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This degree offers you the exciting opportunity to study Law and Business in a dynamic three-year programme, developing a strong and thorough understanding of law and global business, with a pathway offering the opportunity to obtain a Qualifying Law Degree.
Overview
Covering the foundations of law alongside compulsory and optional modules in business (taught by highly regarded and internationally connected Kent Business School), you develop an understanding of the law, taught from a critical perspective which allows you to engage in informed debate about contemporary legal issues, and an understanding of fundamental business principles and practices.
Kent Law School is recognised as one of the leading law schools in the UK. It has an international reputation both for its world-leading research and for the high quality, innovative, critical and socio-legal education that it provides.
Please be aware that the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board are conducting independent reviews of the legal training and education required to qualify as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales. These reviews cover the ‘Academic Stage’ of training and may impact upon the role of the law degree as part of the training process. Please see the website of each regulator for more information (the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board).
Independent rankings
In the National Student Survey 2015, 90% of Kent Law students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course. Kent Law School is ranked 13th nationally in The Times Good University Guide 2016, 17th in The Guardian University Guide 2016 and is the 8th ranked UK university for research intensity in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.
In the National Student Survey 2015, business studies was ranked 5th in the UK for student satisfaction. In The Complete University Guide 2016, business and management was ranked 2nd in the south-east for overall performance.
Course structure
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. Please note that the first year modules listed for this degree are compulsory.
Please contact us for more detail about the exact composition of this programme of study.
Teaching and assessment
Law
Kent Law School emphasises research-led teaching which means that the modules taught are at the leading edge of new legal and policy developments. Kent Law School is renowned nationally for research quality, being ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. All of our research active staff teach so you are taught by influential thinkers who are at the forefront of their field. We also have one of the best student:staff ratios in the country, which allows small, weekly seminar-group teaching in all of our core modules, where you are actively encouraged to take part.
Most modules are assessed by end-of-year examinations and continuous assessment, the ratio varying from module to module, with Kent encouraging and supporting the development of research and written skills. Some modules include an optional research-based dissertation that counts for 45% or, in some cases, 100% of the final mark. Assessment can also incorporate assessment through oral presentation and argument, often in the style of legal practice (such as mooting), and client based work and reflection through our Law Clinic.
Law School staff include the winner of the 2012 OUP Law Teacher of the Year Award, with Kent the only law school in the UK to have had staff shortlisted for the award for three consecutive years.
Business Administration
Most modules are taught by a combination of lectures and seminars and you also have regular access to a personal tutor for advice on matters concerning your studies Modules also involve individual study and sessions in the computer laboratories. In your final year, you take at least one project module, including the possibility of a 30-credit business/management project on a topic of your choice. Modules are assessed by a combination of coursework and exams.
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- meet the needs of those contemplating a career in the legal professions and those motivated primarily by an intellectual interest in law and legal issues
- be compatible with widening participation in higher education by offering a wide variety of entry routes
- provide a sound knowledge and systematic understanding of the principal institutions and procedures of the English legal system
- provide a sound grounding in the major concepts and principles of English law, the law of the European Union, and the European Convention on Human Rights
- develop a critical awareness of law in its historical, socio-economic and political contexts, and to introduce students to a range of different theoretical approaches to the study of law
- offer a range of modules covering the foundations of legal knowledge, as defined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board, which will enable students who successfully complete them to obtain a qualifying law degree
- offer a range of options to enable students to study some selected areas of areas of law in depth
- provide a curriculum supported by scholarship and a research culture that requires students to engage with aspects of work at the frontiers of knowledge
- offer the opportunity to acquire direct experience of legal practice and to critically reflect on it through participation in the Kent Law Clinic
- enable students to manage their own learning and to carry out independent research, including research into areas of law they have not previously studied
- develop general critical, analytical and problem-solving skills which can be applied in a wide range of different legal and non-legal settings
- enable students to develop skills relevant to their vocational and personal development.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- principal features of the English legal system, including its institutions, procedures and sources of law
- principal features of the law of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights
- the concepts, principles and rules of a substantial range of English legal subjects, including an in-depth knowledge of some areas of law, and, depending on options, an in-depth knowledge of the law of the European Union, the European Convention on Human Rights, international law and comparative law
- the relationship between law and the historical, socio-economic and political contexts in which it operates
- a range of theoretical and critical perspectives which can be applied to the study of law.
Intellectual skills
You gain intellectual skills in how to:
- recognise and rank items and issues in terms of their relevance and importance
- effectively apply knowledge to analyse complex issues
- collect and synthesise information from a variety of sources
- formulate and sustain a complex argument, supporting it with appropriate evidence
- recognise potential alternative solutions to particular problems and make a reasoned choice between them
- independently acquire knowledge and understanding in areas, both legal and non-legal, not previously studied
- demonstrate an independence of mind and an ability to critically challenge received understandings and conclusions
- reflect constructively on your own learning processes.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in:
- recognising the legal issues arising in factual situations of limited and great complexity
- identifying and applying case and statute law
- providing informed and reasoned opinion on possible legal actions and their likelihood of success
- identifying legal and related issues which require research
- locating and using primary and secondary legal, and other relevant sources
- conducting both guided and independent legal research using a range of resources
- critically evaluating an area of law both doctrinally and in terms of its socio-economic and other consequences
Transferable skills
You develop transferable skills in the following areas:
- communication – how to communicate effectively in speech and writing, in relation to legal matters and generally; engage constructively and effectively in arguments and discussions of complex matters; how to use communication and IT for the retrieval and presentation of information, including statistical or numerical data; how to read complex legal and non-legal materials and summarise them accurately; employing correct legal terminology and correct methods of citation and referencing for legal and other academic materials
- information technology – how to produce written documents; undertake online research; process information using databases
- working with others – how to define and review the work of others; work co-operatively on group tasks; collaborate with others and contribute to the achievement of common goals
- improving own learning – how to explore personal strengths and weaknesses; review your working environment; develop specialist learning skills (for example in foreign languages); develop autonomy in learning; demonstrate initiative and manage your own time
- problem solving – how to identify and define problems; explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them.
Careers
Law
Kent has an excellent employment record, with Law School graduates demanding some of the highest starting salaries in the UK. Law graduates can go into a variety of careers, including working as: solicitors or barristers in private practice; lawyers in companies, local authorities, central government and its agencies, or in the institutions of the European Union; non-legal careers, such as banking, finance and management.
Kent Law School has an active careers programme that sees a number of leading law firms and prominent members of the legal profession (including Kent alumni) visit the University to meet and speak with students. The Law School also gives students the opportunity to develop legal skills while at Kent, through modules in mooting and negotiation, and through involvement in the Law Clinic. We also actively work with employers to create work placement opportunities for our students.
Business Administration
Kent Business School equips you with the skills you need to build a successful career. Through your studies, you acquire communication skills, the ability to work in a team and independently, and the ability to express your opinions persuasively and with passion. Through modules on entrepreneurship such as our New Enterprise Start-up module, we give you the confidence and the expertise you need to start your own business and, through our varied contacts in the business world, we give you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience as part of your degree.
Our BBA graduates work in a variety of careers in management, business analytics, marketing, website management, recruitment and business development for companies such as Hays Consulting, Juniper Networks, Hewlett-Packard, IBM or Microsoft.
Professional recognition
All programmes can lead to a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD). A QLD is recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board as satisfying the first (or ‘Academic’) stage of training required to qualify as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales.
Please be aware that the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board are conducting independent reviews of the legal training and education required to qualify as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales. These reviews cover the ‘Academic Stage’ of training and may impact upon the role of the law degree as part of the training process. Please see the website of each regulator for more information (the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board).
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | AAA/AAB |
| GCSE | Mathematics grade C |
| Access to HE Diploma | The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 17 points at HL including Mathematics 4 at HL or SL |
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.
Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | ||
| Part-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.