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Law with Another Legal System (Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong)

After successfully completing the first year of the LLB Law programme you may wish to apply to transfer to the LLB Law with Another Legal System (Australia, Singapore or Hong Kong) programme

Overview

Please note this programme is not available to apply to through UCAS.

This four-year programme will allow you to spend your first two years of study at UCL, the third year studying overseas in Australia, Singapore or Hong Kong* and the fourth and final year completing your studies at UCL. You will apply in the second year and candidates will be selected primarily on academic merit. We will also consider your motivation for applying to the programme.

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 (reduced for the third year). No tuition fees are paid to the overseas university.

Following the offer of a study abroad year, admission to your allocated host university is confirmed by that university and is subject to completion of a formal application to them. Our partners do reserve the right to reject candidates if they have not completed the formal application or do not consider the candidate to meet their academic requirements. Placements at our partner institutions are negotiated on an annual basis and are therefore subject to change or withdrawal without prior notice.

*Please note that list is subject to change and specific placements cannot be guaranteed.

Highlights

  • Learn directly from world-renowned academics and practitioners in the legal field. 
  • Be a part of our global student community and take advantage of our unrivalled 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 UCL students 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.
  • Spend the third year of the programme studying in either Australia, Singapore or Hong Kong, and gain a better understanding of another legal system.
  • The year spent abroad studying another legal system will enhance your critical analysis skills and equip you for your fourth and final year at UCL

Programme structure

The structure of the programme during Years 1, 2 and 4 will be the same as Years 1, 2 and 3 of the LLB Law programme. The third year of the programme will be spent abroad, and the structure is dependent on the chosen partner university - see below for further details.

Modules

Year 1

Prior to the start of teaching, you will be required to complete some pre-course reading for the Laws’ Connections induction course (approximately 15 hours). This will be sent to you prior to the start of the academic year. You may also be asked to complete some pre-course reading for some of the year 1 modules. When you join UCL laws, you will start with a two-week induction programme: Laws' Connections: Legal Doctrine and Contemporary Challenges.

Laws' Connections is designed to be an inspiring introduction to the study of law here at UCL Laws, and to the role of law in addressing social challenges. It has two elements:

  • Introduction to the Study of Law 
  • Case Studies

The case studies cover topics such as climate change, homelessness, the global financial crisis, fake news and falsehoods, and the family home. You will be encouraged to think hard about the role of lawyers and the law in addressing significant social problems and introduce some important legal ideas and concepts, and also some important legal skills. You shall also get to know the people you will be studying with for the coming years.

You will take four compulsory modules during Year 1 of the programme:

  • Contract Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Property Law I
  • Public Law
Year 2

During Year 2 of the programme, you will take four compulsory modules:

  • European Union Law
  • Jurisprudence and Legal Theory
  • Property Law II
  • Tort Law
Year 3

You will complete your third year of study at either the University of New South Wales in Australia, the National University of Singapore (NUS), or Hong Kong University (HKU)*.

*Please note that list is subject to change and specific placements cannot be guaranteed.

University of New South Wales 
You will undertake a minimum of 24 credits per semester.
Visit the University of New South Wales website for information about the UNSW.  

National University of Singapore 
You will undertake a minimum of 12 modular credits per semester. 
Visit the National University of Singapore website for information about the NUS.

Hong Kong University 
You will undertake a minimum of 24 credits per semester.
Visit the HKU website for information about HKU. 

You will be provided with information to help you prepare for your year abroad, including information and resources concerning financial considerations, passports and visas, the availability of private accommodation, local education authority documentation, travel arrangements, and insurance.

The overseas university will also send you information regarding term dates, student registration, and enrolment. Throughout year two, you will also have opportunities to meet returning fourth-year students who have completed their year abroad and with current visiting students from overseas universities.

Year 4

In the final year of the programme, you will be able to choose optional modules totalling 120 credits. Students choose from a wide range of optional modules based on the research interests of UCL Laws academics. Visit our Modules section to see a list of modules that may be available in Year 4. 

Final year students can also choose to study 30 of their 120 credits in another UCL Department or at another University of London institution (subject to space).

Assessment

At UCL, students 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 be assessed according to the regulations of the overseas university where you are studying in the third year.

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.

Students will not receive a degree from the partner university, but the UCL degree will reflect the study abroad experience. You must successfully complete all four years of the programme to be awarded a Bachelors Degree with honours, but the classification of your degree will be determined by results in the second and fourth years (credits are weighted at 3 and 5 respectively).