Dual LLB/Juris Doctor (JD) with Columbia University, New York

Overview 

This degree is not available to apply to through UCAS.

After successfully completing the first year of the LLB Law course, you may apply to transfer to the dual degree course that leads to a Bachelor of Laws honours degree from UCL and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University in New York. The Juris Doctor (or J.D.) is the designation for a professional degree in law in the United States and certain Commonwealth countries.

You will spend the first two years at UCL and the final two years at Columbia Law School. This four-year course equips you with the skills to reflect critically on your understanding of the law, how it works, and how and if it can be changed.

As a UCL Laws student, your modules will be taught through weekly lectures combined with a bi-weekly tutorial or in seminars. During lectures, seminars and tutorials, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the principles of law, and to understand its role in governing the relations between the individual, the state, and society.

Through discussion and debate with your classmates and tutors, written assignments and presentations, you will develop your ability to communicate in a clear and effective way, sharpen your powers of reasoning, and gain the technical expertise to solve legal problems.

Highlights

• Learn directly from world-renowned academics and practitioners in the legal field.
• Be a part of our global student community and benefit from our UCL Law Society, which, together with the Faculty, delivers an outstanding programme of activities and events each term.
• Develop your skills and legal knowledge by taking part in activities such as mooting, client interviewing, debating, and negotiating competitions.
• Get involved in pro-bono opportunities, allowing you to provide legal advice and give back to the local community. The Centre for Access to Justice (CAJ) provides Faculty-level oversight and management of the UCL Laws Pro Bono Programme, facilitating a broad range of projects for you to get involved in.
• Access specialist careers support from our in-house Careers Consultant.
• Work in our state-of-the-art Faculty, Bentham House, which provides an inspiring home for our staff and students. Located in the heart of central London, UCL Laws provides a unique opportunity to draw on the resources of the centre of the UK’s government, legal and financial communities.
• Study in New York - one of the major legal and financial centres of the world - for two years of the course.

Eligibility

A maximum of three students per year are permitted to transfer onto this dual degree course. Selection in Year 2 is based on academic merit and a successful interview, and may have significant financial implications for those selected. Students who have undertaken more than one year of study in the US (at high school or university level), or who have previously applied to Columbia Law School, will not be eligible for this course. Final decisions on the admission of eligible applicants are made in consultation with Columbia University, in line with their rigorous entry requirements.

Applicants interested in this dual degree course should apply through UCAS for admission to the LLB Law degree. In the first term of Year 2, UCL Laws will provide information about the process for applying to transfer to the dual degree course. The application process is highly competitive, and successful candidates typically achieve a first-class or a very high upper-second-class average in their first year. Transfer to the course following the application and interview is not guaranteed. Unsuccessful applicants will continue their third year of study on the LLB degree at UCL.

You will not be eligible to apply if you:

• have spent more than one year studying at a US high school or university
• have previously applied to Columbia Law School

If you have taken the LSAT, you must disclose your scores as part of your application, as they will be taken into consideration.

If you have previously applied to Columbia Law School but did not receive an offer, you may still apply to the Law School through the standard admissions process. However, this would be for the three-year course, not the dual degree course.

Course structure 

The structure of the course during Years 1 and 2 (when you will be based at UCL), is identical to Years 1 and 2 of the LLB Law degree. 

During Years 3 and 4, you will study on the J.D course at Columbia Law School at Columbia University in New York. You will be required to pay the relevant fees to Columbia University. 

Modules

Assessment

You will be assessed by a variety of summative assessments (e.g. written examinations, take-home papers, coursework essays, presentations or through a combination of methods of assessment).

You will also submit and receive feedback on formative assessments throughout each academic year.

You will be assessed according to the regulations of Columbia University in New York in Years 3 and 4.

Accreditation

All of our degrees are compliant with the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Law and contain the Foundations of Legal Knowledge subjects as well as the skills associated with graduate legal work such as legal research.

This course leads to a Bachelor of Laws honours degree from UCL and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University in New York. The Juris Doctor (or J.D.) is the American equivalent of the LLB.

Professional qualification

The LLB Law degree provides the academic foundations required for those wishing to pursue qualification as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales, subject to meeting the requirements of the relevant professional regulators.

Graduates may proceed to the next stages of professional training, including the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) or Bar training, depending on their chosen career pathway. Further training and assessments are required in order to qualify, and requirements may change over time. Find out more about qualifying as a solicitor or barrister.