Law
Award
BA (Hons)
Duration & study mode
4 years full-time, typically 6 years part-time
School
Business & Creative Industries
Location
Paisley
Ucas code
M101
Course starting dates
-
Paisley: September
The BA (Hons) Law covers a wide range of legal subjects so that you are skilled in advising organisations on how to comply with their legal obligations and prepares you for success in legal or law-related settings.
This degree will equip you with a solid understanding of how law shapes our society, enabling you to embark on a career in a wide variety of employment sectors.
You’ll also learn the knowledge and skills sought after by employers in law-related and business sectors.
Plus, our teaching staff will provide a supportive learning environment and a flexible approach to study to help you develop in-depth knowledge of areas related to your future career.
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
During Clearing our entry requirements remain flexible, and we are committed to providing opportunities to study with us based on a range of qualifications. Please get in touch, and we can discuss your specific circumstances.
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Undergraduate Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
* for more information on standard and minimum entry requirements, see the drop-down section below
All academic degrees/awards at UWS are taught in English. For applicants whose first language is not English*, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. All English language qualifications must have been gained within two years of the start of your UWS course.
* applicants who are exempt from english language requirements include:
In general terms, if you are applying to study a course at, or above, Year 1 (SCQF Level 7) bachelor’s degree level, then the UKVI’s minimum level of English proficiency is Common European Framework for References of Languages (CEFR) at B2 (Upper Intermediate).
At UWS, we define our general English language requirements using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training) as follows:
These are minimum requirements and some courses may require a higher standard for admission†.
† Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see IELTS Score Exceptions section below for more information).
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (BSc Adult Nursing, MSc Adult Nursing, BSc Mental Health Nursing, MSc Mental Health Nursing, BSc Midwifery and MSc Midwifery), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BSc Paramedic Science degree leads to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); it has different IELTS requirements than other Health-related courses. Although it is not possible to apply for this degree directly as an international student, for applicants who meet SAAS residency requirements and for whom English is not their first language, then the following IELTS scores are required:
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science degrees, which may lead to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work degrees are professionally recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council and applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
In additional to IELTS, we also accept a number of alternative English language for application and admission to our courses for both home/EU and international students at bachelor's degree study at Year 3 (SCQF Level 9), and above. From Cambridge to TOFEL iBT qualifications the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out about non-IELTS English Language Tests
UWS has also reviewed a range of High / Secondary School qualifications studied by non-EU applicants that can be used as a basis of entry to a UWS. These range from Botswana GCSEs to USA High School Graduation Diplomas, the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out more about international English Language high-hchool qualifications
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
On our course pages, you will find details of our entry criteria listed as Standard Entry Requirements and Minimum Entry Requirements. These are the academic qualifications that, depending on your personal circumstances, you will be required to meet to allow your application to be considered for a place at UWS.
Competition for places on many of our courses can be very high and even if you meet the standard or minimum qualifications stated, there is no guarantee that your application will progress to the next stage of the admissions process. We review individual applications very closely and place great importance on your personal statement and academic reference as well as your academic qualifications before making selection decisions.
Our Standard Entry Requirements are the grades that you will need to achieve to allow you to be considered for entry to a specific programme of study.
Our Minimum Entry Requirements are applicable to those applicants who have not had an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic ability at school or college and are known as ‘widening access’ applicants. We also sometimes refer to this type of applicant as receiving a ‘contextual’ offer. We may be able to provide you with a contextual offer if you fall into one of the categories below:
If you fall into any of the first four categories above, please mention this on your UCAS application. We will automatically apply category 5 if it applies to you.
If you have already achieved the required grades for either our standard or minimum entry criteria, we may be able to offer you an unconditional offer for some course areas. If you have not yet achieved these grades, we may be able to make you a conditional offer, which will rely on you achieving further qualifications before you can be accepted on to a programme of study.
Further details of our Admissions processes can be found as follows:
The programme is delivered both full-time and part-time. Full-time study lasts, normally, four years for the Honours title and three years for the Ordinary title. Part-time study lasts for a maximum of six years. However, part-time students can study between 30 and 119 credits per academic session thus shortening the length of time taken to obtain the qualification. Full-time and part-time delivery will, on the whole, be during the day. The delivery of the programme is designed in such a way as to maximise student participation and engagement with their learning. Many modules are delivered by means of on-campus workshops and online supported learning. The delivery of modules is tailored to the learning experience sought. Students, in workshops, will be expected to prepare in advance, using online materials provided via the Virtual Learning Environment and then explore, through discussion and student led activities such as presentations, the wider context in which the law is situated.
In Year 1 (SCQF Level 7), students study five core modules which provide a strong foundation in the key principles of Scots Law. Students will study subjects such as Introduction to Legal Study, Public Law, Criminal Law, Scots Private Law 1: Contract Law, and Scots Private Law 2: Delict alongside modules designed to support their learning at University, in particular support their development as Law students. These modules assist in the development of core skills and competencies required to progress the student’s legal study and include Legal Advocacy Skills 1 and Contemporary Legal Issues 1. They provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their own personal learning, and professional skills and, where appropriate, aid the identification of strategies to further develop the student’s personal learning and professional needs.
Year 2 (SCQF Level 8) builds upon the foundation skills and knowledge developed in Year 1 and introduces students to further in-depth study of key legal subjects. The core modules in Year 2 comprise 20 credit modules in areas of law identified as essential to ensure that students have a broad understanding of all of the main legal subjects. Students will study Law of Scots Private Law 3: Property, Scots Private Law 4: Family, Scots Private Law 4: Succession and Trusts and Company Law. There will be a range of optional modules to study such as Agency and Partnership Law, Consumers and the Law, Welfare Rights and Legal Advocacy Skills 2 as well as some modules from the wider School of Business and Creative Industries.
Year 3 (SCQF Level 9) introduces the student to more critical approaches to law. The purpose of this year of study is to enable students to develop skills in critical analysis through studying two core modules namely International Human Rights Law and Legal Research Methods. Year 3 provides much of the international comparisons within the programme and, where appropriate, students will study Scots law in the context of other global jurisdictions. Year 3 also allows the student to partake in more independent learning through work-based learning and through the Contemporary Legal Issues 3 module. In Year 3, students may have the opportunity to study abroad for up to one year.
Year 4 (SCQF Level 10) is taught almost entirely in the form of seminars and it is at this level that students will be expected to apply all of the skills developed in previous years of study to critique the law. Students complete a traditional Honours dissertation on a legal topic of their choice supervised by a member of staff. The Honours Dissertation (Law) module spans terms 1 and 2 and is worth 40 credits. Students then select an additional 80 credits of optional modules, 60 of which must be law modules.
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and workshops.
There will also be group work and independent learning to ensure you develop transferable skills such as research, presentation, communication and working as part of a team.
Our Law degree is assessed using a variety of methods including:
Programme Specification and Module Descriptors for Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses are available to download (PDFs). These provide you with core information concerning your chosen subject.
UWS Law graduates are equipped for careers within and out-with the legal sector. Graduates will also be well positioned to compete for places on graduate training schemes.
* Please note, the BA Law Degree is not a direct path to practicing as a solicitor in Scotland. In order to practice as a Scottish solicitor, students would need to undertake further study, being the LLB Degree. Many BA Law students do go on to undertake this further Degree which is not currently on offer at UWS.
Graduates may seek to undertake further specialist postgraduate research in areas such as law or business, for example a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Some graduates may choose to continue their legal studies leading to an LLB or LLM (the former is the degree required to practice as a Scottish solicitor).
£1,820 cost per year of study (usually paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)
£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750
£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750
£15,500 per year of study
£305 per module (20 credits)
£1,550 per module (20 credits)
£1,550 per module (20 credits)
£2,580 per module (20 credits)
Ready to apply? All UK & EU Undergraduate applications should be made through UCAS. Further information for international, part-time and exchange applications can be found below.
Apply on UCASAll UK and EU applicants for undergraduate study, not applying through an agent or partner, should apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)
The on-time application deadline for 2025/26 entry is 29 January 2025, 18:00 (UK time). For some courses it may still be possible to apply beyond this period, subject to suitable vacancies remaining. The final deadline for late applications via UCAS is 30 June 2025. Beyond this deadline, you may be able to apply via ‘UCAS Clearing’ if the course you are interested in has remaining places.
Please refer to our Undergraduate Application Guide for domestic & EU/EEA to find more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS.
You can find out more about applying for this undergraduate course on UCAS.
Students from non-EU/non-EEA countries can apply directly to UWS via our dedicated online application system. The latest we can process your application is 6 weeks before the course start date to allow for visa processing times. For more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS please refer to our International Undergraduate Application Guide.
For part-time & online study, you should apply directly to the University through our online application system, not through UCAS. Please select the part-time mode of study when submitting your application. Before you begin your application, it is important to read the part-time application step-by-step guide for a smooth process.
To come to UWS as a visiting student on a study abroad or exchange programme, you must apply entirely through our online system.
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.