Frequently Asked Questions about studying Law at Essex

Here are answers to the questions we often get asked by people thinking about applying to the School of Law at Essex.

You can also see lots of information about Law courses offered at Essex in our Coursefinder.

FAQs for all LLM courses

FAQs for LLM in International Human Rights Law

1. Who can I contact about my application?

Please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office by e-mail at: admit@essex.ac.uk for any undergraduate admissions enquiries.

2.What are the entry requirements to study law at the University of Essex?

The standard requirements are AAB in three A levels. For those studying the International Baccalaureate, the standard conditional offer will be 36 points. For other qualifications please see our prospectus. For mature applicants (aged over 21) the entry requirements are different, please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office at:  admit@essex.ac.uk.

3. Why was I / am I being interviewed?

It is our policy at Essex to interview as many prospective students as possible so that we can get to know you and vice versa. Some students will also be interviewed if we have not been able to make an offer on the paper application only, for example where that person has been out of education for some time or the predicted grades do not meet our standard conditional offer requirements. We do not like to dismiss prospective students out of hand and so will endeavour to interview in order to be able to make a more informed decision.

4. When will I hear back from the interview?

We will endeavour to move speedily following the interview and the decision should reach you within two weeks.

5. Suppose that I don't do as well as I hope and don't meet your standard conditions?

If you find that you have slipped down a grade or two in August please don't panic. We cannot promise anything, but we will consider your situation in full. We will be in contact with you.

Law at Essex

1. How is the academic year organised?

Essex works on a basic calendar of three terms each of ten weeks. The autumn term will commence in the first week of October for a period of ten weeks. There is then a four week vacation for the Christmas break. Classes recommence in January for the spring term for a further ten weeks, ending with a four week vacation. Classes recommence in March/April for the summer term for a further ten weeks. Exams usually take place during May/June. The teaching day commences at 9am. and ends at 6pm. Lectures can be timetabled between these hours. Wednesday afternoons are traditionally kept free of teaching.

2. How many hours of teaching can I expect?

The law modules at Essex are taught over approximately 12 hours per week. In the core modules, students can expect two hours of large-group teaching (lectures) per week and one bi-weekly seminar/tutorial.

3. What does LLB mean?

It is an abbreviation of the Latin for Bachelor of Laws. Wherever you see this degree designation at Essex you can be assured that all of the Law Society requirements will have been met, which means that the degree will exempt the student from the first stage of professional training. Some Universities on the other hand use different letters – some having non-qualifying LLBs, whilst others have qualifying BAs.

4. Will you send me preparatory reading over the summer?

We do have a list of suggested reading material that is sent to you upon formal acceptance of a place at Essex. This will usually be sent to you in September and is intended to help you to prepare for your forthcoming classes.

5. How are the law degree courses structured?

All law degrees contain a mixture of compulsory and optional modules and a combination of 30 credit modules and 15 credit modules.  On the three year LLB, 225 credits are compulsory modules; these largely comprise those subjects required by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board in order for a student to graduate with a ‘qualifying’ law degree.  Students are also required to take the module LW105 Academic Legal and Professional Skills, which teaches the key skills needed to succeed on a law degree. 

Students are able to choose the remaining 135 credits from a range of optional modules available, or to take modules from other departments.  The 4 year LLB Laws (Including Year Abroad) is structured identically to the LLB, save that the third year will be spent at a partner university overseas, with the student returning to Essex for their fourth year; students may be required to take a language module in their first two years.  The four-year joint course LLB courses include the same 225 credits of compulsory law content, with the remaining modules including some compulsory study in their other subject, and optional modules from both disciplines.  The three-year BA joint courses include a mixture of law modules and modules from the second discipline.  For the LLB English and French Law (with Matrise/Master I) two years are spent in the UK and two at partner universities in France.  Again, please refer to the prospectus for further information. 

6. What is the staff-student ratio?

The School of Law as a whole comprises forty-one full-time members of staff and the intake is typically two-hundred. This gives a staff-student ratio of roughly 1:15 in the department as a whole. In tutorials (small-group teaching) there are usually 12 students to one tutor.

7. What happens when I first arrive at the University of Essex?

Students will attend an induction meeting in the School of Law, as well as University based events such as tours of the campus.  Students are assigned a personal academic tutor in the School who will be happy to answer any problems or queries; their personal tutor will also be their tutor for the compulsory first year module Academic, Legal and Professional Skills (ALPS).  The first week is also a chance to attend social events in order to assimilate into university life and to make new friends. 

8. How many examinations will I have to sit?

In the first year of the LLB Law and LLB Law (Including Year Abroad) you will be required to sit two examinations; students on the LLB English and French Law and the joint degrees will have more examinations.  For the remainder of your time at Essex the number of examinations very much depends upon which optional modules you choose. Typically, 30 credit modules have three hour exams and a coursework element and 15 credit modules are assessed either by a two hour exam or by coursework.

9. Will I be required to write essays?

Law is a highly analytical subject and the main mode of assessment is by written essays and problem-based questions.  Problem questions establish a set of fictional facts that the student is required to understand and analyse in order to apply the appropriate law.  Most modules require students to submit written essays and/or problem questions.  Some of these will be formative (ie they do not count towards the overall module mark) but others will contribute to your module mark and some modules are assessed solely by coursework essays.  Students may also write a 15,000 word dissertation on a topic of their choosing in place of one of their options in the final year. 

10. How are classes organised and how big are they?

For most compulsory modules, students attend for two hours of lectures per week and a one hour tutorial each fortnight.  Lectures are whole group classes, with as many as 200 students in attendance.  Tutorials are smaller group classes with 10-15 students per class.  Here the students are usually given a reading list and a number of suggested questions or issues for discussion to prepare in advance.  For the core first year module LW105 Academic, Legal and Professional Skills, students have weekly tutorials in small groups. 

11. Do you have many mature students?　

The number of mature students will vary from year to year but Essex does tend to attract a good level of mature students.

12.  How does the Academic, Legal and Professional Skills module (ALPS) work?

Academic, Legal and Professional Skills (ALPS) is a 15 credit module which is compulsory for all law students in their first year.  It is designed to introduce students to techniques and materials essential to the study and practice of law.  ALPS is taught in small groups by full time members of academic staff and involves a high level of staff-student contact.  It is a practical, skills based module and is assessed by combination of a portfolio of written assignments and an oral presentation. 

13. How does the Legal Skills module fit in?

This module is a practical module designed to introduce the students to techniques and materials essential to the study and practice of law. Because of its importance, this module runs during the first year of the course for all students and is compulsory. The module runs for five weeks during both the autumn and spring term.

14. Can I take another module not connected with the law, for example, History, History of Art or Languages?

Yes.  The number of optional modules a student may take will depend upon the degree they are studying for but, a student on the three year LLB will have 120 credits worth of options to fulfil.  These options may either be chosen from among the many and varied law modules that we offer, or a student may elect to undertake one or more modules in another department.  This can be a good way of keeping up an interest in another subject studied previously or learning about a completely new area.  One requirement is that the level of the module taken (second or third year level) must correspond with the current year of study of the student. 

15. Can I transfer from the three-year LLB course to the 'English and European Law' course, or vice versa?

If you wish to study in France, Spain, Italy, Austria or Germany, you must transfer either before arriving at University or within the first week.  You must possess at least a grade “B” in the relevant language at A level.  If you wish to study at a university which teaches in English, then you can do so before you start at Essex or after your first year results are known.  Please bear in mind that any student wishing to study abroad for a year is required to achieve an average mark of at least 53% in their first year modules. 

16. Will I be able to transfer from one law programme to another during the course?

There is no automatic right to transfer between law courses once you have started the course, for example from a four-year joint course, English and French Law or the Laws (International Year Abroad) course, to the three-year LLB and vice versa.  Whilst it is generally possible to transfer to single honours Law from the joint honours courses after the first year, it is not possible to transfer in the other direction without repeating the year because of pre-requisite requirements in other departments. 

17. Do you permit direct second-year entrance?

Please see our direct second year entrance web page.

More about the School

1. Do you have a personal tutor system?

Yes.  At Essex we believe that the student is paramount and the student’s welfare is very important to us.  All students are allocated a member of academic staff who acts as their personal tutor for the duration of their studies at Essex.  In the School of Law, we integrate the personal tutor system with the core first year module Academic, Legal and Professional Skills (ALPS), so your personal tutor will be your ALPS tutor.  The personal tutor is available for any general welfare issues that the student wishes to discuss.  It is a confidential system. 

2. Why is staff research important?

Research is a fundamental aspect of a lecturer's teaching. Good quality research, like that undertaken by the School of Law at Essex, will feed directly into the lecturer's teaching giving students the assurance that they are learning the most up-to-date law and have the opportunity to analyse cutting-edge developments.

3. Do you guarantee a place on the Legal Practice Module (LPC)?

We do have an arrangement with the College of Law which guarantees a place for any student graduating with at least a lower second class (2:2) degree.

4. Do we help with placements with law firms?

Students wishing to undertake law placements in barristers' chambers or solicitors' offices will usually do so during the summer vacation of their first or second year. We actively encourage students at Essex who have not already done so to undertake such a placement. Time spent seeing how the role of a solicitor or barrister is performed can ensure a more informed choice, which is reassuring for the student and can be a pre-requisite for many firms. The Careers Centre at Essex is very good and, in co-operation with the school careers advisor, organises an annual law careers fair. This is an opportunity for those students interested in a career in law to listen to a number of interesting and relevant talks, for example, concerning how and when to apply for post-qualification training and how to write an effective CV. The University also arranges for a selection of law firms and other employers to visit the campus for a special law fair; this is a very good opportunity for students to talk with solicitors and to compare different firms. However, the application process will then be up to the student; a career in law demands a degree of perseverance and determination, and so students are expected to undertake research on the type of firm that they wish to work in and to make the formal application.

5. How can we tell whether you are as good as another University?

This is a difficult question to answer, but there may be a number of factors that you would like to consider when choosing between institutions: (1) a higher research rating (as here) will indicate a research-led department which generally translates into more up-to-date teaching, (2) a good teaching record (Excellent as here), (3) the entrance requirements - many Universities now require the equivalent of at least AAB at A level (as here) which is a sign that the institution is a selecting University. Other factors that may influence your choice will include; the course itself, staff-student ratio, travelling distance of the institution from home, cost, availability and distance of accommodation at the university, and whether it is a campus or city based university.

More about the University

1. Can I work while I am at university?

During term-time students are permitted to carry on employment, but we urge you to ensure that you keep this to a minimum so that your studies are not overly affected. The University has an excellent JobShop on campus, which helps students to find work on campus, or in the local area.

2. Will I need to have my own computer?

Any written module work must be typed and so familiarity with computers is a must. In addition students may be contacted en bloc via email. However, there is no necessity to own a computer as there are very extensive computing facilities on campus with 24 hour availability. In addition, all University-owned accommodation has networked computing facilities, which means that for student residents who do own a computer internet facilities are available from the student's own room, are faster than broadband, are available 24 hours a day seven days a week and are free of charge (that means already included in the cost of the accommodation). There is also a computing help desk on campus with trained staff available for general advice.

3. Will I need to buy books?

The module supervisor will liaise with the library to ensure that there is sufficient number of copies available in the library of the core and supplementary texts. However, for convenience most students will purchase at least some of their own books each year. We do have on campus a second hand book shop which will buy used books at a good price, so that the outlay for the second and final years is a little reduced. The library also stocks a large range of periodicals and other materials for use by students. In addition, students will also have access to a number of databases (including periodicals and other materials) via the internet, which are free of charge.

There is a branch of Waterstones on campus which will stock all core texts.

Study abroad

Studying abroad in English

If you want to study abroad but do not feel comfortable learning another language, then there are plenty of countries where teaching is delivered in English.  We have partner institutions teaching in English in Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.