LLB Law and German

On the joint LLB programme you will study Scots law alongside German.

In Years 1 and 2, you will study foundation 'Ordinary' courses.

In Years 3 and 4, courses are studied at 'Honours' level, where you will choose from up to 40 specialist courses covering a range of theoretical, practical and historical fields of study.

If you wish to retain the option of practising as a lawyer in Scotland, it is sometimes (but not always) possible to complete the additional courses required.

This will typically require extra study throughout the programme. You must consider the possible impact of this on qualifying as a solicitor.

We highly encourage all students on joint degree honours programmes to discuss their intended pathway with the Law School.

Year 1

In Year 1, you will be introduced to general legal principles and legal techniques.

You will study compulsory courses including:

• Scottish Legal System
• Critical Legal Thinking
• Contract Law
• Family Law
• Public Law of the UK and Scotland
• European Union Law

You will also study courses in German.

If you haven't studied German before you will take German 1A, an intensive language course.

If your entry qualification for German is a Scottish Higher, A level, or equivalent, you will be admitted to German 1B, which covers language as well as literature and culture from 1770 to the present day.

Year 2

Law

In Year 2, your law courses may include:

• Property Law
• Jurisprudence
• Public Law and Individual Rights
• Delict
• Criminal Law
• Revenue Law
• International Private Law
• Business Entities
• Commercial Law
• Evidence
• Succession and Trust Law

German

You will study the compulsory language course German 2. This will further develop your oral language skills and enable you to practise:

• translation
• grammar
• writing different types of texts in German

You will complete your studies with two additional German courses from a range likely to include:

• Researching Disability in German Literature & Society
• Screening Sex: Gender, Sexuality, and Identity on the German Screen and Beyond
• Culture, Modernity and the City in the Weimar Republic
• Reading Antisemitism in Modern German Literature
• The Contemporary Short Story in German
• Migration in German-Language Discourse
• German Colonialism: History, Memory, Controversy

Year 3

During Year 3, you will spend at least 30 weeks on an approved study placement in a German-speaking country. You will study agreed courses in law and German.

Our graduates have told us how much this year abroad has benefited their broader life experience and skills, as well as their linguistic and intercultural competencies in German.

All students who spend Year 3 abroad must also take the compulsory course Advanced Legal Writing (Online).

Year 4

You will receive advanced legal skills training during your honours study and will have the opportunity to specialise in further law subjects, chosen from a wide range of courses, including:

• Commercial Law
• Property Law
• Family Law
• Criminology

You will consolidate your core language skills in German and take an honours-level option in an aspect of German-language literature or culture.

You have the option of completing a dissertation in law.

Programme structure

Find out more about the compulsory and optional courses in this degree programme.

To give you an idea of what you will study on this programme, we publish the latest available information. However, please note this may not be for your year of entry, but for a different academic year.

Programme structure (2024/25)

Our facilities

Law

The Law School has been housed in the Old College since the late 1800s. Our traditional and historic home underwent a full refurbishment, completed in 2019. This transformed the building into a 21st century home for the school, while celebrating and preserving the heritage and history of Old College.

As a student at Edinburgh Law School, you will benefit from excellent teaching, study, and research facilities.

Designed for the way you study, the new features include:

• a law library
• spacious seminar rooms
• dedicated student social spaces, including a café

Our library is one of the largest law libraries in the UK.

The Law School is ideally placed for those studying and working in the law. It is within easy walking distance of the highest courts in Scotland and the Scottish Parliament.

German

Teaching in German takes place in and around the University of Edinburgh's Central Area.

This is where you will also find the Main University Library which holds over 121,500 titles in German, including around:

• 95,000 books (printed and e-books)
• 5,425 journals

The Main Library's treasures include the Karin McPherson Collection. This is a unique resource for students interested in the literature and culture of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

The Collection presents a complete overview of the GDR’s literary (and sometimes broader) culture from 1949 to 1989, including internationally renowned and lesser-known writers.

Other activities

The Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) supports more than 300 student-led societies and clubs, including the German Society, and promotes opportunities with local charities through its volunteering centre.

If you love to write, our online creative writing magazine Babble is the place to publish your:

• prose
• poetry
• drama
• non-fiction

Babble goes out twice a year and includes work written in German and eight other European languages. You can get involved in the editorial committee, and launch nights typically include readings and performances.

Why Edinburgh?

Within the city, you will have access to specialist collections, including outstanding German holdings in the National Library of Scotland.

We have excellent links with the German Consulate, as well as with the Goethe-Institut.

Study abroad

You will spend Year 3 abroad (a minimum of 30 weeks) in a German-speaking country.

Turning classroom learning into a lived experience, your year abroad will allow you to deepen your knowledge of German by speaking it daily and immersing yourself in German culture.

Whether studying or working, this is a chance for you to evolve and grow beyond Edinburgh. Our graduates have told us how much the year abroad has benefited their broader life experience and skills.

What are my options for going abroad?

How will I learn?

Large group lectures provide the teaching framework for law in Years 1 and 2, complemented by small group tutorial sessions.

Year 1 students will usually have two or three lectures per week for each course, plus a regular tutorial for each course.

For German, you will be taught mainly in seminars and tutorials, complemented by a weekly lecture in Year 1.

Language tutorials give you the opportunity to develop your linguistic skills in a range of real-world tasks under the supervision of an experienced language teacher.

Years 3 and 4 consist of two-hour seminars, rather than lectures and tutorials. In these, students are expected to discuss and explore topics in greater depth.

For German, students will also continue to have hour-long seminars and tutorials in Year 4.

All Year 1 students have access to Edinburgh's Law Peer-Assisted Learning Scheme (LawPALS) and the Mooting Society provides you with opportunities to learn and practise courtroom skills.

Additionally, the Students’ Association facilitates a peer support scheme for German, bringing together students across year groups to help each other with specific study skills, topics or themes.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed through a combination of coursework and exams.

Coursework in German may take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practise different skills. For example, you may be asked to:

• write an essay, review, blog post, opinion piece or learning journal
• respond to a piece of writing, film, or other media, including through close reading
• give a short talk or presentation
• record a podcast or video
• design a poster or presentation

Exams for German will include oral exams to test your spoken language skills.

Law

After graduating, you can progress to the legal profession in Scotland by completing the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, followed by a traineeship with a legal firm, to qualify as a solicitor.

However, this is only possible following a joint degree programme if you have been able to complete all additional courses required for the Diploma.

You can then opt to go to the Bar, to qualify as an advocate. This requires a period of 'devilling' under the supervision and direction of a practising advocate.

Careers outside Scotland

Graduates who qualify to practise, may also go on to qualify and practise law in other jurisdictions. There are rules which enable a Scots-qualified solicitor or advocate relatively quickly to re-qualify as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales.

Graduates may also go on to re-qualify in Germany as a 'Rechtsanwalt'.

Graduates may also qualify and practise elsewhere in Europe and beyond. To do this, you must comply with the local conversion requirements and complete any further study non-Scottish jurisdictions require.

Non-legal careers

Graduates who do not choose a legal career often use their skills and experience for employment in:

• finance
• management
• journalism

Our graduates have also worked with international organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union.

German

German speakers are highly sought after by UK employers, particularly those with links to the German economy, the fourth largest in the world. It's also good to know that:

• in 2019, The Independent reported that German overtook French as the language most sought after by employers
• the jobs website Indeed revealed that vacancies specifying German language skills have increased by more than a tenth over the past three years
• there has been a slight increase in overall demand for linguists

In Year 1, if you are studying on our post-A Level/Higher German course (German 1B), you will do a project in which you interview a German native speaker working in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

This will give you the opportunity to:

• practise professional communication
• find out about the value of languages in the workplace
• gain insights into possible career options

You do not have to be based in a German-speaking country to make the most of your degree when you graduate. Wherever you are based in the world, the ability to understand and communicate in the German language will make you stand out.

Standard entry requirement

The standard entry requirement is:

• SQA Highers: AAAAA (achievement by end of S5 preferred). BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S5.
• A Levels: A*AA.
• IB: 39 points with 666 at HL.

Minimum entry requirement

The minimum entry requirement for widening access applicants is:

• SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S5.
• A Levels: ABB.
• IB: 34 points with 655 at HL.

More information for widening access applicants

Required subjects

The grades used to meet our entry requirements must include:

• SQA: Highers: English at B, at first attempt. National 5s: a language other than English at B.
• A Levels: English Literature, English Language or combined English at B. GCSEs: a language other than English at B or 6. English Language and English Literature GCSE, both at A or 7, are accepted in place of A Level English.
• IB: HL: English at 5. SL: a language other than English at 5.

Additional requirements

Language requirement

For degrees that have a subject requirement of a language other than English, students may not use their own native language to meet this requirement. In these instances, English or an alternative language other than native will be acceptable.

Find out more about entry requirements

International applicants

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.

Entry requirements by country

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international student and your school qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to the University you may be eligible for admission to this degree programme through our International Foundation Programme.

International Foundation Programme

Mature applicants

We welcome applications from mature students and accept a range of qualifications.

Mature applicant qualifications

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

SQA, GCSE and IB

For SQA, GCSE and IB students, unless a higher level is specified in the stated entry requirements, a pass is required in English at the following grades or higher:

• SQA National 5 at C
• GCSE at C or 4
• Level 2 Certificate at C
• IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component.We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 162 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 54 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 5 in each component.*

We also accept a wider range of international qualifications and tests.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the degree you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Oxford ELLT, or Trinity ISE test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins, regardless of your nationality.

English language requirements

(*Revised 24 May 2024 to change PTE Academic requirement from total 62 with at least 54 in each component, and to clarify that we do not accept PTE Academic online. Revised 29 August 2024 to add Oxford ELLT requirements.)

This information is part of a government initiative to enhance the material that higher education institutions provide about their degree programmes.

It is one of many sources of information which will enable you to make an informed decision on what and where to study.

Please note that some programmes do not have Discover Uni data available.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for LLB Law and German

Additional costs

On some courses, you will be encouraged to buy additional learning materials for learning and assessments.

Additional costs should be anticipated for the mandatory study abroad in Year 3. Costs will vary depending on the country and partner university.

Additional costs while studying abroad may include:

• insurance
• visa requirements
• accommodation
• internet access
• travel

Funding

For more information on how much it will cost to study with us and the financial support available see our fees and funding information.

Fees and funding

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