The City Law School, City University, London Department or equivalent Academic Programmes. LALBLAW01 (Programme route: USLLAW)

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1 PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION KEY FACTS Programme name Law Award LLB (Hons) School The City Law School, City University, London Department or equivalent Academic Programmes UCAS Code M100 Programme code LALBLAW01 (Programme route: USLLAW) Type of study Full Time Total UK credits 370 Total ECTS 185 PROGRAMME SUMMARY The three year undergraduate LLB degree at The City Law School gives you an excellent opportunity to develop strong links with the legal profession from the start of your programme. Many of our optional modules are unique in focusing not only on legal knowledge but also on practical legal and non-legal skills such as drafting or client interviewing with real clients. You will be able to participate in a range of internal and external mooting and debating competitions in the UK and abroad which will give you a very solid grounding in advocacy and public speaking skills. The LLB programme requires you to study for three years on a full time basis. During the first two years, you will study compulsory modules that are necessary for you to obtain a Qualifying Law Degree. In year one you will be provided with the core textbooks for Criminal law, Constitutional and Administrative law and for the Law of Contract. A Qualifying Law Degree means that upon completion of your degree you are permitted to continue with your training in order to practise as a solicitor or barrister. During the first year you will also study legal methods to equip you with the necessary academic and practical skills to support you in your degree. You will also study an Employability module designed to enhance your transferrable skills valued by prospective employers within the legal and other professions. On the course you will be able to study modules of your choice from a varied range of specialised electives. Those electives reflect the wide range of professional legal expertise. In addition to the wide range of electives you will also be able to write a dissertation on a legal topic of your choice under the supervision of your tutor. The LLB (Hons) degree is recognised by the professional bodies, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and The Bar Standards Board, as satisfying the academic stage of legal education. Upon successful completion of this 3 year degree programme you will have achieved a

2 total of 370 credits made up of 130 level 4 credits, 120 level 5 credits and 120 level 6 credits. By the end of your first year, you should have developed knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with your area of study, and will be able to interpret these within the context of your assessment and practice. By the end of your second year, you should have built upon the knowledge acquired in your first year and will be able to demonstrate different approaches to problem-solving, as well as effective communication of information. You will also have an understanding of the limits of your knowledge. By the end of this programme, you should have developed a systematic understanding of key aspects of your area of study, including how to acquire coherent and detailed knowledge of your chosen subject. In addition you will have developed the skills and analytical techniques to apply your knowledge to many types of employment as well as continue your own learning and development. Aims The Aims of the Programme are: To provide you with a qualification that meets the professional bodies requirements allowing you to progress to the vocational part of legal training and become a practising lawyer. To enable you to have good knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of the main areas of English Law, English Legal System and European Union Law. To give you an opportunity to study in-depth specialised modules of your particular interests. To enable you to develop analytical, presentational and other transferrable skills To equip you with the necessary transferable skills for your chosen career WHAT WILL I BE EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE? On successful completion of this programme, you will be expected to be able to: Knowledge and understanding: Display a good understanding and knowledge of the main aspects of English Legal System and core areas of English Law. Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the main principles, legal rules and values that form the basis of English Law and how the rules co-relate with each other. Identify the main legal institutions and explain their procedures and their role within the legal system. Show good awareness of the European Union principles and structures and how the law interacts with English Legal System. Demonstrate a good knowledge of legal rules and principles in your chosen specialised areas. Skills: Independently use primary and secondary legal sources such as Acts of Parliaments, judgments of cases, academic articles, legal textbooks and policy

3 documents to allow you to make an informed analysis of what the law is and what the law should be and why. Apply legal research skills to enable you to independently identify relevant issues and retrieve up-to-date information. Show that you are able to collect legal information from a variety of sources and synthesise this information appropriately to provide meaningful advice and solutions. Analyse case judgments, policy documents, Acts of Parliament and other legal documents and to identify their relevance and influence in order to be able to make informed decisions. Demonstrate effective oral and written presentation skills and show that you can present complex legal issues in an easy-to-understand professional language with good clarity to a wider audience. Evidence your ability to transfer your academic legal knowledge into practical advice for prospective clients. Effectively use information technology, including s, the internet and word processing technology. Demonstrate good problem solving skills and the ability to work independently as well as in a team. Evidence that you are capable of constructively reflecting upon your own learning and adapting your learning style, if necessary. Values and attitudes: Demonstrate that you are aware of the ethical and social implications of acting as a practising lawyer or other professional person and that you are able to conform to the relevant codes of conduct. Show that you are willing to receive and act upon constructive feedback in order to improve your skills. Demonstrate initiative and enthusiasm and an ability to find solutions to issues and problems. Demonstrate a willingness to continuously improve your skills and abilities. This programme has been developed in accordance with the QAA Subject Benchmark for Law. The knowledge and skills obtained during the course will give you a solid foundation to pursue your career in law or in any other professional environment. HOW WILL I LEARN? During the programme a variety of teaching methods are utilised to enhance your overall experience. Core (compulsory) modules are taught by weekly lectures and fortnightly tutorials. In the lectures the module lecturer will present an outline of the main topics and the main issues that should be considered and debated. Lectures are followed by fortnightly tutorials where you will be expected, in smaller groups under the guidance of your tutor, to discuss the issues that were raised in the lecture. You will be required to apply legal knowledge to practical scenarios and you will obtain feedback on your knowledge and understanding. You will be expected to prepare in advance for both lectures and tutorials by undertaking directed reading of textbooks, legal cases,

4 academic articles and other materials details of which are provided on our Virtual Learning Resource, Moodle. The Legal Method module is taught predominantly by workshops, where you will undertake practical exercises to develop your skills aided by lectures on specific topics. The elective modules are taught in the final year by lectures and tutorials or by seminars and tutorials. Seminars provide an interactive forum where issues and in depth legal analysis can be undertaken. You will be required to prepare for seminars in advance by undertaking directed reading, preparing answers to problems and essay questions and/or preparing case studies. Some optional modules are focused on practical skills where you will be required to participate in group work, advise real clients and practice negotiation and drafting skills. Lectures and seminars normally last for two hours and tutorials last for one hour. During the programme you will have on average 10 contact hours per week with a minimum of 60 hours of directed reading. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK CAN I EXPECT? Assessment and Assessment Criteria Formative assessments do not contribute to your overall module mark but are designed to improve your learning, by identifying areas of strength and weakness. Assessments are optional and may be in the form of class tests or short pieces of written work (1500 words). Summative assessments evaluate your learning at the end of your assessment by comparing it against a standard benchmark known as assessment criteria. The following assessment combinations are currently in use: Unless otherwise specified a one-term module will be assessed by a two hour examination, in which you will be required to answer two questions out of a choice of four. Unless otherwise specified a two-term module will be assessed by a three hour examination, in which you will be required to answer three questions out of a choice of six. In some instances you will be required to answer either all, or at least one question from each defined part of an examination. Coursework consisting of a 4000 word essay; unless otherwise specified you will be required to upload this onto Moodle. Takeaway examination, in which you will be issued with the questions in the morning and required to submit your answers by a pre-arranged time on the same day; unless otherwise specified you will be required to upload this onto Moodle. It is your responsibility to back up your work regularly and to ensure that you submit it on time. Technical difficulties will not be accepted as a valid reason for failure to submit on time. Student participation in tutorials, usually contributing up to 10% of the total module mark. Multiple choice examination: which can be a stand-alone assessment (to a

5 predetermined value e.g. 25% of a module mark) or included as part of a written examination; in which case all questions must be answered. A 5 minute presentation on a particular viewpoint (with regards to a defined topic) and a debate against a fellow student. Dissertation: in which case you will be assessed by a research project of up to 15,000 words. Unless otherwise specified you are allowed to exceed the minimum word count by 10%. The above assessments may occur as stand-alone assessments or in weighted combinations. For more information about assessments relating to specific modules you are advised to refer to the individual module specification. Assessment Criteria are descriptions, based on the intended learning outcomes, of the skills, knowledge or attitudes that you need to demonstrate in order to complete an assessment successfully, providing a mechanism by which the quality of an assessment can be measured. Grade-Related Criteria are descriptions of the level of skills, knowledge and/or attributes that you need to demonstrate in order achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment, providing a mechanism by which the quality of an assessment can be measured and placed within the overall set of marks. Assessment Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria will be made available to you to support you in completing assessments. These may be provided in programme handbooks, module specifications, on the virtual learning environment or attached to a specific assessment task Feedback on Assessment Feedback will be provided in line with our Assessment and Feedback Policy. In particular you will normally be provided with feedback within three weeks of the submission deadline or assessment date. This would normally include a provisional grade or mark. For end of module examinations or an equivalent significant task (e.g. an end of module project), feedback will normally be provided within four weeks. The timescale for feedback on final year projects or dissertations may be longer. The full policy can be found at data/assets/pdf_file/0008/68921/assessment_and_feedback_p olicy.pdf You will receive coursework feedback by way of individual comments on your written work together with indicative grade on our Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle. The analysis will enable you to see what you have done well but will also highlight areas in need of improvement. It will also give you an indication as to what needs to be done in order to achieve a better grade, if applicable. After the examination results are released you will be able to discuss your exam script with the module tutor to identify the areas you have addressed well and to constructively highlight areas for improvement.

6 Assessment Regulations In order to pass your Programme, you need to successfully complete the relevant modules and assessments to acquire the required number of credits. You also need to pass each Year of your Programme in order to progress to the following Year. The Pass mark for each module is 40% for all four core modules. Legal Method, taught in the first semester of Year 1, is assessed on a PASS/FAIL basis only. If a module is assessed by more than one element all elements must be passed with a minimum grade of 40%. If you choose the final dissertation elective and it is submitted late; you will be subject to a penalty of 5 marks for each week or part thereof that it is late. The maximum penalty is 10 marks. Part I (Year 1) no weighting. Part I does not count towards the overall classification but it must be passed before you can progress to Part II. You must obtain 130 level 4 credits in order to complete year 1. Part II (Year 2) is weighted at 40%. You must obtain 120 level 5 credits by achieving a minimum of 40% in each of the four 30 credit modules. Part II aggregate is calculated as the average module mark for each of the four Part II core modules. Part III (Year 3) is weighted at 60%. You must obtain 120 level 6 credits by achieving a minimum of 40% in each of the elective taken. One term electives are worth 15 credits and two terms electives are worth 30 credits. You may normally choose any combinations of electives, subject only to availability. You will also need to ensure that you have an equal split between Term 1 and Term 2 and that the overall number of credits must lead to 120 in total. Part III aggregate is calculated by aggregating the module mark for each of the modules taken, with each given a weighting towards the aggregate in accordance with the credit attached to the module. The final classification is based on the grades achieved in Year 2 and 3. The School has two methods of awarding final classification. The first one is a simple mathematical average of all your marks from year 2 and year 3 weighted at 40% and 60% respectively. The second method looks at your overall profile and the number of grades in any given class to determine your final classification. The parallel "counting" system is applied by the Assessment Board to provide an alternative means of achieving a classification if the overall aggregate is not achieved. Under this system, a student who achieves at least 120 credits (taking Part 2 and 3 module marks combined) in a classification higher than the banding in which their overall degree mark falls can be awarded the higher classification, provided their overall degree mark is not more than 5% below the normal classification minimum. For example, a student who has an overall aggregated percentage mark of 57%, but who has achieved marks above or equal to 60% in 120 credits during the second and/or third year, would be awarded a 2:1 classification. If you fail an assessment component or a module, you will normally be offered one re-sit attempt. However, if you did not participate in the first assessment and have no extenuating circumstances or if your attendance on tutorials during the year was weak

7 without valid reason, you may not be offered a resit. If you are successful in the resit, you shall be awarded the credit for that module but your grade will be capped at a maximum of 40%. If you do not pass your resit by the date specified you will not progress to the next Year and the Assessment Board shall require that you withdraw from the Programme. No compensation is permitted on law degrees by the professional bodies. The time limit for completing the full-time time programme is 4 years, exceptions can be made, but are subject to the outcome of an extenuating circumstances claim and or by agreement of the Assessment Board. If you take longer than 6 years to complete your studies, your final award may not be recognised as a qualifying degree by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) or the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). If you fail to meet the requirements for a particular Part, but satisfy the requirements for the previous Part, then a lower qualification may be awarded as per the table below. If you fail to meet the requirements for a particular Part and are not eligible for the award of a lower level qualification, the Assessment Board shall require that you withdraw from the Programme. If you would like to know more about the way in which assessment works at City, please see the full version of the Assessment Regulations at: data/assets/word_doc/0003/69249/s19.doc WHAT AWARD CAN I GET? Bachelor s Degree with Honours: Part HE Credits Weighting Class % required Level (%) I II upper division II lower division 50 III 40 Ordinary Degree: Part HE Credits Weighting Class % required Level (%) With Distinction With Merit With Pass 40 Diploma of Higher Education: Part HE Credits Weighting Class % required Level (%) With Distinction With Merit 60 With Pass 40

8 Certificate of Higher Education: Part HE Credits Weighting Class % required Level (%) With Distinction 70 With Merit 60 With Pass 40 BA Law The normal award for this programme is LLB (Hons), but to get this degree it is necessary to pass all core modules. In the rare case where a student fails a core module and therefore cannot progress or be awarded an LLB/Diploma/Certificate, that student will be able to progress and be awarded a BA Law/Diploma/Certificate provided that student has otherwise satisfied the requirements of the LLB programme, has passed all but one core/ compulsory module, and has achieved a sufficient level of credit. If a Student fails one Year 2 core module at a first and re-sit opportunity, subject to approval by the Assessment Board, they may be offered the opportunity to transfer onto BA Law and progress to Year 3. Such students would keep the 90 credits that were obtained in Year 2 and would then complete year 3 in the normal way (120 credits from all possible options except dissertations). Upon successful completion of Year 3 the student would then have a further term in order to complete a dissertation worth 30 credits, thus totalling 370 credits for the overall degree. This pathway constitutes a saving provision and cannot be chosen by a student him/herself but only can be recommended by the Assessment Board in exceptional circumstances. BA Law does not constitute a Qualifying Law Degree and any student wishing to continue with a legal career following graduation from BA Law would need to undertake a CPE/GDL course. The final classification is based on the grades achieved in Year 2 and 3, with the Dissertation counted as a Year 3 module, as follows. The parallel counting method is also applied by the Assessment Board to determine the degree classification. Part HE Credits Weighting Class % required Level (%) I II upper division II lower division 50 III 40

9 WHAT WILL I STUDY? Part 1 Module Title SITS Module Core/ Compensation Level Code Credits Elective Yes/No Legal Methods LU Core N 4 English Legal System LU Core N 4 Constitutional and LU Core N 4 Administrative law Contract Law LU Core N 4 Criminal Law LU Core N 4 Employability LU Core N 4 There are no prerequisites for any Part 1 Modules. All Part 1 modules are compulsory and there are no optional Modules in Year 1. Part 2 Module Title SITS Module Core/ Compensation Level Code Credits Elective Yes/No Equity and Trusts LU Core N 5 European Union Law LU Core N 5 Land Law LU Core N 5 Tort Law LU Core N 5 All modules in Part 1 must be passed before modules in Part 2 can be attempted. All modules in Part 2 are compulsory and there are no optional modules in Year 2. Part 3 In Part 3 you will select modules from the list below. You will need to select an appropriate number of modules to reach a total of 120 credits and you must have an even split between both terms. Module Title SITS Module Core/Electi Compensat Level code Credit ve ion Y/N Banking Law LU Elective N 6 Commercial and LU Elective N 6 Agency Law Company Law LU Elective N 6 Employment Law LU Elective N 6 Family and child LU Elective N 6 Law Human Rights LU Elective N 6 Law Public LU Elective N 6 International Law Justice Law and LU Elective N 6

10 History Law of Evidence LU Elective N 6 Canadian LU Elective N 6 Constitutional Law Constitutional LU Elective N 6 Law of the USA LLB Dissertation LU Elective N 6 Competition Law LU Elective N 6 Islamic Law LU Elective N 6 Immigration Law LU Elective N 6 International LU Elective N 6 Commercial Arbitration Criminal Justice LU Elective N 6 City Enterprise LU Elective N 6 Services Intellectual LU Elective N 6 Property Law International LU Elective N 6 Criminal Law Legal Skills LU Elective N 6 Maritime Law LU Elective N 6 International LU Elective N 6 Economic Law Media Law LU Elective N 6 Commercial LU Elective N 6 Property Law Canadian LU Elective N 6 Corporate Law Aviation Law LU Elective N 6 Jurisprudence LU Elective N 6 Forensic Science LU Elective N 6 Legal Ethics and LU Elective N 6 Professional Responsibility Family Law LU Elective N 6 Government, Law LU Elective N 6 and Democracy EU Law and the Global Legal Order LU Elective N 6 There are no pre-requisites for any of the modules but both Part 1 and Part 2 must be passed before Part 3 may be attempted. Modules are not co-related.

11 LLB (Hons) by Conversion The City Law School also offers the opportunity to convert the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) to an LLB honours degree through a course of further study. The LLB (Hons) by Conversion is studied over one year by students who wish, upon completion of the GDL, to be eligible for the award of an Honours Degree. This course is available to City University GDL students who have obtained at least a Commendation. You must obtain a further 75 level 6 credits from the Part 3 LLB electives listed above to be eligible for this award. The LLB by Conversion classification is weighted 50% on your GDL credits (210 Level 6 credits) and 50% on you LLB Level 6 credits (75 Level 6 credits). You will have the following credits exempted - 50 Level 4, 10 Level 5 and 15 Level 6. Class % required I 70 II upper division 60 II lower division 50 III 40 TO WHAT KIND OF CAREER MIGHT I GO ON? After completing the law degree most students go on to become practicing solicitors or barristers but the law degree allows students to pursue a wide range of careers. You may work for other legal services such as Law Commissions, Bar Council or Solicitors Regulation Authority; NGOs and other non-governmental bodies as well as the Civil Service. Graduates often successfully apply for places on the general graduate training programmes with Property Firms, Retail and Investment Banks as well as Consultancy Firms and other similar employers. If you would like more information on the Careers support available at City, please go to: WHAT STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE? The City Law School has established links with Queensland University of Technology(Brisbane, Australia), Montesquieu University( Bordeaux, France), and University of Wroclaw(Wroclaw, Poland). These exchange programmes allow you to spend one term in the third year of your degree to study abroad on a range of law modules provided by those Universities. Teaching in Brisbane is in English; at Bordeaux it is in French. Teaching in Wroclaw takes place in Polish but a range of modules are also taught in English. WHAT PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE? During the course you will have the opportunity to engage in pro-bono activities in our legal clinics and in partnership with the Citizen Advice Bureau. These placements are optional and are undertaken alongside your normal course of studying for your degree

12 WILL I GET ANY PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION? The course is recognised by both the Bar Council Standards Board and by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. This means that any student that has completed the course successfully can proceed to the vocational stage of legal training and qualify as solicitor or barrister. The Ordinary degree, Diploma in Higher Education and Certificate in Higher Education do not meet these requirements. HOW DO I ENTER THE PROGRAMME? In order to secure a place on the LLB programme you will need to apply via the UCAS central application system. Students whose first language is not English must demonstrate that they have met the University's English language requirements. Further information can be found on the University s website: english-language-requirements City University London offers a Scholarship of up to 3,000 per year to UK and EU undergraduate students achieving grades ABB or above at A-level (or equivalent) starting an undergraduate course at City in September Further details can be found on the University s website at Version: 3.3 Version date: 08/07/2015 For use from: