LLB Bachelor of Laws (UCL) and LLB Bachelor of Laws (HKU)

Overview

UCAS course code: M103

You should review the information provided below in conjunction with the UCL Prospectus page for this degree programme.

This four-year programme 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. You will study for two years at UCL and two years at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), graduating with both a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from UCL and a Bachelor of Laws degree from HKU

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.

Tuition fees are paid to UCL for all four years of study. 

Please note:

• You may apply to either UCL or HKU for this programme, but not both in the same admissions cycle. Applications submitted to both institutions will be disqualified.
• You must submit an additional statement (maximum 500 words) explaining your motivation for applying. This should be sent to laws-admissions@ucl.ac.uk and include your UCAS ID number.
• Admission to HKU is subject to their own application process and academic requirements.

Student visa

Students on this programme will be issued a visa covering the period of study in the UK only (Years 1 and 2). As a result, you will not be eligible for the UK Graduate visa.

UCL’s Student Immigration Advice team can advise on alternative visa options.

Students enrolled on this programme may only transfer to the three-year LLB in exceptional circumstances.

Highlights

• Learn directly from world-renowned academics and practitioners in the legal field.
• Be a part of our global student community and benefit from 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.
• 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.
• The programme allows students to experience study abroad and thus engage with different cultures and regional legal perspectives, and to engage in vocational placements both at UCL and in Hong Kong.
• A great benefit of the programme is professional skills development for future legal practice in both jurisdictions.

Programme structure

Years 1 and 2 of the LLB at UCL will be largely identical to Years 1 and 2 of the LLB Law programme, except students on the UCL-HKU dual degree programme must take an additional compulsory extra-curricular placement in the UCL Centre for Access to Justice in Year 1 at UCL. Years 3 and 4 are spent at HKU. As part of the HKU element of the programme, you will undertake a vocational placement.

The Access to Justice placement, organised and overseen by the UCL Centre for Access to Justice, forms an important part of your UCL-HKU dual degree programme. The placement must be completed whilst at UCL, but accounts for 12 HKU credits. It is an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about the principles of access to justice underpinning the role of law in society. You will also develop skills in becoming reflective practitioners as you begin to put your newly acquired legal knowledge to practical use in the community. You will attend a series of online seminars about access to justice issues as well as participate in placement projects.

The projects may vary each year, but recent projects include volunteering at the UCL Legal Advice Clinic and teaching students in local schools about human rights. You will complete the placement activity and attend seminars and project training, carry out independent reading and complete reflective academic journal entries. The perspective of the course is both analytical and practical.

The last two years of study are mainly intended to meet the professional requirements for the award of an LLB degree at HKU.

Modules

Assessment

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

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

You will be assessed in accordance with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) regulations in Years 3 and 4.

Accreditation

All of our programmes 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 programme leads to the award of both a Bachelor of Laws Honours qualifying law degree from UCL and a Bachelor of Laws degree from HKU.

Professional qualification

The LLB Law degree provides the academic foundations required for those wishing to pursue a 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 to qualify, and requirements may change over time. Find out more about qualifying as a solicitor or barrister.