Law with Criminal Justice LLB (Hons)

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Available with:

  • Foundation Year

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Course Summary

Gain a rich understanding of the key components and fundamentals of Law and Criminal Justice through the learning on this degree.

Chester Law School maintains strong links with local legal professionals and the wider community to enhance our course, ensuring that you make the most out of your time at university. Specialist opportunities such as guest lecturers and an array of co-curricular outreach and pro bono (free legal advice) opportunities can enhance your skillset and transform you into a Law graduate who stands out from the crowd.

Studying our Law with Criminal Justice degree allows you to tailor your studies to your interests. Gain a rich understanding of key concepts in your first year of study and experience our Experiential Law module in your second year. Final-year students have the opportunity to focus their studies on areas of Law that particularly interest them, developing their skills within their chosen specialist modules before they graduate.

Outside of your studies, join our Law Society which hosts a variety of events throughout the year, gain an insight into law in the real world by volunteering with the department’s Legal Advice Clinic, or get involved with Chester Community Law Project, the Law School’s student-led outreach programme which enables volunteers to use their legal knowledge to benefit our local community.

Our team is made up of former practitioners and nationally recognised academic lawyers, committed to helping our students make their career aspirations a reality. 

Why You'll Love It

Become an expert in the courtroom with our Mooting activities

Develop advocacy skills and build presentation-skill confidence within our bespoke moot room setting. Present legal issues against an opposing counsel, before a judge, in a mock courtroom and beyond. Benefit from strong links with local Barristers and Judges where you get the opportunity to moot in front of real-world practitioners and network with professionals from across legal practice.

student in court presenting

Legal Advice Centre volunteering

Work with a real-life client on their case in either our General, Employment or Enterprise Clinics. Gain legal experience by interviewing the client, researching the law, and producing a letter of advice. Students are supervised by qualified solicitors from local and regional law firms, so you will also have the opportunity to network with solicitors and experience being supervised as you would as a paralegal or trainee solicitor.

lecturer helping student in front of laptop

Get Involved with our Chester Community Law Project opportunities

CCLP is an award-winning range of community outreach projects led by student project managers and operated by student volunteers. Each project aims to empower our local communities by providing free information and guidance on their legal rights. Help individuals facing a variety of challenges including homelessness, life-limiting conditions, domestic abuse, and other difficult situations. We currently operate 8 CCLP projects, so there's always something to get involved with.

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Study Law at the University of Chester

Study Law at the University of Chester

What You'll Study

The Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation Year route offers you an important preparation year as part of your four-year degree.

For Law and Criminal Justice subjects, you will explore legal frameworks, criminal justice systems, wider social contexts and issues, as well as case scenarios, and research and problem solving in law and criminology. 

For Humanities and Social Science subjects, you will explore people and societies and their beliefs, cultures, power structures, stories and narratives, as well as critical inquiry into societal issues and global affairs with contemporary and historical perspectives.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

This course is designed to give you the skills you need to progress into a range of careers across the legal and business sectors.

You’ll study modules that give you a comprehensive understanding of the inter-relationship between the world of law, business, and commerce. The course will equip you with academic and practical skills relevant to various professional careers within law, compliance, trade, private enterprise, and much more.

During the first year of study, students undertake modules that enable them to develop their knowledge and understanding of the foundations of legal knowledge.

MODULES

  • Contract Law (20 Credits) Core
  • Public Law (20 Credits) Core
  • Legal System, Skills and Professional Development (20 Credits) Core
  • Law in Context (20 Credits) Core
  • Law, Ethics and Morality (20 Credits) Core
  • Principles of Property Law (20 Credits) Core

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

The second year of study builds upon this foundation.

MODULES

  • Criminal Law (20 Credits) Core
  • Tort Law (20 Credits) Core
  • Law: Practice and Profession (20 Credits) Core
  • Law Experiential (20 Credits) Core
  • Criminological Theory (20 Credits) Core
  • Criminalisation and Injustices in Society (20 Credits) Core

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

At Level 6, students will apply their skills while undertaking an academic or practical major law project in an area of law or community engagement that interests them alongside their Criminal Justice pathway modules.

MODULES

  • Major Project (40 Credits) Core
  • Equity, Trusts and Property Law II (20 Credits) Core
  • Medical Law and Ethics OR Discrimination Law (20 Credits) Optional

And you can choose ONE of the following streams:

  • Evidence and Advanced Criminal stream (40 Credits) Optional
    • Evidence (20 Credits) Optional
    • Advanced Criminal Law & Practice (20 Credits) Optional
  • Human Rights and Social Justice stream (40 Credits) Optional
    • Human Rights Law (20 Credits) Optional
    • Social Justice (20 Credits) Optional

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

How You'll Learn

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Curriculum developed to match workforce priorities

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This course is designed around in-person study

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There may be some online learning activities

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You will be assessed in a variety of ways

The course is delivered through in-person learning in lectures, seminars and workshops. Online learning will also be utilised to support independent study, which will include guided reading and study, group work, and completing assessments.

Students will experience the benefits of block teaching with our course. Focus on two subjects at a time for deeper learning and stronger connections with tutors and classmates. The course adopts student-centred approach and offers tailored support through small seminar groups, fostering social and community learning.

Teaching will be delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers, where possible and appropriate.

This course is designed to develop highly skilled, confident, and independent graduates. By utilising authentic assessments that embed real-world employment skills, the course ensures that students are well-prepared for their future careers.

There is a broad range of assessment methods so that students are equipped to respond to the different types of tasks they might encounter in the workplace. These will include:

  • coursework in the form of professional reports
  • problem-based assessments
  • letters of advice
  • and presentations.

The methods of assessment on the course will be continuously reviewed to ensure that they adequately prepare students for graduate-level employment.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Study a Common First Year

This course shares a common first year with students on the Law and Law, Business and Commerce courses.

This means that you’ll learn alongside students studying a similar discipline, helping to broaden your knowledge and exposure to other concepts, perspectives and professions in the first year of your degree.

As you learn and collaborate with students from other courses, you'll not only widen your social and professional network but also learn new skills that will set you up for success in your industry.

In your second and third years, you will progress to studying more specialist modules within criminal justice, developing your skills to become a World Ready graduate.

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Mooting- Law LLB at Chester

Entry Requirements

120UCAS points

UCAS Tariff

120 points

GCE A Level

Typical offer – BBC-BBB

BTEC

BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM

International Baccalaureate

28 points

Irish / Scottish Highers

Irish Highers: H3, H3, H3, H3, H3

Scottish Highers: BBBB

Access requirements

Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above

T Level

T Level - Merit

OCR Cambridge Technicals

OCR Extended Diploma: DDM

Extra Information

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

  • IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
  • Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72UCAS points

UCAS Tariff

72 points

GCE A level

72 points overall, including grade D in A level

BTEC

BTEC Extended Diploma: MMP

International Baccalaureate

24 points

Irish / Scottish Highers

Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4

Scottish Highers: CCDD

Access requirements

Access to HE Diploma – Pass overall

T Level

T Level: Pass (D or E on the core)

OCR Cambridge Technicals

OCR Extended Diploma: MMP

Extra Information

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer.  We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree. 

Fees and Funding

£9,535per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,535 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

You can find more information about undergraduate fees on our Fees and Finance pages.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes. 

In November 2024, as part of the government’s Autumn Budget, it was confirmed that some foundation years from September 2025 will have a fee of £5,760 for the first foundation year of a four-year course. This is mainly for courses in the Humanities, Business, and Social Sciences disciplines. The following three years of these courses will be the standard fee of £9,535 per annum.

  Foundation (First) Year Second Year onwards per year
Home Students £5,760 for the first foundation year (2025/26) £9,535 per year from the second year onwards (2025/26)
International Students * £10,750 for the first foundation year (2025/26) £14,450 per year from the second year onwards (2025/26)

* For courses which accept applications from International Students

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees. 

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships. 

Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees and Finance section of our website.

Who You'll Learn From

Dr Niel Gillard

Senior Lecturer in Law, Programme Leader for Law, Law with Business, and Law with Criminology
Dr Niel Gillard

Where You'll Study Wheeler, Chester

City centre location

Located within the lively city centre of Chester and overlooking the River Dee, Wheeler is home to most courses within Nursing and Midwifery, Health and Social Care, and Law.

On-site library

Our on-site library houses extensive book collections, journals, and school-based resources, as well as computer suites and multimedia rooms that are ideal for Law students to access the Oxford University Press Law Trove, which houses all of their core texts online.

Social spaces

Wheeler’s café and coffee shop serves hot and cold drinks, snacks, and delicious meals. Meanwhile, the student common room provides a social, group work, and discussion space for students.

Your Future Career

Job prosects

The range of teaching and assessment methods used on the course, as well as the excellent opportunities for self-development, assists students in demonstrating, on graduation, an extensive range of skills that are transferable to a variety of professions.

Progression options

Our graduates have gone on to successful careers as solicitors and barristers as well as other professional roles and further study.

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

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