Take the first steps towards a range of exciting and rewarding careers with our LLB Law (JD Pathway).
Grounded in a commitment to academic excellence and inclusivity, and informed by research, the programme combines both theory and practice, enabling you to gain a detailed understanding of how the law works within its broader social, political and economic context. You will be required to critically engage with legal principles, institutions, and their societal impact, developing analytical thinking, ethical reasoning, and a global outlook.
You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the foundations of legal knowledge, including Contract Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law, Public Law, Land Law, Equity and Trusts, EU Law, and Canadian Constitutional Law.
As your studies progress, you can tailor your degree through a wide range of optional modules in areas such as Human Rights, Medical Law, Cybercrime, Environmental Law, Family Law and World Trade. This flexibility allows you to pursue your interests whilst developing specialist expertise.
This degree incorporates the core legal subjects assessed by the Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE), and is accredited by the Bar Standards Board. Subject to a minimum level of attainment in core modules, the degree is accredited by the Canadian National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), and the Canadian Constitutional Law module provides excellent preparation for the NCA exam (further information on NCA accreditation requirements is available here).
This LLB will allow you to progress to the next stage of training to qualify as a lawyer in England and Wales, and Canada.
Why Law (JD Pathway) at Swansea?
As a student at the School of Law, you will be part of a supportive academic community where your voice matters. The programme team works in partnership with our students to shape curriculum design and teaching approaches, ensuring that your learning remains innovative and responsive to your needs.
You will be provided with a high degree of personalised support throughout your journey in order to provide you with the best possible opportunities to succeed. This includes dedicated personal tutors, a carefully designed induction programme, skills development workshops, ongoing employability advice and support, and a range of extra-curricular activities.
Swansea University has an established and growing reputation for law teaching and research. The School of Law is recognised as a source of expertise, and as having an impact on policy and practice in a diverse range of fields.
Law at Swansea is currently ranked:
Top 125 in the World (The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026)
Top 101-150 in the World (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)
Your Law (JD Pathway) Experience
Our programme places a strong emphasis on equipping you with the skills necessary for professional life, recognising that a large proportion of students on the programme go on to pursue careers in law, in Canada, England and Wales.
The curriculum is carefully designed to reflect the evolving landscape of legal education, including the changes introduced by the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), while maintaining the value of a traditional law degree.
You will be supported throughout the programme in developing a broad range of skills, such as legal writing, oral presentation and problem-solving. The inclusion of multiple-choice question (MCQ) assessments, which are a key feature of both the National Committee on Accreditation equivalency examinations and the SQE, further ensure that you are prepared for contemporary professional requirements.
Opportunities to gain real-world experience are embedded throughout the degree, including participation in the Law Clinic, where you can provide advice to clients under supervision, and there are opportunities to take part in mooting, negotiation, and client interviewing competitions.
The LLB provides you with a thorough grounding in the foundations of legal knowledge, while creating the flexibility that allows you to tailor your own studies to your interests and aspirations, which can lie in a range of sectors due to the variety of modules available.
In your first year, you will study compulsory foundational modules, including Public Law, Contract Law, Tort Law, and Law, Professionalism and Ethics. The second year includes further compulsory modules, including Land Law, Equity and Criminal Law, alongside two optional modules that allow you to begin tailoring your studies to your specific interests and aspirations.
In the third year, in addition to compulsory modules in EU Law in Context and Canadian Constitutional Law, you will select from a wide range of specialised modules, covering a diverse range of areas. By this stage, you will have studied all of the foundational subjects and will have the knowledge and understanding to make the most of your optional modules.
The programme employs a variety of teaching and assessment methods to cater to different learning styles and preferences. Teaching methods include interactive lectures, seminars, clinical legal education, and experiential learning opportunities. Digital tools such as live polling and quizzes are also used to enhance engagement and participation, ensuring that you can actively contribute to your own learning experience. Assessment methods include a wide range of different approaches, ranging from traditional in-person exams to oral presentations and legal briefings.
Law (JD Pathway) Employment Opportunities
The programme is designed with employability at its heart. You will have the opportunity to acquire practical skills in legal research, advocacy and negotiation, as well as written and oral communication by taking part in seminars and experiential learning.
The Law School at Swansea University has numerous connections within the legal profession. Through these, work experience programmes are made available for summer placements within Solicitors Firms, Barristers Chambers and linked professions. We also actively share employability opportunities through our internal platforms and on our graduate LinkedIn page, to support you in securing employment.
In each semester, we run an ‘assessment day’, to enable you to practice your CV drafting, interviewing and problem-solving skills. We also host an ‘additional careers’ event each year to allow you to explore other career prospects outside of the traditional Solicitor or Barrister routes.
Guest lectures and extracurricular workshops take place throughout the year. These are delivered by Solicitors and Barristers, and organisations such as the Law Commission, giving you invaluable career insights, and linking you with key members of the profession.
A significant majority of graduates of this programme will go on to qualify as a Lawyer in Canada or a Solicitor or Barrister in England and Wales.
Other typical graduate destinations include:
The Police Force
The Probation Service
Local Authorities and the Civil Service
The Financial Sector
HR
Charities and NGOs
Modules
We're currently reviewing our curriculum to enhance your learning experience and embed skills that will benefit your future career. This means that some modules may be subject to change.
Choose Exactly 30 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : Choose Exactly 30 credits from the following modules. Lectures will be delivered in English, seminars for the Welsh option will be conducted in Welsh.
Choose Exactly 30 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : Choose Exactly 30 credits from the following modules. Lectures will be delivered in English, seminars for the Welsh option will be conducted in Welsh.
We consider all applicants on their own merits and welcome applications from students with a wide range of qualifications.
Entry Requirements
Our standard offer for our law programmes is 3 A Levels at grades ranging from AAB-CCC or equivalent.
Please also view our alternative entry requirements to learn more about qualifications such as the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales and Extended Project Qualification, as well as calculate your UCAS Tariff points.
For applicants whose first language is not English, we require IELTS 6.0 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component) or an equivalent English test.
For Canadian Applicants, we require:
Alberta: Alberta High School Diploma
Achieve 70% in five Grade 12 courses.
British Colombia: British Colombia Certificate of Graduation
Achieve minimum grades BBBBB in Grade 12 courses.
Ontario: Ontario Secondary School Diploma
Complete with a minimum of 75% in six Grade 12 U, U/C or M courses.
At Swansea, you will benefit from a high-quality, research-informed
education that combines a range of effective and inclusive teaching methods,
carefully tailored to suit the needs of your course. Most courses are taught
in person, on campus, giving you the opportunity to
actively engage with other students, academic staff, and the wider
university community.
You can expect a mix of
lectures, seminars, workshops, and practical sessions -
including laboratory work, skills training, or studio-based teaching where
relevant to your discipline. These sessions are designed to encourage active
participation, collaboration, and the development of both subject-specific
and transferable skills.
Digital learning tools are also used to enhance your
learning experience. These may include:
Recorded lectures to support flexible study and
revision.
Virtual labs or simulated environments, particularly in
science, healthcare, and technical disciplines.
Online resources on the university’s virtual learning
environment (Canvas), including videos, reading materials, quizzes, and
discussion forums.
This approach enables you to engage with and review content at your own pace
while benefiting from the structure and support of in-person teaching.
This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or
bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh
speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh
Provision expander below.
N.B If you are an international student studying with a Student Route
Visa, please note that your timetabled activity, along with any
additional supervisory activity (with Swansea University staff present)
will take place on campus. In line with UKVI protocol, these sessions
will be monitored and data made available on request.
There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study at least 40 credits of this course through the medium of Welsh.
Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea
University. We can offer you:
Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
One-to-one support through the medium of Welsh to improve your academic skills.
An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence
of your Welsh language ability for future employers, namely the WJEC and Coleg Cymraeg’s Welsh Language
Certificate.
This programme is primarily aimed at Canadian students, and as a result, complies with the National Committee on Accreditation (the Canadian body responsible for accrediting non-Canadian law degrees) requirements.
To be accredited by the NCA, students must satisfy UK Bar Standards Board requirements, namely, the successful completion of Contract Law, Tort, Public Law, Land Law, Equity and Trusts, and EU Law in Context, all of which are core modules on this programme.
Our law degrees are taught by experts, some of whom are experienced legal practitioners and all of whom have a wealth of legal knowledge to pass on to our students.
You can find out more about our academic expertise on our staff pages.
Fees for full time undergraduate UK students may increase in subsequent years of study in line with the maximum regulated fee level set by the Welsh Government
You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.
Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's
scholarships and bursaries
page.
Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually.
For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.
Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.
You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):
Travel to and from campus
Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your
personal tutor, the Centre for Academic
Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas
such as:
Academic writing
Maths and statistics
Critical thinking
Time management
Digital skills
Presentation skills
Note taking
Revision, memory and exam techniques
English language skills (if English is not your first language).
In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability,
mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have
Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and
requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.
International summer programmes are open to students from all schools.
Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as
Sri Lanka, South Korea, Fiji, Bali, the USA and across Europe. For more
information about programmes and eligibility visit our
Summer Abroad webpages.
We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application
deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can
find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.
At Swansea, we have a range of law-focused societies, which offer opportunities for you to meet fellow students and take part in a variety of activities. These societies are all run for students, by students, and include:
The University will seek to deliver each course in accordance with the
descriptions set out in the relevant course web pages at the time of
application. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable
or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision,
either before or after enrolment.
The information below is for students starting their courses in 2016 or
later.
The University will not normally make very substantial changes to courses
(for example, a change to the course title, significant restructuring,
substantial change in course content, or the introduction of a progression
hurdle) which would impact on students who have already begun their course.
In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary for the University to make
such a change after acceptance of a place by an offer-holder. This will not
happen less than 5 months before enrolment. The offer-holder will be
notified of the change and will have the opportunity to withdraw their
application and apply elsewhere.
Other changes could be made to course content, study location, delivery and
teaching provision because of developments in the relevant subject,
enhancements in teaching or assessment practice, requirements of external
accreditation processes, changes in staffing, resource constraints or
changes in the availability of facilities. Such changes will take account of
the reasonable expectations of prospective and current students.
Summary of Changes
Date of Change
10/02/2026
Course Title(s)
Law (JD Pathway),
LLB (Hons)
3 Year
Full Time
(MJ30)
Material Change
There are changes to this programme’s credit structure at more than one level of study plus extensive changes to the programme’s structure that impact whether modules are compulsory and optional.
Reason for Change
These updates are designed to make your learning experience more streamlined, relevant and manageable.
