Law

Law is a vast and fascinating area of study. Recent high-profile international cases have focused attention on the need for compliance with legal principles and requirements. These principles dictate the way in which individuals and organisations carry out their daily business. In an increasingly litigious society, businesses rely on employees with appropriate legal knowledge to ensure that business activities are carried on in a manner that is both ethical and fully compliant with all legal requirements.

This course is designed for students intending to pursue a business career in areas where a detailed knowledge of law is useful - for example, in human resource management, finance, purchasing, compliance and contracts. The programme will also suit graduates who wish to advance their studies in more specialised areas of law.

Structure and Content

This three-year degree aims to give students a strong base of business knowledge combined with a solid grounding in business and company law as well as criminal and commercial law. Students study both major business disciplines and more specialised areas of the legal and regulatory environment of business.

Six mandatory subjects provide foundation knowledge in core business areas and disciplines.

Further develops student knowledge in key business disciplines, including management, marketing, finance and IS, and students are introduced to the specialist legal areas of business law and criminal law.

At final year, the business focus is on strategy and human resource management while further specialist legal knowledge is developed in areas such as commercial law and company law. A law project adds a practical dimension to final year studies.

*Common Foundation Year

Year one is common to most of our BA (Hons) Degree programmes. The Common Foundation Year is based on the principle that all students should have a good grounding in the basic business disciplines before proceeding to more advanced studies in whichever aspect of business they plan to concentrate.

Having a common foundation year also allows students greater flexibility. Each student can review his/her choice of degree programme prior to progression to year two and can change to a different programme if so desired.

Transfer students

Students holding a relevant certificate, diploma or other relevant qualifications may qualify for entry to the second or third year of the degree programme.

Career Opportunities

The structure and content of this programme enables students to progress to a career where a sound knowledge of relevant law is a definite asset. For example, many large organisations have legal departments, where comprehensive business knowledge augmented by a solid foundation in legal principles is required.

Graduates from this programme will also be well placed to pursue a business career in areas where legal knowledge is highly relevant - human resource management, finance, purchasing, compliance and contracts.

The programme will also suitably equip graduates who wish to advance their studies in more specialised areas of law.

Teaching and Assessment

The BA (Hons) in Business Studies (Law) is taught mainly through lectures and tutorials, with students taking responsibility for a significant amount of study outside scheduled class contact times. Assessed work will consist of traditional end-year examinations plus a significant element of continuous assessment based on coursework. Such coursework may involve research-based reports, case studies, essays, or practical assignments.

Programme Content