory of Mr Lynn Wilson,…

Entry Requirements

Standard entry requirements apply. A typical offer would be BCC at A Level or DMM at BTEC. We welcome international applicants and applications from those with a range of non-traditional educational or professional qualifications.

For more more information on how to make an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

If you are an International student and would like information on making an application, please see our How to Apply page.

English Language Requirements

All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

• IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 5.5 in all bands
  for study at undergraduate level.

For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.

University of Northampton Highlights

Institute Type	Public
Campus Setting	Urban
Number of Staff	1,611
Number of Students	11,984
Number of International Students	1000
Graduation Employment Rate	95%
Student Satisfaction Rate	89%
Academic Programs Offered	Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Mode of Programs Offered	Full time, Part time and Distance
Medium of Instruction	English
Average Tuition Fee for International Fee	GBP 12,000 - GBP 15,000
Proficiency Test for English Language	IELTS, TOEFL iBT or Pearson PTE
Financial Aid	Scholarships, Funds and Loans

University of Northampton Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

For all the prospective candidates for the institute, an estimated cost of living in the UK is as cpmipield below.

University of Northampton Tuition Fee

The tuition fee varies from one course to another. Following are some of the popular courses along with the tuition cost:

University of Northampton Undergraduate Courses 

Course	Fee
BA and BSc Degrees	GBP 12,900
BSc Podiatry / BSc Occupational Therapy	GBP 13,900
BSc Nursing	GBP 15,750
Sandwich / placement Year	GBP 1,000

University of Northampton Graduate Courses 

Course	Fee
MA or MSc Degrees	GBP 13,750
MBA	GBP 14,750

University of Northampton Cost of Attendance

Basic list of expenses apart from tuition fee are as follows:

Type of Expenditure	Cost (in GBP, per week)
Accommodation (includes basic facilities)	130 to 300
Food	36 to 52
Mobile phone	4 to 14
Travel	Around 17
Books and supplies	Around 11
Clothing and personal care	16 to 26
Entertainment	Around 29

University of Northampton Application Process

Basic Admission Requirements

1. Certified transcripts of high school/college/university
2. One reference required
3. Statement of Purpose depicting the interest of the applicant in the chosen course
4. MBA applicants must also have a proof of work experience
5. Arts and design applicant must also submit their portfolio 

The outcomes of the English proficiency tests taken by all of the international applicants. IELTS, TOEFL iBT, and Pearson PTE are acceptable tests. The minimal IELTS scores needed to get admitted are as follows:

Academic Programs	Minimum Score
Undergraduate	6.0 overall and not less than 5.5 in each section
Postgraduate	6.5 overall and not less than 5.5 in each section
Research	7.0 overall and not less than 6.5 in each section

Additional Requirements

1. An overseas student who has been accepted must pay the GBP 5,000 deposit fee before the university would issue them a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies).
2. Other documents for the visa application process are:

• Passport
• UK visa history form
• Proof of financial support