School of Society and Culture

LLB (Hons) Law

UCAS tariff 112 - 128
UCAS course code M200
Institution code P60
Duration

3 years

(+ optional placement)
Course type

Full-time

Location Plymouth

Are you ready to make your mark in the legal world? Combine theory and practice to prepare for a successful career. Build a deep understanding of how the law works and apply this in the real world with the support of our experienced academic team including trained and practising solicitors. Study the topics that matter most to you with our range of optional modules. Volunteer in our on-campus, multi-award-winning Law Clinic that provides free legal advice to those who need it most in the region.

Law
Accredited
by the Bar Standards Board for the purpose of a Qualifying Law Degree
Discover Uni, 2024
95%
of LLB (Hons) Law students agree that the library resources (books, online services and learning spaces) supported their learning well
National Student Survey, 2023
95%
of LLB (Hons) Law students agree that staff are good at explaining things
National Student Survey, 2023
 

Careers with this subject

Law graduates find employment in a diverse range of roles, both inside and outside the legal profession. Studying law will develop your communication, interpersonal, and problem solving skills, which will make you stand out to employers across a number of fields. 
Graduates from our programme work as:
  • Barristers and in-house lawyers for companies
  • Solicitors, paralegals and legal executives
  • Journalists and media professionals
  • Politicians and senior civil servants
  • Business directors and managers
  • Public and voluntary sector managers
  • Teachers and legal academics

Key features

Work on real cases with real clients

Gain valuable professional experience by volunteering at our award-winning pro bono Law Clinic.
You’ll work under the guidance of legal practitioners with real clients making a real difference in the community. You don’t need to take any time out of your studies, and you can credit towards your degree or as a volunteer.


Prepare for real-life cases in our moot court

Our moot court facility provides an authentic environment to take part in simulated court proceedings.
This unique setting replicates a real court as closely as possible and is the perfect environment to build powerful and persuasive legal arguments, develop your research skills, and hone your courtroom etiquette.


Enrich your studies further by joining the student-run Law Society

Our Law Society offers networking opportunities and organises skill-based competitions. Our students have excelled in winning national client interviewing and mooting competitions.
The Law Society provides access to a huge range of internal and national competitions for practicing advocacy, debate and negotiation skills, essential for careers in law and beyond. They also open the door to the legal industry by holding networking events throughout the year.


Learn from expert legal practitioners

Our staff have genuine close links with our students. The majority are trained solicitors, with some currently practising. 
Benefit from excellent research-informed and practice-led teaching by a highly qualified academic team of experienced legal practitioners. We have internationally renowned researchers in areas such as:
  • the environment
  • marine protection
  • immigration
  • and intellectual property
We regularly provide policy advice regionally and nationally, and work for change. We publish an online journal, the Plymouth Law Review, which takes contributions from staff and students.


Preparation for a professional legal career

We've designed our degree to ensure you're prepared for the updated Solicitors Qualifying Exam. Our course also allows you to pursue training as a barrister, with our students regularly winning major Bar Scholarships from the Inns of Court.
You have the option to complete our popular Work-Based Learning (LAW6001) module.  This module provides you with real experience working as a practising solicitor at our Law Clinic, under the guidance and support of its directors.
Take advantage of our dedicated careers service to support you to find work experience and placements during your studies.


You’ll be part of a supportive diverse academic community

We keep our class sizes small, so we have a close-knit community of like-minded students and staff, who will all give you the encouragement and support you need to excel. You will be part of a diverse and supportive community and learning environment, with a dedicated personal tutor system and strong alumni links.


Gain skills that will give you an employment edge

Get ahead with a course designed to help you stand out with employers, whatever your legal career direction and future career goals. Study modules with emphasis on transferrable skills as you develop your legal and professional theory and practice.


Study a range of legal topics

You have a say in what you study. The first two years include traditional subjects, such as Criminal Law and Tort, alongside learning dispute resolution skills and a range of optional modules. In your final year, you can tailor your degree to your interests and career ambitions. Our optional modules include legal subjects such as:
  • family
  • employment
  • environmental
  • intellectual property
  • business
  • immigration
  • human rights
  • and cybercrime

Course details

  • Year 1

  • In your first year, you’ll learn about the core theories, principles and processes of the law, introducing you to how it’s studied and practised. You’ll be able to join the Student Law Society and take part in mooting, debating, negotiation and advocacy competitions. We’ve structured the curriculum so that alongside studying the English legal system, Contract, Tort and Public Law, you’ll start to develop the critical thinking and self-reflective skills that will equip you for your chosen career.

    Core modules

    • Legal Systems and Skills (LAW4007)

      An overview of the English Legal System with reference to the criminal and civil legal processes and procedure. An introduction to the relationship between English law and procedure in a wider international context. To introduce an understanding of the requisite legal, transferrable and practical skills that underpin the study of law, including basic issues of ethical and professional conduct.

    • Public Law (LAW4008)

      This module focuses on Constitutional and Administrative Law, examining fundamental theories and principles, and their application and practice within the British constitution.

    • European Union Law (LAW4009)

      This module focuses on the law of the European Union, exploring aspects such as, for example, its institutional infra-structure, legal sources, preliminary rulings, key principles and means of enforcement

    • Contract Law (LAW4010)

      An introduction to the law of contract through study of the essential elements in contract formation. This module then considers the nature and relative significance of contractual terms.

    • Tort Law (LAW4011)

      The Law of Tort is concerned with the creation and imposition of civil rights obligations on people generally. It is focused on the legal protection of a number of key rights, such as the right to bodily integrity, reputation, enjoyment of property and privacy amongst others.

    • Criminal Law (LAW4012)

      This module provides examination of core principles and concepts of criminal law, an introduction to modes of participation, and analysis of selected offences and defences. This module will include two 2-hour talks that introduce our School and programme level employability related opportunities and support, including details of the optional placement year.

  • Year 2

  • In your second year, you’ll focus on real-life scenarios and develop practical skills in areas such as negotiation and advocacy through our very successful Dispute Resolution Skills module. You’ll study Property Law and Criminal Law in depth and begin to tailor your degree to your specific interests by choosing from a range of modules including, for example, Family, Employment, Environmental, Intellectual Property, European Union Law, Immigration and Asylum, Human Rights and Cybercrime. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience volunteering in our award winning Law Clinic, either as a volunteer or for credit towards your degree programme, and will receive support in gaining a placement if you wish to take the optional placement year.

    Core modules

    • Dispute Resolution Skills (LAW5001)

      This module focuses on the development of transferable skills based on real-life scenarios with an emphasis on enhancing employability. It revolves around dispute resolution exercises helping 'clients' to resolve disputes. It is designed to enhance practical lawyering skills. It also includes relevant elements of practice and procedure, such as analysis of the merits of a claim or defence and preparing a case for trial as well as selected pre-action considerations and trial procedures.

    • Property Law (LAW5017)

      The module examines principles and the law, together with elements of practice, relating to freehold and leasehold property and associated rights and interests.

    Optional modules

    • Family Law (LAW5002)

      This module will examine the principles of family law from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

    • Human Rights (LAW5003)

      This module provides an in-depth analysis of the law relating to human rights with reference to national, regional and international law principles. It examines the development and scope of fundamental rights in both theory and practice, and the legitimate limits and restrictions on rights in the interests of balancing conflicting interests in democratic societies.

    • Employment Law (LAW5006)

      This module provides students with knowledge of a specialist area of law, namely Employment Law, whilst also continuing to offer development of transferable and practical legal skills.

    • Immigration Law (LAW5007)

      This module focuses on the key and topical issues in Immigration, Nationality and Refugee law in the UK. The UK’s system of immigration control is fully considered and there is some emphasis on the application of decision making to those entering the UK both for immigration purposes and as refugees. There is consideration of the global and European context and of the influence of policy, politics and the media in the field.

    • Environmental Law (LAW5009MX)

      The module provides an examination of key themes in environmental law, with a focus on the generation, application and enforcement of this law within a critical and applied context.

    • Law, Literature and the Screen (LAW5012MX)

      To introduce students to fictional and factional representations of the legal order in prose, film and TV, and to examine the inter-connections between law, literature and the screen.

    • Stage 2 Professional Development, Placement Preparation and Identifying Opportunities (SSC500)

      This module is for students in the School of Society and Culture who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs , portfolios, and cover letters).

    • Medical Law (LAW5013)

      This module will examine the principles of medical law from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

    • Harm in the 21st Century (CRM5003MX)

      This module explores the global challenges of harmful behaviours and activities in contemporary society by considering specific areas of concern for criminologists. By drawing on real-world examples in everyday life, the module examines how social problems and issues have arisen due to processes of globalisation that have changed the social, political and economic landscape of the 21st century.

    • Crime, Harm and Culture (CRM5009MX)

      The module aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of harm and crime by exploring relevant issues from film, television, music, fiction literature and art. By applying a criminological lens to different forms of popular culture, students will be able to examine a variety of media forms in terms of its content and its contemporary political, social and economic context using different theories and concepts.

    • Gothic Fictions: Villains, Virgins and Vampires (ENG5002MX)

      This module looks at eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novels to trace the variety and scope of literary contributions to the Gothic. It begins by discussing the origins of the Gothic novel, then moves to the heyday of the genre in the revolutionary 1790s, on to authors writing in the early and mid-nineteenth century, through to the decadence of the 1890s.

    • ‘Hurt Minds’: Madness and Mental Illness in Literature (ENG5013MX)

      This module considers changing attitudes towards, and a variety of theories of, the mind, examining how different cultures have understood ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ mental states. It will look at how the experience and treatment of mental illness has been represented in fiction. The mind is at its most fascinating when it behaves outside of expected social norms. By considering a variety of literary texts over several centuries, this module explores shifts in the definition, understanding, evaluation, and management of exceptional mental states.

    • Writing Genre Fiction (ENG5017MX)

      This module takes students into in-depth engagement with prose fiction writing in various genres, with possibilities including fantasy, science-fiction, period/historical, young adult fiction, horror, comedy, romance, crime, and thriller. The module is taught through lecture, seminars, and workshops where students are asked to submit and feedback to peers and tutors on a regular basis.

    • Cybercrime (LAW5005)

      This module provides in depth examination of core principles and concepts of criminal law, an introduction to modes of participation, and detailed analysis of selected offences and defences.

    • Community Legal Engagement (Street Law) (LAW5008)

      A module in which students apply knowledge and develop practical and transferable skills. This may be in the Street Law Clinic but some students may choose to volunteer with one of the Law Clinic’s community partner organisations or find their own volunteer placement.

    • Equality and the Law (LAW5018)

      This module will consider how Equality Law has developed over the last century and introduce students to key principles and debates in this area. To promote inclusion, the module will look at Equality Law in a social, political, and legal context. In respect of the latter, there will be a key focus on discrimination in the workplace. The module will also consider how we enforce equality rights (including the challenges for enforcement), and how they may evolve in the future.

    • Law in Context: Commerce and Intellectual Property (LAW5019MX)

      This module focuses on the work of commercial lawyers in practice in helping businesses to trade. It analyses a range of contractual agreements dealing with the manufacture, sale, supply and distribution of goods, assets and services in general and intellectual property in particular.

    • Politics Beyond Parliaments (PIR5013MX)

      This module analyses the role of civil society and the public sphere in democratic governance and in democratization from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

    • Voter Behaviour and Effective Election Campaigning (PIR5014MX)

      This module undertakes an advanced examination of contemporary trends and developments in theories of electoral behaviour globally; then more specifically the relationship between electoral rules, electoral systems and election outcomes; the evolution of campaign techniques, and the role, mechanics, and accuracy of opinion polls in modern electoral politics. These global understandings are applied directly to the case of British politics.

    • Play and Games for Performance (PER5008MX)

      This module will introduce students to practical methods for designing games and play structures for participatory performances that invite audiences to become actively involved in the work. In addition to learning new tools for designing and facilitating play, students will be prompted to consider playfulness from a theoretical perspective, recognising the connection between the play of mimesis and theatrical performance.

  • Optional placement year

  • Gain valuable on-the-job experience through our optional placement year. We will support you in your second year in deciding whether to take this opportunity, and assist you in finding a placement and in being prepared for it. The placement could be in any appropriate external setting. Alternatively, you can gain this experience by selecting our Work-Based Learning module in your final year.

    Core modules

    • School of Society and Culture Placement Year (SSC600)

      Students have the opportunity to gain work experience that will set them apart in the job market when they graduate by undertaking an optional flexible placement year. The placement must be a minimum of 24-weeks (which can be split between a maximum of two different placement providers) and up to a maximum of 48-weeks over the course of the academic year. The placement is flexible and can be undertaken virtually, part or full time and either paid or voluntary. This year allows them to apply and hone the knowledge and skills acquired from the previous years of their programme in the real world.

  • Final year

  • In your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate your research skills with a dissertation on a legal issue that inspires you, or undertake work-based learning for credit, including within our Law Clinic. You’ll be able to further tailor your degree to your interests and career ambitions by choosing from a selection of Law modules such as, for example, those intending to progress to vocational training as either a solicitor or barrister, including Criminal Law and Practice, Business Law and Practice, and Trusts and Practice.

    Optional modules

    • Dissertation (LAW6000)

      The production of a substantial dissertation (10,000 words) on a legal or legally related area with content and form determined by the student. For the LLB Law and Criminology the dissertation will be set in context.

    • Work-Based Learning (LAW6001)

      A 40 credit module in which students develop intellectual, practical, transferable and ethical skills in a work-based learning context. The placement may be in or for any work-based organisation, though many of these will be law related. Students may be placed within one of the Law School’s Law Clinic projects or within a Law Clinic partner organisation or they may choose to find the whole or part of their work experience independently.

    • Criminal Law and Practice (LAW6003)

      This module will build on the principles taught in Criminal Law, and introduces students to the practical/professional application of criminal litigation; it will look at the criminal justice process from investigation and the decision to charge; detention and interrogation, and introduce the substantive law and rules around criminal evidence; funding criminal legal services; through to the criminal litigation process; and sentencing and appeals.

    • Family Law (LAW6004)

      This module will examine the principles of family law from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

    • Human Rights (LAW6005)

      This module provides an in-depth analysis of the law relating to human rights with reference to national, regional and international law principles. It examines the development and scope of fundamental rights in both theory and practice, and the legitimate limits and restrictions on rights in the interests of balancing conflicting interests in democratic societies.

    • Trusts and Practice (LAW6006)

      The module examines equitable principles and the law relating to trusts and estates. The module supports the development of a practical understanding of the law sitting behind wills and the administration of trusts and estates.

    • Business Law and Practice (LAW6007)

      This module considers the “life” of business organisations, how they operate and how they are governed. It critically assesses the concepts and principles of corporate law as well as key elements of practice and procedure in how they operate and are governed. The module builds upon elements of contract law and applies them in a commercial setting.

    • Cybercrime (LAW6008)

      This module provides in depth examination of core principles and concepts of criminal law, an introduction to modes of participation, and detailed analysis of selected offences and defences.

    • Employment Law (LAW6009)

      This module provides students with knowledge of a specialist area of law, namely Employment Law, whilst also continuing to offer development of transferable and practical legal skills.

    • Immigration Law (LAW6010)

      This module focuses on the key and topical issues in Immigration, Nationality and Refugee law in the UK. The UK’s system of immigration control is fully considered and there is some emphasis on the application of decision making to those entering the UK both for immigration purposes and as refugees. There is consideration of the global and European context and of the influence of policy, politics and the media in the field.

    • Public International Law (LAW6012MX)

      A module that focuses on the primary legal principles of the public international legal order, before exploring a range of substantive areas, such as, for example, the use of force, the law regulating the conduct of war, International Human Rights, International Criminal Law and International Environmental Law.

    • American Crime Writing (ENG6005MX)

      This module considers the development of twentieth-century American crime fiction from hard-boiled detectives, to myths of the mafia, and postmodern reinventions of the genre. This module will explore the cultural contexts of American crime writing, prevailing conventions of the genre, as well as challenges to those conventions.

    • Features Journalism Workshop (ENG6008MX)

      This module offers students an in-depth experience of professional writing. We will explore technique in features and literary journalism; music reviews, opinion columns and longer immersion features as well as other contemporary works of non-fiction feature writing, both short- and long-form, from sub-genres including profiles and interviews, autobiography and columns, travel writing, and reportage. We will learn to research and produce our own works of professional nonfiction and critically evaluate them.

    • Environmental Law of the Sea (LAW6015)

      This module considers the regulatory framework applied to activities and development in the marine environment. Contextualised by the International law and its implementing measures, the module examines contemporary issues relating to the sustainable use of the marine environment, by way of a theoretical and practical analysis of the law, to provide insight into this dynamic and contemporary area of regulation.

    • Equality and the Law (LAW6016)

      This module will consider how Equality Law has developed over the last century and introduce students to key principles and debates in this area. To promote inclusion, the module will look at Equality Law in a social, political, and legal context. In respect of the latter, there will be a key focus on discrimination in the workplace. The module will also consider how we enforce equality rights (including the challenges for enforcement), and how they may evolve in the future.

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

LLB Law Programme Specification Sep23 7218

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

Personalise your degree

All our degrees have a wide range of optional modules and there is even the opportunity to study modules from any of the School of Society and Culture 's subject areas.
You could graduate with one of the following personalised course title combinations:
 
Law with Anthropology

Modules

  • Decolonising the Social Sciences (ANT5006MX)

    This module responds to contemporary calls to decolonise the social sciences. It reads the history of social science through the lens of post-colonial and indigenous studies. How have non-western voices been marginalised and silenced by academia? What does academia look from the perspective of the subaltern? Can the social sciences shed their colonial robes, or are they doomed to remain racialised and exclusionary disciplines? We explore these questions in regard to emerging disciplines aimed at constructing better and more inclusive futures, including 'indigenous criminology', 'participatory ethnography', and the 'anthropology of the otherwise'.

  • Brave New Worlds: Ethnography of/on Online and Digital Worlds (ANT5008MX)

    This module teaches students how to use ethnographic methods to make sense of the internet, which we now increasingly inhabit. Students learn how to navigate and analyse platforms such as Facebook or TikTok. They study how these technologies transform our relationships, identities, and ideas of truth. The module also examines the socio-cultural and ethical aspects of digital worlds (e.g. Second life).

  • Coastal Cultures: Marine Anthropology in the age of climate change and mass extinction. (ANT6008MX)

    Using ethnography, we analyse how coastal communities use the sea – not only as a source of livelihood, but as a key ingredient in the construction of their identity and place in world. Drawing on a range of cases from across the world – from Polynesian sorcerers, to Japanese whale mourners, to Cornish surfers – we study how coastal communities are responding to climate change, sea level rise, pollution, and extinction.

Law with Art History

Modules

  • Painting Sex and Power (ARH5008MX)

    The module examines the link between the perception of sexuality and power in a variety of media, and from diverse historical and geographic contexts. Critical approaches from gender studies will be combined with visual analysis in order to contextualize the biased and stereotypical nature of the imagery.

  • Imagery in Online and Offline Worlds: Film, Television and Video Games (ARH5002MX)

    This module provides students with a comprehensive understanding of current approaches towards mass media and visual culture. Particular emphasis will be put on medium-specificity, content analysis and audience studies.

  • Questions in Contemporary Art (ARH6002MX)

    The module introduces and examines selected questions raised in the last three decades in contemporary art. Case studies drawn from art history, critical and cultural theory, and where appropriate related disciplines, will be examined.

Law with Creative Writing

Modules

  • Writing Creative Nonfiction: Autobiography, Travel Writing, Reportage (ENG5010MX)

    This module introduces students to the key concepts and issues in contemporary works of creative nonfiction, or 'life writing'. Included in our readings will be works of memoir and autobiography, travel writing, personal essays and reportage. The module is entirely taught in workshops where we experiment with producing our own works of creative nonfiction and learning to refine them, as well as critically evaluate and contextualise them.

Law with History

Modules

  • Global Cold War: Politics, Culture and Society (HIS5004MX)

    This module is an introduction to major themes in the political, social and cultural history of the modern world with special focus on the 20th century and the Cold War.

  • Eighteenth-Century Empires (HIS5007MX)

    This module is designed to explore the ‘long eighteenth century’ with a broad geographical focus, encompassing, but not limited to the Atlantic Isles, Atlantic world, formal and informal empire, and trading connections. It takes in the slave trade and impact of slavery globally, studies voyages of exploration, examines the scientific and political enlightenment, and wider cultural and social impacts of imperialism.

  • Middle Kingdoms: Themes in Early Modern Asia (HIS5009MX)

    This module introduces the history of early modern Japan (c.16th-19th centuries). At one level, it explores key questions shaping the histories of the late Sengoku (‘Warring States’) and Tokugawa Japan. Building on these questions, it then situates the Japanese experience in a trans-regional perspective with reference to early modern China, Korea, Ryukyu, as well as Europe.

  • Dunkirk to D Day: The Second World War in Europe (HIS5014MX)

    The module examines the Second World War in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean from 1940 to late 1944.

  • Piracy and Privateering, c.1560-1816 (HIS6002MX)

    This module explores piracy and privateering activity in the seas around the British Isles and further afield from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to the end of the second Barbary War in 1816. This course focuses on the social history of piracy and privateering, the organisation of pirate society, and the economic impact of piracy and privateering.

  • America, the United Nations and International Relations 1945 to the present (HIS6006MX)

    This module provides a detailed examination of the relationship between the United States of America and the United Nations in the management of international relations from 1945 to the present.

Law with Criminology

Modules

  • Green Criminology (CRM6010MX)

    This module will address theoretical perspectives, methodological issues, and empirical research related to the field of green criminology, including applied concerns, such as policy and social/political praxis, through a range of concepts, topics, and themes that are central to green criminology.

  • Contemporary Issues in Criminology (CRM5007MX)

    This module focuses upon a contemporary criminological or criminal justice-related issue that has received attention in the media and in official reports but may not be well covered yet in an established academic literature. The purpose of the module is for students to collect data on the issue and to subject it to a criminological analysis appropriate to the topic.

  • Security and Policing Today: Debates and Issues (CRM5008MX)

    This module provides students with a contemporary overview of debates and issues in policing and security environments that inform practice and development in the field. The module examines how modern policing and security function, the impact of professionalization on all aspects of policing tasks and the tensions and benefits attained from multi-agency working. The module considers policing legitimacy, the ethics of crime control and associated engagement with the diversity of contemporary society, competing community interests and professional practice.

  • Security Management (CRM6011MX)

    This module provides students with a critical insight into the professional domain of security management. It provides an overview of the theories, policies, procedures and practices that underpin the work of the security manager, and focuses upon a career-relevant knowledge and understanding of this significant area of expertise.

Law with International Relations

Modules

  • Global Environmental Politics (PIR6007MX)

    This module examines the problem of environmental degradation and its implications for our global political economy. It discusses the major debates in political thought around the primary causes of environmental degradation. The module outlines the major attempts to build international regimes for global environmental governance, and the difficulties and obstacles that such attempts have encountered. A range of ideas, critiques, policy proposals, innovations in governance, and templates for political activism within the environmental movement are critically evaluated.

  • Refugee Studies (PIR5009MX)

    This module focuses on the political, economic and social context of forced migration and considers the complex and varied nature of global refugee populations. It analyses responses at international, national and regional level and engages with a range of challenging questions around international co-operation, the framework of international protection, humanitarianism and the causes of displacement.

  • Global Development (PIR5011MX)

    This module embraces both theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding development issues and policies, at international and multilateral scale. The approach incorporates historical, economic, political and social perspectives. The module considers issues faced by international development agencies, as well as the impact on populations in the developing world to illustrate and provide context for the discussion of various developmental concerns.

Law with Politics

Modules

  • Voter Behaviour and Effective Election Campaigning (PIR6008MX)

    This module undertakes an advanced examination of contemporary trends and developments in theories of electoral behaviour globally; then more specifically the relationship between electoral rules, electoral systems and election outcomes; the evolution of campaign techniques, and the role, mechanics, and accuracy of opinion polls in modern electoral politics. These global understandings are applied directly to the case of British politics.

Law with Sociology

Modules

  • Globalisation and Social Justice (SOC5005MX)

    This module investigates the key debates of globalisation and critically evaluates, in terms of its economic, political, socio-cultural and legal dimensions, the causes and consequences of a globalising world. It furthermore explores a range of international social justice issues to examine the relationships (causative and ameliorative) between policies and (in)justice

  • Gender, Sex and Sexuality (SOC5006MX)

    This module introduces students to the sociology of gender, sex and sexuality. It interrogates these concepts with particular reference to identity, activism, social justice and social change. It develops an understanding of the similarities, differences and intersections between gender, sex, sexuality and other social signifiers of difference/diversity including ‘race’, ethnicity, dis/ability, class and age.

  • Health, Medical Power and Social Justice (SOC6004MX)

    This module considers a range of issues concerning health, illness and medical power in contemporary society. The module seeks to develop an understanding of the impact of ‘medicalisation’ on everyday life, as well as the importance of social divisions, such as age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status. There will be a focus on a range of sociological perspectives on health with an opportunity to focus upon areas of particular interest.

Law with Policing and Security Management

Modules

  • Security Management (CRM6011MX)

    This module provides students with a critical insight into the professional domain of security management. It provides an overview of the theories, policies, procedures and practices that underpin the work of the security manager, and focuses upon a career-relevant knowledge and understanding of this significant area of expertise.

  • Security and Policing Today: Debates and Issues (CRM5008MX)

    This module provides students with a contemporary overview of debates and issues in policing and security environments that inform practice and development in the field. The module examines how modern policing and security function, the impact of professionalization on all aspects of policing tasks and the tensions and benefits attained from multi-agency working. The module considers policing legitimacy, the ethics of crime control and associated engagement with the diversity of contemporary society, competing community interests and professional practice.

  • Forensic Criminology: Social Investigations (CRM5006MX)

    This module focuses on how social science can contribute to criminal investigations. This involvesforensically investigating the backgrounds and experiences of individuals involved in criminal or deviantbehaviour. The sociology of the police who are tasked to conduct investigations is also analysed. Students will be encouraged to apply criminological techniques and theory to scenario-based examples which will focus on victims, offenders and the police, and their positions in society.

Entry requirements

UCAS tariff

112 - 128

A level: 112-128 points from a minimum of 2 A levels.
GCSE: All applicants must have GCSE (or equivalent) mathematics and English at grade 4/C or above.
18 Unit BTEC National Diploma/QCF Extended Diploma: DMM in any subject. 
12 Unit BTEC Diploma: D*D* in any subject.
BTEC National Diploma modules
If you hold a BTEC qualification it is vital that you provide our Admissions team with details of the exact modules you have studied as part of the BTEC. Without this information we may be unable to process your application quickly and you could experience significant delays in the progress of your application to study with us. Please explicitly state the full list of modules within your qualification at the time of application 
Access: Pass a named Access to HE Diploma in any subject with at least 33 credits at merit/distinction.
T levels: Merit in any subject.
International Baccalaureate: 28–32 overall to include Higher Level 4 English and Maths accepted within: Higher Level = 4, Standard Level = 5.
All relevant international qualifications will be considered - please contact admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.
Short of the entry requirements for this course? Don’t worry you may be eligible for a foundation year to prepare you for possible entry onto this course for the following year.
We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary

Fees, costs and funding

Student 2023-2024 2024-2025
Home £9,250 £9,250
International £15,600 £17,100
Part time (Home) £770 £770
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per 10 credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

Additional costs

This course is delivered by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business and more details of any additional costs associated with the faculty's courses are listed on the following page: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business additional costs.

Undergraduate scholarships for international students

To reward outstanding achievement the University of Plymouth offers scholarship schemes to help towards funding your studies.

Tuition fees for optional placement years

The fee for all undergraduate students completing any part of their placement year in the UK in 2023/2024 is £1,850.
The fee for all undergraduate students completing their whole placement year outside the UK in 2023/2024 is £1,385.
Learn more about placement year tuition fees

How to apply

All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). 
UCAS will ask for the information contained in the box at the top of this course page including the UCAS course code and the institution code. 
To apply for this course and for more information about submitting an application including application deadline dates, please visit the UCAS website.
Support is also available to overseas students applying to the University from our International Office via our how to apply webpage or email admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

Progression routes

International progression routes

The University of Plymouth International College (UPIC) offers foundation, first-year and pre-masters programmes that lead to University of Plymouth degrees. Courses are specially designed for EU and international students who are missing the grades for direct entry to the University, and include full duration visa sponsorship. You can start in January, May or September, benefitting from small class sizes, top-quality tuition and 24/7 student support.
Find out more at plymouth.ac.uk/upic or contact our team at info@upic.plymouth.ac.uk
Students studying Foundation degrees in Law at our partner colleges may progress onto our undergraduate programmes. The routes and requirements may vary depending on the foundation programme at the college. Please consult with your programme leader at your college. 

 

Whilst working in the law clinic, we had the opportunity to help those who needed it, and have been able to make a positive impact in difficult times. It was also a huge factor in helping me stand out when applying for jobs.

Alannah O’Neill
LLB (Hons) Law student 


Hone your courtroom skills

Situated inside The Box, Plymouth's £40 million cultural hub, the University uses The Foulston Room for its moot court facility. 
Through mock case scenarios, you have the ability to practise a variety of legal roles in this space. With £50,000 of investment, the room has been authentically configured and furnished to simulate a real court environment.

The Foulston Room offers our law students such a unique and valuable experience. To set foot in such a historic building, walk up its grand staircase and enter into an environment that authentically looks and feels like a real courtroom, provides our students with insights into what it's like to represent clients in court. It is the perfect space for our law students to gain confidence and develop their craft in a way that provides them with the best possible preparation for future success in their legal careers.

John MatthewsJohn Matthews
Interim Head of School

 
 
 
 
 
 
Exterior view of The Box
Blurry image of the interior of a courtroom
Close-up of a judge's hammer
Photo 1 shows an exterior view of The Box, where the moot court facility is located. Photos 2 and 3 are representative images of UK courtroom environments and are courtesy of Getty Images.
Photographs and perspectives of The Foulston Room will be provided before September 2024.
 
 
 
 

Follow in our graduates’ footsteps

Learn more about the diverse range of successful career pathways our LLB (Hons) graduates take after completing the course

Jennifer Smith, LLB (Hons) Law graduate

Jennifer Smith
Jennifer shares her journey since graduation and how studying at Plymouth shaped her career as a Pupil Barrister specialising in law.

Dhanisha Falguni Chandrakant - LLB (Hons) Law

Dhanisha Falguni Chandrakant Bharadia
Fundraiser and volunteer Dhanisha has big plans for her future in environmental law.

Ciaran Cronnelly, politician

Ciaran Cronnelly
Ciaran volunteered while studying at the University of Plymouth to launch his career as a politician and strategic change consultant.

“Resilience, empathy and passion – but what else does it take to be a lawyer for the people?
“A law firm always wants a nice rounded individual. One that knows the theory but can also do the marketing and networking. You need empathy, regardless of the practice area. You need resilience. You need to juggle client expectations with your workload and third parties.”

Read Donna's story
Donna Butler, Partner at Beers LLP, puts forward a fair case for the power of empathy and studying law at Plymouth.
LLB Law graduate Donna Butler

Module insight: Employment Law (LAW5006)

With firms trialing four-day working weeks, an ever-increasing focus on diversity and the gender pay-gap, the importance of employee and employer rights and responsibilities has never been so profound.
This module is led by an experienced former solicitor who has represented both employers and employees. 
Getty image. office. human resources. 

Learn from experts including trained and practising solicitors