Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
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Degree
- Code
- B05
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Made up of
- 360 credit points
Description
The Open University and The College of Law work together in partnership to offer this degree programme, which has run successfully since 1998. The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) is suitable for you if you:
- would like to obtain a law degree
- wish to pursue a career in the legal professions
- have an interest in law
- require a knowledge of the law in your chosen career.
The four compulsory courses of this degree cover the seven ‘Foundations of Legal Knowledge’ set by The Solicitors Regulation Authority and The Bar Standards Board (the professional law bodies) as their required academic subjects for a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD). On successful completion of these courses you will have a legal awareness that allows you to understand and apply the law, together with skills of legal analysis and methods.
If you graduate with an LLB within the time limits set by the professional bodies, you could have a QLD that opens up access to the legal professions. Currently the time limits are:
- six years to complete a full degree or
- if you already hold a bachelors degree completed at The Open University, at another institution in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, or at recognised overseas institutions, you must complete the remaining 240 points (that is the four compulsory courses) of the LLB degree in five years.
HNC and HND credit cannot be used towards the QLD. In some circumstances overseas degrees can be accepted. Please see the Credit Transfer site for details about both of these areas.
A qualifying law degree satisfies the professional bodies’ first stage of legal education, known as the Academic Stage of training.
Our Recognition leaflet 3.13 Law, available to download or from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service, gives more details about the legal professions.
The LLB Degree programme contains some comparison of English law with the law of other UK and EU countries. However, this degree will not be professionally recognised as a qualifying law degree outside England and Wales.
Planning your studies
If you’re new to study or to the OU, we recommend that you start with a course at Level 1. For this degree we particularly recommend starting with Rules, rights and justice: an introduction to law (W100). This course is designed to introduce students to the concepts and study of law and legal reasoning, and to give you a firm foundation for proceeding to the four courses necessary for achieving the LLB. The course has extra support to help you to get used to OU study methods as well as to prepare you for higher-level study. You may also want to consider taking one of our Openings courses Starting with law (Y166), as an introduction to higher education study.
You can register your intention to study for this degree when you reserve your place on individual courses, or you can ask us at any time to link courses that you have already studied towards the degree. There is no time limit for obtaining the required credit points for this qualification. But there are strict time limits if you want to gain a law degree and pursue a career in the legal profession. See above. You must include at least 120 points from OU courses that have not been counted in an OU diploma or other first degree you have been awarded.
Continuing your legal studies
If you intend to qualify as a solicitor or barrister you must complete three stages of training:
1. the Academic Stage
2. the Vocational Stage, and
3. the Professional Stage.
A qualifying law degree satisfies the professional bodies’ first stage of legal education, known as the Academic Stage of Training. After successfully completing the Academic Stage you’re eligible to apply for the second stage of training, the Vocational Stage.
If you want to go on to the Vocational Stage of training with the intention of becoming a solicitor, the College of Law will guarantee you a place on its Legal Practice Course for two years if you successfully complete the Academic Stage of training through this Open University/College of Law collaboration. Information on other providers is available from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
If you want to become a barrister, the vocational stage is the bar vocational course. Information on providers of this course is available from The Bar Standards Board.
Career relevance and employability
In addition to joining the legal profession, Law graduates are also found working in the emergency services, health services, insurance, financial services, and personnel and advisory work, and in many other fields. Employers recognise that studying law gives you the chance to develop yourself beyond the boundaries of your normal work environment, giving you skills and knowledge that you can readily put into practice on a daily basis in your job.
Ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for the careers publication OUstudy and your career if you want to find out more about the process of career development and about sources of careers information and guidance.
For planning your next career steps, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.
There’s more information about the career relevance of degrees on the national HE Prospects website.
Suggested routes to the degree
You can take a number of different routes towards your law degree. The route illustrated below is one we strongly recommend, particularly the order in which you study the 60-point courses.
Please bear in mind that other routes are available – see the full course list for all options.
Courses
For this 360-point honours degree you require:
240 points from the following four compulsory law courses:
| Level 2 compulsory courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Feb 2011 |
|
60 | Feb 2011 |
| Level 3 compulsory courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Feb 2011 |
|
60 | Feb 2011 |
And to complete the 360 points needed for an honours degree, the remaining 120 points can be from any OU undergraduate courses.
Other courses that we particularly recommend to make up the points for your degree are Rules, rights and justice: an introduction to law (W100), Employment law and practice (W221), Business and consumer transactions: law and practice (W222), Company law and practice (W223), Creative writing (A215) (or the discontinued courses K269, D218 or D315) or courses from our ‘Start writing’ series, particularly Start writing essays (A172).
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses, so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Please note:
An award of transferred credit towards an Open degree won’t necessarily be acceptable as part of an LLB. You must also meet any other requirements imposed by the governing professional bodies in England and Wales: the Solicitors Regulation Authority and The Bar Standards Board. You should check with these organisations directly for more information.
Credit transfer details for this qualification:
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number and type of courses you will be awarded a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and will be entitled to use the letters LLB (Hons) (Open) after your name. Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the grades you achieve in 240 points from courses that can count for credit towards it. Of those points 120 must come from W300 and W301. The remaining 120 points will be from your best grades on courses above Level 1, at least 60 of which must come from W200 or W201. You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.
Award Regulations
- Introduction to the Award Regulations
- General Award Regulations
- Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
- Schedule A to the Award Regulations
Student Regulations
The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.
How to register
To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.
About this page
An undergraduate qualification in Law.
Study explained
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Level
- - indicates how difficult a course is. Undergraduate study starts at Level 1.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
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