GDIPL Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies
Key Details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Graduate Diploma
- Course Length
- 1 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2024
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Course Overview
This intensive, one-year Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies is designed for non-law graduates. Studying at UEA Law School, you will join a welcoming and collegiate community of legal scholars and students. You will be taught by dedicated lecturers with expertise in a range of legal fields and will be part of a vibrant student body with an active law society.
During this one-year course, you will study the seven foundation subjects and complete a research project.
You will also have the opportunity to enhance your studies with a broad range of extra-curricular activities. You can take part in a mooting competition, where a point of law is debated in a simulated court hearing, with the finals judged by judges or barristers. The Law Society also holds negotiation, client interviewing, mediation and legal triathlon competitions, the finals of which have been hosted by law firms.
You could make a difference in the local community, working for the public good (pro bono) with the UEA Law Clinic. Our students have recovered millions of pounds for welfare benefits claimants wrongly denied payments. We have won the national LawWorks Best Partnership in Pro Bono award no fewer than four times.
We believe practical and careers experience is extremely valuable and we’ve developed a programme of opportunities tailored specifically to the needs of our postgraduate students, including placement opportunities. You can also attend careers panels, commercial awareness workshops, mock job interviews, and many other events organised by the UEA Law School and the Careers Service. And you could ‘marshal’, spending a day on the bench with a judge during a trial. You could benefit from the alumni-mentoring scheme, where UEA Law School graduates offer career mentoring to individual students.
Study and Modules
Structure
The course commences with an induction programme which will introduce you to legal skills and to the English Legal System.
Across the year, you will study the seven foundation subjects. Each of these will be covered in semester-long modules, taught in either autumn or spring.
You will also write a 5,000-word research project on a topic of your choosing, completed under the supervision of a member of faculty. Your topic, subject to the availability of supervision, can cover any area of law beyond those taught in the Foundation Subjects.
Past projects have been drawn from a range of subject areas, including medical law, human rights law, commercial law, international law, family law, media law, and sports law.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
You will be taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Lectures provide overviews of key legal issues while seminars allow further focused study in small groups. The rest of your working hours will be spent developing your understanding and skills through independent study.
You will have an Academic Adviser to make sure you get the most from your studies and help you reach your full potential.
In addition, our Learning Enhancement team, based in the Student Support Service, are on hand to help in various study areas, including study, writing and research skills.
If you have additional needs due to disabilities such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties such as dyslexia, please talk to our Student Support Service about how they can help.
Assessment
You will be assessed predominately by examination aside from the research project. You will have the opportunity to submit non-assessed assignments during the year to practice your writing skills and to receive feedback.
Entry Requirements
- Degree Classification
- UK Bachelors Degree - 2.2 or equivalent
- Degree Subject
- Any subject except Law (if a UK degree). Law studied overseas is OK.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 7.0 overall (minimum 6.5 in Reading/Writing and 5.5 in Listening/Speaking).
Test dates should be within 2 years of the course start date.
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study:
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- Intakes
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.
Additional Information or Requirements
Additional entry requirements
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) specifies eligibility requirements for the GDL. All applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet these eligibility requirements and are advised to consult the website prior to applying:
Bar Standards Board- https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
Applicants who have studied in the UK/Republic of Ireland should normally hold a good first degree in any subject, excluding Law. Applicants who have studied outside of the UK should have the equivalent of a good first degree in any subject.
Please note that all students must attend the induction programme.
Special entry requirements
We welcome applications from students with non-standard degrees (i.e. a degree that is awarded without classification) or overseas degree holders of a standard equivalent to a 2:2. Such applicants must, however, note the following -
Applicants in this category wishing to qualify as a barrister
Any applicant who has a degree other than a UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate degree at 2:2 level or above and who wishes to qualify as a barrister will need to apply to the BSB for a Certificate of Academic Standing. This includes applicants with overseas undergraduate degrees and applicants with non-standard UK / Republic of Ireland Degrees. Details of the process are available on the BSB website. Although we do not make admission to the GDL conditional upon having a Certificate of Academic Standing, it is important to note that such candidates will not be able to use the GDL as a step towards qualifying for the Bar unless prior to admission to the GDL they have obtained the Certificate of Academic Standing from the BSB. It is their own responsibility to do this. Admission to the GDL does not imply either that the BSB's requirements as regards a Certificate of Academic Standing are met or that successful completion of the course will count towards qualification as a barrister if the student in question has not obtained a Certificate of Academic Standing as outlined above.
Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2024/25 are:
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UK Students: £9,750 (full time)
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International Students: £21,200 (full time)
If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home students).
We estimate living expenses at £1,023 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here.
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships; please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
Applications for the Diploma are made through the centralised Central Applications Board.
Tel: +44(0)1483 451080.
Applicants who need to apply for a visa to study in the UK are advised that the process can take up to two months in some countries. Please make sure that applications are submitted to study in good time to obtain a visa.
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances with the Admissions Office prior to applying please do contact us: admissions@uea.ac.uk
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.
Employability
After the Course
A Law degree allows students to develop a strong set of transferable skills that can be applied to a wide variety of law and non-law related professions.
Careers
A degree at UEA will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We've been ranked 1st for Job Prospects by StudentCrowd in 2022.
Examples of careers that you could enter include:
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Legal Practice (solicitor, barrister, paralegal)
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Other law related careers (NGOs, international organisations, in-house compliance, legal researchers, police)
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Public Sector (Civil Service Fast Stream, local government, politics, education)
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Financial Services (tax, banking, insurance, investment, accountancy)
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Management and human resources (typically through graduate recruitment schemes)
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Media / journalism
Discover more on our Careers webpages.