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The BA in Law (technically 'Bachelor of
Arts in the Final Honour School of Jurisprudence') is our
regular three year undergraduate law degree, equivalent to what
in some universities would be called an LLB. It is also a 'qualifying
law degree' for the purpose of practice as a solicitor or barrister
in England and Wales. It is one of the most highly regarded undergraduate
law degrees in the UK, and those who do well in it are in high
demand both in the legal professions and in other fields in which
professional analytical work is required.
In all universities,
a law degree calls for hard work. You must become familiar with
a great deal of material across a wide range of legal topics. In
Oxford, particular emphasis is placed on first-hand study of legal
sources - the reading of statutes and cases, sometimes very
long statutes and cases, in their original reported form. This
means a lot of work in law libraries, of which Oxford has some of
the best. As well as books you will increasingly work with online
materials. Law is constantly evolving and infinitely thought-provoking.
A
common misconception is that studying law is mainly a matter of
memorizing data. It is true that there is a lot to remember but
lawyers exist to use the law, not just to know it, and the main
way that lawyers use the law is by making legal arguments. A central
aspect of legal education in Oxford, as at other law schools,
is learning to make a proper legal argument. This is a creative
activity and calls for originality and inspiration as well as information
and accuracy. The Oxford method of teaching by tutorials - weekly
meetings between a tutor and two or three students -
gives you particularly intensive training in the art of argument.
The
programme is non-modular. The courses identified by the legal professions
as necessary for legal practice (the 'foundations of legal knowledge')
are also identified by Oxford as core academic law subjects, and
all undergraduate law students in Oxford are required to take
them. All undergraduate law students are also required to take
a course in jurisprudence (theory of law). In your final year
you have the chance to choose from a selection of optional subjects.
There are public examinations in your first year and your final
year, but not your second year.
More
details of the courses and exams taken by BA students in the Law
Faculty.
Undergraduate
admissions: requirements and procedures, link to the prospectus,
FAQs, etc.
Questions
about life as an undergraduate law student in Oxford? Check
out our FAQs.
Fees
and student funding (information common to all Oxford undergraduate
programmes).
The
BA Law programme specification, an official document setting out
our programme objectives and learning methods in a standard format.
The
most recent BA examiners' report, which comments on performance
generally and in each course, and helps you to understand what is
expected.
Our
undergraduate handbook, which explains in more detail what to
expect as a BA student in law.
The
current Law Faculty lecture list, including this year's diet
of lectures and seminars for BA courses. Tutorials are not shown
on this list because they are scheduled by individual tutors in
consultation with individual students.
More
about 'qualifying law degrees' and the path to legal practice:
for practice at the Bar look here; for
practice as a Solicitor look here. Remember that, although
it is a qualifying law degree, our BA is a programme of
academic study, not a vocational training. We do not assume that
our students will be legal practitioners and about a third of them will not
be.
The
BA with 'senior status' for those who already have a first degree
in another subject. |
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