International Law and Comparative Law
University of Aberdeen
UCAS Code: M130 | Bachelor of Law (with Honours) - LLB (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
AAB obtained in a single sitting of A Levels. English is highly desirable. GCSE in English or English Language required.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
An average of 5 points required from each subject at Higher Level. English at H Level is highly desirable. Standard level English required.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
5 subjects at H2 obtained in a single sitting. Higher English is highly desirable.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Higher English is highly desirable. Higher ESOL is also recognised in lieu of Higher English where the mother tongue is not English. Where a combination of Higher and Advanced Higher is offered, individual subjects are counted at one level only.
HNC in Legal Services with an A in the Graded Unit will be taken as equivalent to a A at Higher in conjunction with other Higher's for entry to Year 1. Higher English is highly desirable.
For entry to Year 1: Satisfactory completion of HND Legal Services (240 SCQF credit points) may be considered. AA in Year 2 Graded Units and minimum of Grade B in Year 1 Graded Unit.
Scottish Higher
Applicants who have achieved AAAA or better are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced may be required. Nat 5 English at C or better is required. Higher English is highly desirable. Higher ESOL is also recognised in lieu of Higher English where the mother tongue is not English. Note: we do not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but we do consider that a B at Adv Higher is equivalent to an A grade at Higher.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
This innovative degree provides a unique student learning experience through the comparative study of legal cultures, institutional and intellectual expectations of law, and state and international orders. It teaches law at a conceptual level, without focusing on one specific jurisdiction, and can help develop careers across international bodies, non-profit organisations, multinational companies and arbitration, where complex perspectives on law are invaluable.
**Please note that this degree does not qualify candidates to take the Diploma in Professional Practice with a view to entry to the Scottish legal profession.** Applicants interested in a career as a Scottish solicitor are directed towards our other LLB programmes.
Law is often seen from largely or purely from a particular jurisdictional or cultural standpoint. The LLB (Hons) International Law and Comparative Law programme is different.
At the outset of their studies, students become familiar with the levels at which law operates in a global context, including individual jurisdictions, states and the international order. Students then discover the ways in which cultural ideas about law cross traditional jurisdictional and state boundaries, dynamically shaping and reshaping notions of justice and legal practice in the process.
Using the tools of comparative law, students are trained to see law from a variety of different perspectives. Seeing law from such different perspectives fosters understanding and respect for the radically different assumptions of other legal traditions and cultures, enabling students to recognise and question the Euro-centric, Western assumptions that often underpin law as a form of political power.
The course ensures that students are grounded in some of the central ideas of civilian and common law traditions and given the tools to challenge the intellectual underpinnings of this contrast. Students will also see the ways in which clear understanding of differences between those traditions can facilitate powerful, transformative legal dialogues. The courses selected for the programme consider these themes in light of legal theory and black-letter law.
**Our students have voted our Law School 5th in the UK for Overall Student Satisfaction (National Student Survey 2022).**
**Graduates wishing to apply for an LLB** must apply for the 2-year LLB Accelerated degree – **Law Accelerated (M115)** or **Law with English Law Accelerated (M116)**. Tuition fees for the Accelerated programmes are at a separate rate. In the event that a Graduate undertakes a 4-year or 5-year LLB degree, please note that tuition fees are charged each year of study at the same rate as those set for the Accelerated programme.
Modules
Broadly, students will be asked to think of legal cultures not simply in terms of conflict resolution (e.g. courts) and procedure (e.g. legislation) but also as being shaped by factors made operational through those institutions (e.g. ideals of justice, legal methods and approaches to legal professionalisation).
Assessment methods
Assessments will be conducted in a range of different ways, including the use of Multiple Choice Tests (MCTs), essays, problem questions and written exams. An additional summative assessment will contribute to the final mark in any situation where an end-of-term exam is used.
Tuition fees
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Extra funding
View the University of Aberdeen Online Prospectus programme page to find out about any scholarships and funding you may be able to apply for.
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Law
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Law
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Law graduates tend to go into the legal industry, and they usually take similar routes. Jobs are competitive — often very competitive - but starting salaries are good and high fliers can earn serious money - starting on over £24k in London on average. Be aware though - some careers, especially as barristers, can take a while to get into, and the industry is changing as the Internet, automation and economic change all have an effect, If you want to qualify to practise law, you need to take a professional qualification — many law graduates then go on to law school. If you want to go into work, then a lot of law graduates take trainee or paralegal roles and some do leave the law altogether, often for jobs in management, finance and the police force. A small proportion of law graduates also move into another field for further study. Management, accountancy and teaching are all popular for these career changers, so if you do take a law degree and decide it’s not for you, there are options.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Law
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£17k
£27k
£35k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
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It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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