Study law and graduate with a university degree

Law combines social science, ethics and political philosophy. It's not just a body of rules or knowledge - it also has its own methods, philosophies, culture and language. Of course, it’s also what vital institutions (the legal profession, the judiciary, courts, etc.) do.

The LLB is a specialist degree, covering all aspects of law. Our course - tailored to the Law Society of Scotland's requirements - is broad-based, intellectually challenging and rewarding. It’s available as an undergraduate degree and a two-year accelerated graduate degree. It can be either your first step towards becoming a lawyer, or - increasingly - a well rounded and prestigious degree with which to enter other fields.

UCAS Codes
LLB (Accelerated Graduate Course) UCAS M115
LLB (Hons) UCAS M114

The Stirling LLB is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates, which are the professional bodies for Scots lawyers.

Year 1

Highers AABB.
A-levels ABB.
IB Diploma with a total of 36 points.
HND with Bs in graded units.
Access courses and other UK/EU and international qualifications are also welcomed.
Examinations over two sittings will be considered.

In addition to academic qualifications, personal statements and references will also be considered. The School of Law is committed to widening access to Higher Education and to the legal profession.

General entrance requirements apply.

International students can study our Undergraduate Certificate if they do not possess the necessary entrance requirements to be admitted directly to the first year of an undergraduate degree course.

Other information

If examinations are taken over two sittings, or there are repeats or upgrades, the entrance requirements may be higher.

Required subjects

English Standard Grade (2), Intermediate 2 (C), GCSE (C) or equivalent. Applicants with English Standard Grade (3) will also be considered, although alternative entry conditions may be made in this case.

Preferred subjects

English Higher Grade B. History, Politics or Modern Studies at Standard Grade (2), GCSE (C) or equivalent.

LLB (Accelerated Graduate Course) UCAS M115

An Honours degree in any subject/discipline. Good general degrees are also considered.

information on possible sources of funding

The LLB (Honours) and Accelerated Graduate LLB are both available as full-time and part-time degree courses.

The main aims of the LLB are to:

• provide substantial in-depth knowledge and understanding of:
  • the principles, concepts, values and substantive rules of the Scottish legal system
  • the wider context within which the Scottish legal system operates
  • the main legal institutions and procedures of the Scottish legal system
• develop problem-solving and legal research skills, as well as more general transferable intellectual skills which are of value in the practice of law and a wide range of careers
• provide the in-depth knowledge and understanding needed to progress to further studies in law and a career as a solicitor or in multi-disciplinary areas involving law
• provide graduates with knowledge, understanding and skills that will provide added benefit to them as individuals, to the Scottish legal profession, and to society as a whole

Semesters 1 – 5

• Public Law and Legal System
• Law of Contract
• Law of Delict 
• Family Law 
• Criminal Law 
• Company and Commercial Law 
• Evidence
• Property Law 
• Trust and Succession Law 
• Jurisprudence
  

Semesters 5 – 8

From Semester 5 onwards, you can select advanced modules from a range of specialist legal topics, including:

• Legal Research Methods
• Labour Law
• Intellectual Property Law 
• Information Technology Law 
• Environmental Law 
• International Trade Law 
• Competition Law 
• Sports Law 
• Child Law 
• Prejudice, Discrimination and the Law 
• Collective Labour Law 
• European Law
• Revenue Law
  

Teaching on the LLB is delivered via a combination of lectures and seminars. Assessment is by examination and coursework. You will undertake independent research supervised by a member of staff, presenting a substantial dissertation in your final year. Throughout the LLB, you are encouraged to undertake independent reading both to supplement and consolidate what is being taught and learned and to broaden your individual knowledge and understanding of law.

If you are interested in studying for the Stirling LLB, a good introduction is Hector MacQueen's book Studying Scots Law, (3rd edition) (LexisNexis Butterworths).

The Stirling Law School is innovative, dynamic and vibrant, and offers a wide range of degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is small and friendly and staff and students get to know each other quickly.

You have the opportunity to study abroad through Stirling's well-established connections with several international universities.

The Stirling Law School has a strong reputation for excellence in research. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, five percent of our research was judged to be world leading, 35 percent of international excellence, 30 percent of international quality, with the remaining 30 percent of at least national quality.

Those graduating with the Stirling LLB demonstrate high levels of legal knowledge and ability, general transferable intellectual skills such as analysis, synthesis, critical judgement, evaluation and autonomy, as well as important key skills including communication and literacy. Such skills make our graduates attractive to employers in the legal profession and many other fields.

Academic strengths

Academic staff at the Stirling Law School are actively involved in research and publish widely in their areas of expertise. Staff research is used for the benefit of students in teaching and staff subject specialisms include the following:

• International Commercial Law
• Scots Private Law
• Family and Child Law
• Public and Administrative Law 
• European Union Law
• Employment and Trade Union Law
• Discrimination Law and ‘Hate’ Offences 
• Environmental Law
• Entertainment Law 
• Sports Law
• Arbitration and Dispute Resolution

Professor Gavin Little is Director of LLB courses and a former Head of the Stirling Law School. His main areas of research interest are Scots public law and environmental law.

Graduation with the Stirling LLB will enable those who wish to practise law as Scottish Solicitors to apply for places on one of the postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice courses run by a number of Scottish universities; this is the next stage in the process of qualifying as a solicitor in Scotland. It should be noted that entry to any of the Diploma courses and then obtaining a training contract with a firm of solicitors are both highly competitive: it should not be assumed that obtaining an LLB will lead automatically to a career as a lawyer. Those wishing to practise law in England and Wales will have to complete a postgraduate conversion course.

Increasingly, LLB graduates are choosing to pursue careers in areas such as banking, insurance, accounting, the civil service, the police force and education. The LLB is widely recognised as a rigorous degree that develops important skills, and is valued highly by employers.