Why study LLB Senior Status Law at Aberystwyth University?

• The LLB Senior Status Law degree is designed to meet employers needs and you will be taught by experienced legal professionals and academics. The teaching team of the Department of Law and Criminology at Aberystwyth University are active for large organisations e.g. GRETA, the Country Side Commission for Wales, the Youth Justice Board, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• Upon completion, you will be eligible to continue vocational training on the Legal Practice Course (LPC), or the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC). In addition,  you will also gain exemption from certain professional examinations by selecting relevant modules, please scroll down to find out more information in the module tab. 
• The LLB Senior Status Law Degree provide excellent social and professional opportunities, this includes visits to Law Fairs and Inns of Court in London. 
• As a Department, we want to ensure that our students have the best opportunities available to them, during the two year course, students on this course will have the option to undertake a work-placement module in different areas of Law. The work-placement module equips you with the necessary experience to ensure that you can have a smooth transition from campus to career. For more information, please scroll down to  our employability tab. 
• The Department of Law and Criminology offers wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. For all Law students in the department, the Mooting society is great opportunity to engage and develop the essential mooting skills a necessary element for a successful legal career. At Aberystwyth University, we provide all students in the Department of Law and Criminology the option to participate in our national and international competing Mooting Society. Taking part in this society will assist in your development of  key advocacy and litigation skills. 

Our Staff

Department of Law and Criminology lecturers are mostly either qualified to PHD level or have professional experience and qualifications as practicing lawyers. Many staff also have a PGCE (Higher Education).

Career prospects

The LLB Senior Status Law opens up a range of exciting opportunities for you:

• You will be a strong candidate for training to become a barrister or a solicitor

• Your LLB Senior Status Law offers you the possibility to succeed in many different areas including criminology, financial management, business, human resources, international relations, journalism and education

Your future is important to us and our degrees with equip you with the following skills:

• Possess the confidence in selecting and deploying the most appropriate range of legal methodologies;

• Ability to write and communicate with a range of audiences, evaluating and organising information;

• Ability to gather, assimilate and interpret a wealth of legal information quickly and accurately;

• The ability to express ideas and communicate information in a clear and structured manner, in both written and oral form;

• Effective problem-solving and creative thinking skills;

• The ability to work independently;

• Time-management and organisational skills, including the ability to meet deadlines;

• Self-motivation and self-reliance;

• Team-work, with the ability to discuss concepts in groups, accommodating different ideas and reaching agreement;

• Research skills.

What opportunities are there as a student at Department of Law and Criminology? 

• Click here to find out about the various opportunities that our Aberystwyth University Careers team offer.

• Enhance your employability prospects with GO Wales and YES (Year in Employment Scheme) managed by our Careers department.

What will I learn?

The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the two year degree scheme.

The First Year:

• You will receive core training in a number of subjects e.g. Contract law, Criminal Law and Tort Law, which must be studied and passed for exemption from the first stage of professional law examinations.

• Explore the structure and development of the English and Welsh Legal system.

• The relationship of the judicial precedent and the court system.

• Analyse the process of creating legislation and how its interpreted by judges.

• The fundamental aspects of European Law.

The second year you may explore:

• The Law of Torts.

• Public Law.

• Equity Law.

• The Law of Trusts.

• You will also be able to tailor your study through careful selection from a range of elective modules.

How will I be taught? 

• You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and seminars which are innovating and high quality allowing you to realise your potential.

• In your lectures, you will be introduced to key concepts and relevant up to date information. You will also have access to recorded versions of lectures.

• Our tutorials and seminars are an opportunity for you to discuss particular legal themes or topics, to evaluate and obtain feedback on your individual learning whilst at the same time improving your construction of legal arguments.

• You will be assessed through essays, exams, study logs or portfolios and oral presentations including mooting exercises.

• You will be assigned a personal tutor throughout your time in the Department of Law and Criminology. Your personal tutor will be the key contact when you have issues or queries.

• You will also have the opportunity to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP) at Aberystwyth. This is a structured process of self-appraisal, reflection, and planning, which will enable you to chart your personal, academic and professional development throughout your time at university. By recording your academic performance, and highlighting the skills you already have and those you will need for future employability, the PDP portfolio will equip you with the necessary tools to plan effectively, develop successful approaches.

Law is a challenging subject which stretches me each and every day and that is exactly why I enjoy it! Thanks to both the brilliant staff and the extensive resources available to students, the challenge remains one which I’ve never felt was out of my grasp. Aberystwyth itself is a great town, ideal for a variety of students. It has something to offer for everyone, and I know of no better place to make close friends. The town is very relaxed and welcoming, and when it is sunny there is no place in the UK I’d rather be. Andrew James Hall

I chose to study the LLB Law degree as I wanted to go on to train as a solicitor. One of the great things about the degree is the wide range of optional modules you can choose, and if they don't run every year, as some don't, they run every other year so you are guaranteed to have the chance to do the ones you want. Also, the staff are extremely friendly and approachable, meaning that any problems, issues or questions you have will be answered quickly and easily. Whilst it involves a lot of hard work, as does any degree, it is well worth it in the end, and you will have fun and gain experience along the way! Katie Jayne Mansell

The combination of a brilliant course with a beautiful town is perfect. I have loved studying Law at Aberystwyth over the past 3 years. Although it has been hard work and exhausting, it has been thrilling and challenging as well. All the lecturers, tutors and staff are fantastically friendly and helpful and care about the department and the way modules are taught. The Law library houses everything you need for your degree, so you don’t need to go far. Law attracts so many different personalities and students from different backgrounds and spending 3 years with them is great. The modules offer great choice. William Pryce