What is a Law degree?
A Law degree teaches you how legal systems work and how to apply legal rules and reasoning to real situations, covering core areas of law alongside the research, writing and argument skills needed to think like a lawyer.
In the UK and most Commonwealth countries, a "qualifying" Law degree (an LLB) covers a set of core legal subjects required for professional qualification later, alongside optional modules that let you explore areas that interest you. The degree isn't only useful for people who want to become solicitors or barristers. Its emphasis on structured reasoning, written argument and evidence-based analysis is valued across many careers that have nothing to do with practising law.
Is a Law degree the same everywhere in the world?
No, and this is one of the most important things to understand before applying. Whether Law is even an undergraduate subject at all depends heavily on which country you're looking at.
In the UK, most of Europe, and most Commonwealth countries (Australia, Canada, India, and others), Law is studied as a standard undergraduate degree, typically an LLB. In the United States, Law isn't an undergraduate subject. Instead, students complete a bachelor's degree in any subject first, then apply separately to law school for a postgraduate JD (Juris Doctor), usually a further three years. Legal systems also differ fundamentally between countries: most of the UK, US, Canada and Commonwealth countries use common law, built on case precedent, while most of continental Europe, and countries influenced by it, use civil law, built on comprehensive legal codes. If you're considering studying law abroad, check both the structure of the degree and which legal system it's actually training you in, since a law degree from one system doesn't always translate directly into qualification in another.
What do you actually study on a Law degree?
Most qualifying Law degrees combine a set of required "foundation" subjects with optional modules that let you specialise as you progress.
Common foundational modules include:
- Contract Law, covering how legally binding agreements are formed, interpreted and enforced
- Tort Law, covering civil wrongs such as negligence and liability
- Criminal Law, covering how criminal responsibility is defined and applied
- Public Law, covering constitutional principles, human rights and how government power is exercised and limited
- Land Law, covering property rights and ownership
- Equity and Trusts, covering fairness-based legal principles and the law governing trusts
- EU Law or Public International Law, depending on the country and university
Optional modules commonly include Employment Law, Intellectual Property, Family Law, Commercial Law, Human Rights Law, International Law and Company Law, letting you shape the degree toward the area of practice, or the non-legal career, that interests you most. Some students combine Law with a personal interest to move into a niche area, Sports Law is one example, sitting at the intersection of general legal training and a specific industry.
Specialisations, joint degrees and how Law compares to related subjects
You don't have to choose a fully general Law degree. Many universities let you lean toward a specific area, such as Commercial Law, Human Rights Law or International Law, through your optional modules, and joint honours degrees (Law with Criminology, Politics, a language, or Business) let you study a second subject in genuine depth alongside it.
If you're still deciding whether Law itself is the right subject, here's how it compares to some commonly considered alternatives:
| Compare to | Choose it instead if... | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
| Criminology | You're interested in crime and the justice system specifically, not law broadly | Focuses on crime, criminal behaviour and the justice system from a social science angle; doesn't lead to solicitor or barrister qualification directly |
| Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) or Politics | You're more interested in policy and government than legal rules themselves | Explores government, justice and policy from a theoretical and analytical angle rather than Law's direct focus on legal rules and application |
| Business Management | You want broader exposure to how organisations run, not just their legal framework | Broader business exposure versus deep, structured legal reasoning training; many students combine both through joint degrees or a career in commercial law |
| International Relations | You're more interested in how states and governments interact than the legal frameworks behind it | Focuses on state and institutional relationships, while Law's International Law modules focus on the legal frameworks governing them |
Criminology
- Choose it instead if...
- You're interested in crime and the justice system specifically, not law broadly
- Key difference
- Focuses on crime, criminal behaviour and the justice system from a social science angle; doesn't lead to solicitor or barrister qualification directly
Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) or Politics
- Choose it instead if...
- You're more interested in policy and government than legal rules themselves
- Key difference
- Explores government, justice and policy from a theoretical and analytical angle rather than Law's direct focus on legal rules and application
- Choose it instead if...
- You want broader exposure to how organisations run, not just their legal framework
- Key difference
- Broader business exposure versus deep, structured legal reasoning training; many students combine both through joint degrees or a career in commercial law
International Relations
- Choose it instead if...
- You're more interested in how states and governments interact than the legal frameworks behind it
- Key difference
- Focuses on state and institutional relationships, while Law's International Law modules focus on the legal frameworks governing them
What skills does a Law degree develop?
A Law degree builds strong analytical, research and persuasive writing skills, which is a large part of why law graduates are recruited across so many industries beyond law itself.
Skills you can expect to build include structured legal reasoning and analysis, in-depth legal research, persuasive written and oral argument, close reading and interpretation of complex material, and the ability to construct and defend a position under scrutiny, whether in an essay, a written problem question, or a moot (a simulated court case). These skills transfer directly into careers in business, policy, journalism, consulting and the civil service, not just legal practice.
What entry requirements do you need for a Law degree, and is the LNAT required?
Entry requirements vary by country and university, and while grades matter significantly, some universities also require the LNAT (Law National Aptitude Test), a separate assessment of reading comprehension and argument.
In the UK, this typically means A-levels, BTECs or the International Baccalaureate, with no specific subject required, Law isn't offered at A-level in a way that's expected beforehand. Some universities (though not all) require the LNAT as part of the application. In the US, since Law is postgraduate, undergraduate entry requirements are for your bachelor's degree in any subject, with the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) only required later, when applying to law school itself. Always check individual university requirements directly, since they vary significantly even within the same country.
How long is a Law degree, and what work experience should you get?
A qualifying Law degree is typically three years in the UK, extending to four years with a placement, study abroad, or if combined with another subject in a joint honours degree.
Unlike some subjects, formal placement years are less standard in Law. Instead, the most valuable experience tends to come from vacation schemes (short, structured work placements at law firms, usually during university holidays) and mini-pupillages (short periods of work shadowing at barristers' chambers). Getting involved in mooting (mock trials or appeals) and university law clinics or pro bono schemes is also widely regarded as valuable, both for building genuine legal skills and for strengthening applications to training contracts or pupillages later.
What careers can a Law degree lead to?
A Law degree can lead directly into practising as a solicitor or barrister, but a substantial share of graduates build careers entirely outside legal practice, in business, government, finance and beyond.
According to UK graduate outcome data, around 45% of law graduates go into legal professional roles, including solicitors and lawyers, legal associate professionals, and legal secretarial roles. Beyond direct legal practice, law graduates commonly move into local or central government (around 12% of graduates), business and management, finance, policy and journalism. Many large graduate employers outside the legal sector specifically value the analytical and argumentative skills a Law degree develops, regardless of whether the graduate intends to qualify as a lawyer at all.
Source: Graduate Outcomes survey data, HESA, via Prospects.ac.uk
How much do Law graduates earn?
There's no single salary figure for a Law graduate, since earnings vary enormously between practising solicitors at large commercial firms, barristers building an independent practice, and graduates who move into entirely different sectors.
Within legal practice specifically, salaries vary substantially by firm size and practice area, large commercial "City" firms in London typically pay significantly more to newly qualified solicitors than smaller regional firms or the public sector (such as the Crown Prosecution Service or local government legal teams). For graduates who move outside legal practice, earnings follow whatever industry they enter. Rather than relying on a single figure, use official sources such as Discover Uni in the UK, or your target country's equivalent, to compare specific universities and courses, and research salary data for the specific practice area or sector you're interested in directly.
Where can you study Law?
Law is offered by universities worldwide, though as covered earlier, the structure of the degree and the legal system it trains you in can differ significantly by country.
For a full breakdown of studying law in specific countries, typical costs, and how qualification requirements differ internationally, see our Study Abroad guide, along with individual country guides such as Studying in the UK, Studying in the US, Studying in Canada and Studying in Australia, each covering Law specifically alongside other subjects.
On rankings: as with most subjects, global and domestic law rankings frequently disagree with each other, since they weigh research output, reputation and outcomes differently. Use rankings as one input for a shortlist, not a final answer, and weigh them against course content, qualification routes available, and graduate outcomes.
(Links above will go live as each Study Abroad page is published.)
Does a Law degree lead to a Masters, or a professional qualification?
Yes, though Law works differently from most subjects, since becoming a practising solicitor or barrister involves a specific professional qualification route rather than, or alongside, further academic study.
To become a solicitor in England and Wales, the route now runs through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), introduced in September 2021. You need a degree (in any subject, not necessarily Law), you must pass both SQE1 and SQE2, complete two years of qualifying work experience, and meet the SRA's character and suitability requirements. Notably, a non-law degree no longer requires a formal law conversion course to qualify this way, though many non-law graduates still choose to take preparatory study before sitting the SQE. Some students who started under the previous system (via the GDL and LPC) can still complete that route under transitional arrangements running until the end of 2032.
To become a barrister, the route still requires completing an approved Bar training course and a period of supervised practical training called pupillage, alongside meeting the Bar Standards Board's academic and vocational requirements.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate qualification routes and professional bodies, so requirements differ from England and Wales specifically, always check the relevant regulator directly (the Law Society of Scotland or the Law Society of Northern Ireland) if you're studying or planning to qualify there.
An LLM (a specialised postgraduate Masters in Law) is another common route, particularly for students who want to specialise in a specific area, such as commercial law, human rights law or international law, or who studied a non-qualifying law degree and want to deepen their legal knowledge.
(We'll be publishing a full guide to qualifying as a solicitor or barrister after your degree soon, covering the SQE and Bar training routes in more depth. This section will link there once it's live.)
Is a Law degree worth it, even if you don't want to become a lawyer?
Yes, for many students. A Law degree's analytical and argumentative skillset is widely valued outside legal practice, so it doesn't lock you into one career path the way it might first appear.
Its biggest advantage is the strength and transferability of the skills it builds, structured reasoning, evidence-based argument and rigorous writing are valued across business, government, finance, journalism and policy roles, not just legal ones. Its main trade-off is that it's a demanding, reading and writing heavy subject, and if you're set on practising law specifically, the professional qualification route (SQE or Bar training) adds real additional time, cost and competition on top of the degree itself, worth researching thoroughly before committing to that path specifically.
How can you strengthen your application and career prospects during a Law degree?
Your degree is only one part of qualifying as a lawyer, or building a non-legal career from a Law degree, and the strongest candidates build practical experience and evidence of legal skills throughout their studies.
Worth prioritising: applying to vacation schemes at law firms and mini-pupillages at barristers' chambers, ideally starting in your first or second year rather than waiting until final year, since competition is intense and early applications are common; getting involved in mooting competitions, which sharpen exactly the oral argument skills recruiters look for; volunteering with a university law clinic or pro bono scheme, such as Street Law or LawWorks style initiatives, to build genuine client facing experience; and reading legal news and judgments regularly to build commercial and legal awareness ahead of interviews.
Not sure whether Law, or another course entirely, actually fits your grades and interests? Try StudyDecidr's free course matching tool to get a curated shortlist based on your predicted grades and career ambitions. (International and postgraduate course matching is coming soon.)
Curious what studying Law is actually like day to day? Read Michael's story about studying LLB Law at the University of Reading, including how he balanced a First Class Honours degree with competitive athletics and where his interest in Sports Law is taking him next.
Sources and keeping this guide up to date
Entry requirements, professional qualification routes, fees and rankings change regularly and vary significantly by country, so always check the latest information directly with the relevant university or professional regulator (such as the SRA or Bar Standards Board in England and Wales) before making decisions based on this guide.
For UK applicants, UCAS provides current course and entry requirement information, Discover Uni provides course-level data on student outcomes and earnings, and the Graduate Outcomes survey collects data from graduates 15 months after completing higher education.