Designed for non-law graduates who want to stand out to employers, study the law at Master’s level and gain an internationally recognised qualification.
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The MA Law Online is a postgraduate Master of Arts specifically designed for non-law graduates who want to gain a legal qualification at Master’s level. As an internationally recognised qualification, a Law Master’s is a great addition to your portfolio. With a strong level of support from the start, this course is a great introduction to law if you hold an undergraduate degree in another discipline. Successful completion of the MA Law also qualifies you to progress on to study the LPC to become a solicitor or the BPC to become a barrister. With this online version of our MA Law you can study online, giving you a truly flexible online Master’s course.
An undergraduate degree at 2:1 or above in any discipline (or equivalent)
Full requirements12 months (full-time)
21 months (part-time September)
24 months (part-time January)
You can apply directly with The University of Law to study one of our online courses.
Our MA Law Online is designed for non-law graduates who want to gain a legal qualification at Master’s level. We offer full-time and part-time options, so you can choose a study mode to suit your lifestyle and career plans. We’ve designed the course to provide you with practical legal skills like analysis and critical evaluation, alongside a range of broader transferable skills such as research and presentation skills, all delivered online by qualified lawyers.
On completion of the course you will be awarded with a Master’s degree, but you will also be suitably qualified to progress your studies to become a solicitor or barrister in the UK by studying our LPC or BPC. If you choose to progress onto either of these courses, you will benefit from our excellent employment and pupillage rates:
A Master’s qualification is highly attractive to employers in a variety of disciplines, so this can be of great benefit even if you don’t want to pursue a career in law. This course is the perfect choice if you want to study online and wish to keep your career options open.
In addition to the course and learning materials, you’ll also have access to our expert careers support services, who can help you with your training contract and pupillage applications. Our pro bono team have over 3,000 pro bono opportunities, which are available to you from as soon as you accept your place, so you can get loads of experience of working on real life cases and get “on-the-job” advice from practising lawyers.
If you choose to progress onto study our LPC or BPC, you will also benefit from our excellent employment and pupillage rates:
95% of our 2017/18 full-time, UK, LPC graduates have secured work or further study within fifteen months of successfully completing this course (based on Graduate Outcomes data).
59% of our full-time UK/EEA BPC students graduating in 2018 secured a pupillage (based on student data collated September 2020). Previously the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC).
Progression for full-time GDL and MA Law students starting in September and January
Due to the projected end date of some of our courses, you may not be eligible to commence the Bar Practice Course (BPC) or Legal Practice Course (LPC) in September of the same year.
Please note: If you require a visa to study in the UK and wish to progress on to one of our on-campus vocational courses, please refer to our UK visa requirements page for information about applying for a Student Route visa.
This document explains the demands of the course in order to assess your ability for the course.
Download MA Law full-time (online) programme demands ➔
Download MA Law part-time (online) programme demands ➔
Before you commence your studies, you will need to complete our online pre-course study programme on Legal Method, designed specifically to prepare you for the course, so you're up to speed when you start studying the Foundation modules. The Legal Method element requires 40 to 50 hours of pre-course study through guided module units, with all materials provided online.
Study on the Legal Research and Independent Project module will expand on and review material that you will have studied in your pre-course study, so it is important that this is completed before starting the modules.
You don’t need to attend a campus for induction. Instead, you’ll be enrolled into an online induction module which will take you through necessary administrative requirements and provide you with guidance on how the programme works and additional support, such as our Employability Service.
There are seven key areas that you’ll study over the course:
Study the principles of legal research, critical evaluation and academic writing before undertaking your own independent research project.
If you want to find out what it’s like to study an online course with us, why not try our free online taster session?
Our taster sessions can be completed at your own pace and include short, structured exercises to help you experience what it will really be like to study online with us. All you need to do is visit our online learning platform (Blackboard ELITE) and, if you've already applied to study with us and received login details for ELITE, click 'sign in' on Blackboard ELITE. Alternatively, click 'sign up' and complete the short registration form.
You can also study this course at one of our campuses across the UK. If you’re looking for a more traditional university experience, why not consider studying on campus?
To get a full picture of how studying this course works during the year, take a look at our course date breakdowns.
Assessed through a Multiple Choice Question open book exam, closed book exams and an Independent Research Project.
Exams require attendance at one of our UK campuses or an approved overseas centre by prior arrangement. Students can nominate one of the following locations as their home Campus for assessment: London, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds, Guildford.
Each of our MA Law study options has its own structure, with different assessments to suit.
We care about your career, which is why we offer support with job applications and other work experience opportunities as soon as you accept your place.
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You can apply for the MA Law Online directly with the University.
September 2021
You can get full details about course fees and payment structures in the fees section of the website.
By studying a Master's degree you could be eligible for a Student Loans Company Postgraduate Loan worth up to £11,222.
We also have a range of scholarships and bursaries available which make studying with us more affordable than ever.
We have students from over 120 different countries throughout our campuses, with a dedicated team to help international students.
Our new online MA Law (Conversion) will be the new pathway into practice for non-law graduates who want to either progress onto our LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) or the SQE1 Preparation Course to qualify as a solicitor or the Bar Practice Course (BPC) to qualify as a barrister, from October 2021.
Entry requirements
An undergraduate degree at 2:2 or above in any discipline (or equivalent).
Course start dates
October 2021
May 2022
Course fees
How to apply
Applications for this course are now open.
You can apply for the MA Law (Conversion) Online directly with the University.
If you’re still interested in the current route to practice as a solicitor, you can still qualify as a solicitor or barrister with the MA Law in September 2021. Contact us at study@law.ac.uk or call +44 (0) 800 289 997.
*This course is subject to approval.