The objectives of the LLB degree are:
- to equip students with a sound understanding of the foundations of legal knowledge, enabling them to obtain exemption from the common professional examination
- to offer students the opportunity to study law from an extensive catalogue of optional subjects, covering the broad range of legal knowledge
- to develop students' analytical and research skills, equipping them with the generic skills they will need in their future careers, whether legal or not
- to expose students to a wide range of disciplinary approaches to legal study, encouraging them to reflect on the complexity of legal practice and of the variety of ways of understanding law's role in contemporary society
Year One
The first year of the LLB is known as the Intermediate year and consists of
five compulsory courses:
Years Two and Three
The second and third years of the degree are known as Part I and Part II. In
the second year students choose four courses from the list of options in the
next section. In the third year students choose three more options and take
one compulsory course in Jurisprudence.
The LLB at LSE offers a wide range of optional courses for students to
choose from. Students who wish their LLB to count as a Qualifying Law Degree
(QLD) will need to choose Property II, and Law and Institutions of the
European Union, as two of their options. These courses, together with the
compulsory first year courses, fulfil the academic requirements of the QLD,
allowing students to proceed on to the Legal Practice Course or the Bar
Professional Training Course.
We strongly recommend that all students take the courses necessary to
achieve a QLD even if it is not currently their plan to practice in England
and Wales. Often graduates’ circumstances change and having a QLD provides
flexibility when considering career options in the future.
Teaching Delivery
The delivery of teaching and learning on the LLB complements the degree’s
aims and content. Large courses are taught through a combination of lectures
and small classes. Classes are more interactive and involve groups of around
15 students in discussion with either a member of academic staff or a
research student about particular aspects of the material covered in the
lecture. Seminars are two-hour classes of up to 25 students. Sometimes these will
involve small group discussions, or collective class discussions with a
member of academic staff, while at other times seminars may consist of
academic or student-led presentations. You can expect a challenging,
thought-provoking and ultimately rewarding experience.
Assessment
Written work and other types of formative assessment are set for courses
each term and marked by academics. Feedback is provided on those
assessments. Most summative assessment (i.e. assessment which contributes to your final
degree result) takes the form of an exam in the summer term. The exams will
normally require the writing of essays or answers to legal problems.
A number of prizes are awarded for the best performances in particular
subjects and overall.