Global Legal Studies LLB Honours

Course overview

The challenges the world faces need global responses. From climate change to technological innovations, legal systems are adapting to address issues that transcend domestic borders.

On our Global Legal Studies LLB you'll develop an understanding of the complexities of law in a global context.

In addition to developing a strong grounding in the UK legal system, you'll develop a foundation in comparative law techniques, and an understanding of EU law, international law and its institutions.

On our four-year course you'll gain a strong legal foundation with a global perspective. Choose from a wide range of global facing optional modules, allowing you to pursue your interests in specialist legal areas such as:

• Global intellectual property law
• Environmental law, and
• International human rights law

With a focus on law in a global context, you’ll:

• Gain an understanding of the nature of law and its multi-disciplinary development.
• Develop expertise in analysis, legal research and legal argumentation.
• Study key topics across EU and international law, and draw on experiences in other jurisdictions through comparative law perspectives.
• Gain disciplinary insights into different legal systems and legal cultures from around the world.
• Interact with leading experts across the fields of global public and private law and delve into specialist subjects on how law responds to contemporary challenges.

You'll spend year three at one of our prestigious international partner universities. This means you’ll graduate with an LLB and can draw on the experiences and skills developed during your international exchange year, strengthening your prospects with graduate recruiters.

Global Legal Studies opens up a wealth of career opportunities in a range of globalised sectors. Graduates can use their skills and knowledge to tackle the contemporary challenges facing today’s globalised world.

The Global Legal Studies LLB programme provides students with the understanding and insights to thrive in a career in global legal practice.

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Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2023-24.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

In Stage 1 of this programme, you will be introduced to Global Law. You will develop an overview of the challenges facing the international legal system and the institutions working within it. You’ll review case studies from Newcastle Law School researchers, focussing on environmental challenges and technical innovation.

During Stage 1 you’ll study compulsory modules where you’ll be introduced to the foundations of legal studies. Stage 1 modules provide you with the skills and legal techniques to develop your legal thinking and expression.

 

Compulsory Modules	Credits
LAW1222: Introduction to Global Law	20

 

Core Modules	Credits
LAW1210: Legal Institutions and Method	20
LAW1220: Constitutional Law	20
LAW1221: Contract Law	20
LAW1240: Administrative Law and Human Rights	20
LAW1262: The UK and EU Law	20

In Stage Two, there are a number of core modules that progress from Stage 1 and complete the foundations of legal knowledge, helping you to further develop your legal skills.

During Stage 2 you’ll also study a compulsory module in Global Private Law where you’ll be introduced to international private, transnational private, comparative tort and comparative contract law, and a compulsory module in Public International Law.

Within Global Private Law, you will study from selected case studies taught by Newcastle Law School experts in private law, for example an introduction to Islamic finance or global competition law. This module provides a grounding in private law that can be developed through optional modules across the degree programme.

Compulsory Modules	Credits
LAW2264: Introduction to Global Private Law	20
LAW3017: Public International Law	20

 

Core Modules	Credits
LAW2222: Land Law	20
LAW2260: Criminal Law	20
LAW2261: General Principles of Tort	20
LAW2263: Equity and Trusts	20

You’ll spend Stage 3 of your degree studying at one of our international partner institutions and you’ll complete an individual-directed global research project, drawing on what you have learnt in your year abroad.

During the exchange year abroad, you’ll have the opportunity to increase your understanding and awareness of different legal systems, gain intercultural perspectives, and to demonstrate organisational ability, teamwork, and the ability to adapt, and to operate in a different culture.

Compulsory Modules	Credits
LAW2120: Global Reflection Research Project	20

 

Core Modules	Credits
LAW2110: Global Experience for Year Abroad Students	100

 

Stage 4 will allow you to select modules from a range of optional modules, plus a compulsory module in Global Constitutional Law.

You will take 100 credits of optional modules. Up to 40 of these credits can be non-Law modules (highlighted with an * below), subject to DPD approval. This will enable you to take up a subject relevant to your career goals, or academic interests.

Compulsory Modules	Credits
LAW3053: Global Constitutional Law	20

 

Optional Modules	Credits
BUS2000: Human Resource Management*	20
BUS3000: Enterprise and Entrepreneurship with Lean Innovation*	20
BUS3057: International Business Diplomancy*	20
LAS2030: Comparative History of Hispano-America*	20
LAS4001: Inter-American Relations*	20
LAW3003: Competition Law	20
LAW3010: Company Law	20
LAW3013: Criminology and Criminal Justice	20
LAW3015: Environmental Law	20
LAW3016: Evidence	20
LAW3020: Employment Law	20
LAW3024: Medicine, Law and Bioethics	20
LAW3027: Research Topic in Law	20
LAW3029: Law and Literature	20
LAW3032: Legal Theory	20
LAW3034: Fundamentals of Human Rights Law	20
LAW3035: Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Law	20
LAW3036: Family Law	20
LAW3038: Law and History	20
LAW3041: Law and Gender	20
LAW3047: Commercial Law	20
LAW3054: Sports Law	20
LAW3055: Global Intellectual Property Law and Policy	20
LAW3098: Dissertation in Law	40
LAW3253: Private Law Remedies	20
LAW3254: Animal Rights Law	20
NCL3007: Career Development for final year students *	20

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2022-23.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present.
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You'll learn through a combination of:

• lectures
• seminars
• interactive workshops

In lectures, you should engage with the delivered content. You'll do this through note-taking and active participation in the large group format. The subject specialists provide a guided path through the module to support student learning and understanding.

In seminars and workshops, you'll discuss legal issues. You'll work through problem questions or debates regarding the effectiveness, desirability or clarity of law in a particular area in small groups. Discussions will be wide-ranging, such as:

• the likely outcome of a scenario concerning the breach of contractual terms in a construction contract
• the ways in which the legal profession are adapting to changing cultural and ethical standards
• what the study of literary works can tell us about the way that law is perceived by society

To get the most out of these sessions you'll prepare individually. Independent study and research are central to the skills required of a law degree and in many of the professional careers desired by law graduates. The emphasis on the following skills are essential for excellent degree outcomes:

• self-guided study
• engagement with a wider body of legal and academic materials
• a genuine curiosity

Law is about reflection, debate and argumentation. Student engagement with seminars and other interactive sessions are fundamental to this.

 

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assessments

• 

  Assignments – written or fieldwork

• 

  Coursework

• 

  Dissertation or research project

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Seminar tasks/exercises

Skills and experience

You will be given the opportunity to develop a portfolio of professional skills and boost your employability through:

• mooting
• client interviewing
• using legal databases
• negotiating deals

You'll put them to the test in prestigious internal and external competitions.

Find out more about practical activities

Opportunities

Study abroad

You’ll spend Stage 3 of your degree studying at one of our international partner institutions. Our international partners include:

• University of California Davis,
• McGill University in Montreal,
• National University of Singapore,
• University of Tasmania,
• Luiss in Rome,
• University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona

As part of this year abroad you’ll complete an individual-directed global research project, drawing on what you have learnt in your year abroad.

Find out more about study abroad

Facilities and environment

Facilities

Situated on the eastern side of the city campus, the Law School offers you a great sense of community. It has everything you need as a law student:

• a 270 seater law lecture theatre
• computer cluster
• seminar rooms
• a dedicated law library

The student common room is a great place to relax and catch up with fellow students. As our academic and support staff are all based in the same building, you'll find it easy to seek advice whenever you need it.

We also have a dedicated mooting room, which provides the perfect environment to develop your advocacy skills.

Support

Newcastle Law School has a long history of providing a comprehensive support network for students.

In your first year, you will be assigned a personal tutor. This academic member of staff will guide your studies, with weekly office hours when you can drop in for advice. This relationship ensures that your reference will be prepared by someone who knows you personally.

A fellow student will also be assigned as your peer mentor. They will help ensure that the transition from school/college to university, as well as the transitions between different years at university, are as seamless as possible.

Student mentors will give you guidance on everything from how to get the most out of lectures and the library, to how best to enjoy Newcastle as a city.

Your future

The Global Legal Studies LLB will prepare you for a career in the globalised legal space.

Law firms are going increasingly global, operating across many jurisdictions, and working with clients around the world. A Global Legal Studies LLB will help you respond to these demands of law in practice.

Our programme opens up career avenues in law-related institutions such as international organisations, global charities, and non-governmental organisations working to address global challenges.

The Global Legal Studies programme includes the Foundations of Legal Knowledge, which will help you go on to study to become a solicitor or barrister in the UK.

Graduates can take further studies to meet the requirements to practise law in other countries around the world. We also offer a global perspective that is particularly attractive to employers specialising in transnational, EU, and international law.

90% of graduates from Newcastle Law School were in employment after 6 months of graduating. They have gone on to secure roles in International Law Firms such as Clifford Chance and Clyde and Co, as well as the Civil Service and banking.

*Graduate Outcomes 2019/20

Make a difference

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Careers support

You'll have access to the Law School's dedicated careers advisor, and be able to hear talks on the profession by practising lawyers, gain experience via one of our five award-winning pro bono schemes, apply for a legal internship, and meet potential employers at our annual Law School Careers Fair.

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2024 entry (per year)

Qualification: LLB Honours
Home students full time 4 years	Tuition fees (per year) 9250
International students full time 4 years	Tuition fees (per year)

Home Fee Students

The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for home fee-paying students is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages