BA (Hons) Business Law

Study a range of subjects reflecting the importance of law in all areas of society and with an emphasis on looking at the law associated with business in Scotland and the UK.

Business Law

Key facts

  • Award BA (Hons)
  • Start date September 2024
  • Duration 48 months
  • Mode of study full time, part time
  • Delivery on campus
  • UCAS Code M221

Overview

Business is at the heart of society and everyday life. This degree in Business Law affords you a chance to study a range of subjects reflecting the importance of law in all areas of society and with an emphasis on looking at the law associated with business in Scotland the UK.  

The course enables you to understand in more depth how law interacts with society. You will develop even further the intellectual skills needed for what is a demanding yet rewarding subject. These include autonomy, determination, intellectual curiosity, clear thinking and concise expression. All are highly valuable, whatever career you pursue.  

Although the LLB is the degree to pursue if you wish to join the legal profession, the BA Business Law offers a strong in-depth knowledge of the law, enhancing many personal and intellectual skills to allow you to enter many different areas of employment.

In the first two years you will focus on the law of Scotland and the UK in Public Law and Commercial Law, as well as the law of Scotland in the law of obligations and criminal law. The University’s modular system also allows you to dip into other areas of study for your first two years, such as languages, management, economics, criminology, psychology, politics, the environment and much more before concentrating on a wide range of law honours modules in 3rd and 4th year. This gives our BA students the great advantage of a diverse and varied education and the ability to place legal studies in a wider social or business context.

Top reasons to study with us

Entry requirements

Year 1 entry – Four-year honours

SQA Highers
AABB - one sitting  
AAAB - two sittings

GCE A-levels
BBB

IB Diploma
30 points

BTEC (Level 3)
DDM

Widening access students
Widening access students may be eligible for an adjusted offer of entry. To find out if this applies to you go to our widening access pages.

Care-experienced applicants will be guaranteed an offer of a place if they meet the minimum entry requirements.

Other Scottish qualifications

Scottish HNC/HND
Year one minimum entry - Bs in graded units.

Access courses
Access courses and other UK/EU and international qualifications are also welcomed. Law at Stirling is committed to widening access to Higher Education.

Email our Admissions Team for advice about other access courses.

Foundation Apprenticeships
Considered to be equivalent to 1 Higher at Grade B

Other qualifications

English, Welsh and Northern Irish HNC/HND
Merits and Distinctions

International entry requirements

Advanced entry

Year 2 entry
Entry into Year 2 may be possible depending on your HNC/HND course. To find out more go to our articulation pages.

Other qualifications
Advanced entry may be possible depending on your qualifications. For more information, contact our Admissions Team at admissions@stir.ac.uk.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

  • IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic) 56 overall with a minimum of 51 in each sub-skill.
  • IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.

See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.

Pre-sessional English language courses

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.

Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses

Course details

Explore more details about what you'll study on the BA (Hons) Business Law course. 

Modules

The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the current academic year (). Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.

Course details

Teaching

Most modules in first and second year are taught by way of two one hour lectures per week and one tutorial per fortnight. Honours modules are often taught through attendance at one two hour seminar per week. Tutorial questions are discussed with tutors at regular intervals and contain a mix of problem and essay type questions. You will be encouraged to develop techniques to tackle answering problem questions using the law and ensuring proper citation of the law is given e.g., cases and legislation. During tutorials you will be encouraged to participate in discussions and work with your classmates to investigate the subject further.    

There is an emphasis on writing skills and you will learn to be able to read and write about the law through your degree. You will be able to develop your research skills and learn how to properly reference and cite the law to support your arguments. This will culminate in your writing a 10,000 word law dissertation in your final year.  

Often, there is presentation work either individually or in a group, assessed or unassessed. This helps develop communication skills, team working and organisational skills and encourages active learning. The role of feedback in learning cannot be underestimated so there will be extensive feedback given on all assessed work as well as feedback given by tutors for Practice questions submitted in tutorial, or there can be peer feedback too.   

Assessment

You will be assessed for each module taken throughout your degree. To cater for all learning types, we have various formats on offer per module throughout your degree such as:  

  • essays  
  • end of term exams  
  • class tests  
  • multiple choice tests  
  • online tests  

A common format is an essay forming a part of your overall grade with an end of term exam. In some Honours modules, coursework forms a more significant part of the assessment weighting. Some areas of the law lend themselves better to one particular format or another.  

Mode of study

You will specialise in law but the University’s modular system allows you in addition to dip into other areas of study for your first two years such as languages, management, economics, criminology, psychology, politics, the environment and much more before concentrating on law honours modules in 3rd and 4th year. This gives our BA students the great advantage of a diverse and varied education and the ability to place legal studies in a wider social or business context.  

Study with the people who have written the books: The law modules have been designed by staff who publish and research in key areas linked to the module. Develop your research potential with our excellent research staff: the course offers a wide range of Honours options in Years 3 and 4 too and these are taught by staff who are experts in their field. You will often use their original research in your own research into subjects as diverse as intellectual property law,  environmental law, commercial arbitration, labour law, energy law, competition law, European law and private international law.  

There are wide and varied teaching methods used on this Programme from group work, presentations, academic poster presentations as well as the usual lectures and seminar format. We try to ensure that we have guest speakers and lecturers every semester on relevant topics and we also have annual careers events for our Law students.  

The culmination of your Honours degree is the dissertation process in the final year which allows you to get your teeth into a topical subject in law and to develop your own research skills even further. We have supervised dissertations in a wide range of subjects from banking crises to fathers’ rights concerning child residence to the legality of mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations and all points in between.

Work placement opportunities

There are various Work Placement modules offered across the University available to take as options throughout your degree. In particular, the Law School offers a Work Placement Module in 3rd and 4th year where you are placed with an employer in the legal field for 30 hours of work experience. The employers we have worked with in the past include  Royal Bank of Scotland Plc, Virgin Money, Standard Life, Scottish Power, Scottish Children’s Reporter, the Equality Council, Glasgow City Council, CAB Grangemouth, CAB Stirling, Central Scotland Regional Equality Council (CSREC), Yeghoya & Jacula (Ontario, Canada), and several legal firms. Assessment is by way of a presentation and a piece of reflective writing.  

Study abroad

The University’s Study Abroad schemes are available in 3rd year. The opportunities to study abroad are optional.  Students can apply to study at any of our partner universities in various parts of the world including the United States and Canada. 

Fees and funding

Fees and costs

Academic year: 2023/24 2024/25
Scottish students £1,820 £1,820
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland £9,250 £9,250
International students (including EU) £16,400 £17,200

Scottish students

This fee is set by the Scottish Government and is subject to change.

Although you’re liable for annual tuition fees, if you are domiciled in Scotland you can apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish Government on your behalf.

You will be charged the annual tuition fee each year when you enrol.

If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.

For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.

Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

This tuition fee may be subject to change depending on guidance provided by the UK Government.

You can apply for financial assistance, including a loan to cover the full cost of your tuition fees, from your relevant funding body. Students from the Republic of Ireland are eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to £9,250 from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

We also offer additional funding – such as our Honours Year Scholarship – for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. See our funding opportunities section below for more information.

You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.

If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.

For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.

International students (including EU)

Eligible students will automatically receive a scholarship worth between £8,000-£30,000 over the duration of your course. See our range of generous scholarships for international undergraduate students.

You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.

If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.

For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.

Additional costs

There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.

Funding

See what funding opportunities and loans are available to help you with tuition and living costs.

Students from Scotland

Find funding opportunities for Scottish students.

Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Eligible students will automatically receive our Undergraduate Welcome Scholarship, Undergraduate Merit Scholarship, and our Honours Year Scholarship, which are worth between £1,000 and £9,250.

International students

Eligible international students will automatically receive a scholarship worth between £8,000-£30,000 over the duration of your course. Find funding opportunities for international students.

Cost of living

If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.

International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.

Find out about the cost of living for students at Stirling.

Payment options

We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay.

After you graduate

What jobs can you get with a Business Law degree?

A BA (Hons) Business Law and related programmes such as BA (Hons) Law from the University of Stirling creates huge opportunities in the modern legal market. By focusing on law within a wider social and business context, we’ve helped to prepare graduates for jobs with major organisations like Aviva Insurance, Royal Bank of Scotland, FIFA, the NHS and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. Students who have graduated from this course in the last five years are working in roles such as:

  • business relations manager
  • factoring consultant
  • PR account executive
  • sales and marketing executive
  • rule of law officer

Our BA Law and BA Business Law provide you with a wide range of analytical and transferable skills, and are suitable for any profession in which a non-specialised degree is required. As a non-qualifying law degree, the BA Law is aimed primarily at those not wishing to become practicing lawyers; however, some students who undertake this degree do choose to go on and train to become lawyers after doing the accelerated LLB in Scotland or further training in other legal systems. Others choose to access a wide range of careers in the Public, Private and Third sectors.

One of the key features of our BA Law degrees is the variety they offer. Even if you choose to do a single Honours degree in Law or Business Law, you’ll still study other subjects in Year 1 and 2. The range available includes: languages, management, economics, criminology, psychology, politics, the environment and much more. This gives you the great advantage of a diverse and varied education alongside the ability to place legal studies in a wider social or business context.

Many students go on to further their studies by joining LLM or MSc (Masters) Programmes in areas that have interested them, perhaps from their dissertation topics, such as Energy Law, Criminal Law, International Law etc.

Some students realise on completing their Law degrees that they really enjoy the law and would like to become a lawyer, so they embark on an Accelerated LLB which is a two-year postgraduate degree that covers the professional subjects required by the Law Society of Scotland.

Companies we work with

We have worked with the following companies for work placement: Royal Bank of Scotland Plc, Virgin Money, Standard Life, Scottish Power, Scottish Children’s Reporter, the Equality Council, Glasgow City Council, CAB Grangemouth, CAB Stirling, Central Scotland Regional Equality Council (CSREC), Yeghoya & Jacula (Ontario, Canada), and several legal firms. We continue to work with many of these companies.

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What our students said

Amy McCormick
Amy McCormick
Scotland
BA (Hons) Law
I wouldn’t change a thing about my Stirling experience.
Read Amy's story
Chris Campbell
BA (Hons) Business Law and Business Studies
My degree was in Business and Law, and I'm always surprised how often what I learned comes in useful, even now.
Read Chris's story
Doina Emilian
Doina Emilian
Moldova
BA (Hons) Law and Marketing
Moving to Stirling was a significant emotional and financial effort, which is why I wanted to take advantage of the opportunities presented during my time there. All of my experiences prepared me for my professional life, by learning to seize opportunities, communicate with senior stakeholders, navigate and prioritize responsibilities, and focus on structured problem solving.
Read Doina's story

Flexible study

Are you interested in more than one of our courses? You might not have to choose between them. Here at Stirling, we believe in choice and offer more than 170 course combinations.

Business Law can be combined with any of the following courses:
Course nameUCAS code
Accountancy UCAS code for this combination: MN24

For a combined honours degree where the two subjects have different entry requirements, you will usually be asked to meet the higher entry requirement.

Find out more about degree flexibility and how you can take combined courses.