When Law Students Transfer Courses and Institutions

You may start to study law and then discover you have made a mistake. Perhaps the course is not what you expected. It may be too demanding, or some of it may be too narrow. Your careers aspirations may alter. There are options open to you. First, you may be able to transfer to a different course within the same university. Each university will have its own regulations governing transfer. It may be that you can switch to a joint degree, coupling law with politics or economics or accountancy. The extent to which that or other options are open to you will depend upon the availability of such courses at your institution. It may be that you need to make a break away from law altogether, in which case you might move to a different faculty and start to study history or chemistry. Again the extent to which that is an available option will depend upon your institution and the consequences for your funding. If you have reached the end of one year and realize that you need to change course then your best route is to try to have yourself classified as "a false start". If you can achieve that status then you can obtain funding for another first year at university. You need to explore all options, as depending on which course you wish to move to, you may be awarded a number of credits for the subjects you have already passed. Most importantly, do not struggle on if you are certain that law is not for you. It is rare that the study of law will grow on you. Either you will take to it or you will not, and if you feel that you are not cut out for it then it is better to move as soon as you can. If you find yourself in this situation you need to obtain advice from your adviser of studies, student adviser and UCAS, through whom ultimately you will have to arrange any transfer.

Flexible learning


Increasingly universities are offering a diversity of methods of study towards the degree. The traditional route, namely the full-time course lasting two, three or four years, is now supplemented by part-time degrees and distance learning. These are still in their formative stages and are likely to be of most interest to those people who are already in full-time work. Part-time degrees in Scotland are currently only offered by the University of Strathclyde. They can be taken over a five year period and the degree is taught in the evenings. Fees for part-time degrees are not available from government sources.

There is no provision for distance learning courses in Scotland at the moment. The only university to offer this is the Open University which offers the English law degree through the College of Law, based in London. If you are interested in part-time or distance learning courses then you should contact the universities that offer these and/or follow up information on their websites.

A few universities offer a qualifying English law degree as a sandwich course. For example Bournemouth University, Brunei University and the University of Nottingham Trent all offer four year degree courses which include one placement year where students work within a law firm or other commercial organization to gain the necessary legal skills to equip them for legal practice. Such an approach arguably provides you with a competitive edge over those graduates who have limited work experience. Before making your mind up about which is the most suitable course for you, consider precisely what is involved in the placement year as it may mean a year in a location inconvenient for you. You should also be clear about the funding position. Are you paid while on placement or do you still have to fund yourself?

One final word about method of delivery of courses

Education generally is moving towards a more flexible system whereby credits can be gained by students at one or more institutions, and possibly over a variety of courses, and used in the construction of sufficient credits to make up a full degree. Again this process is in its formative stages and it would be premature to speculate on how this method might be experienced by students or received by employers. However, the present government's intention is to maximize access to education for all sections of society, and part of the way to achieve that is to increase flexibility in the way that courses are delivered. As institutions vary in how they accredit courses, it would be best to speak directly to the institution at which you wish to study if you want to find out about issues such as taking time out from a degree, moving between faculties within an institution, or moving from one institution to another to continue your studies.

To find out more about what it means to practice as a solicitor or at the Bar, a useful career guide is produced by Ivanhoe entitled The Legal Profession. Although this publication is directed at those who wish to practice in England and Wales, it has much information of wider application, especially in relation to types of legal practice. The current edition is entitled The Legal Profession 1999 and there is a new edition produced each year. The book is available on the internet for those interested in a professional career. The Faculty of Advocates in Scotland produces a booklet entitled A Career in Advocacy which can be obtained from them.

To conclude

There is a wide variety of courses available for the study of law providing an equally broad spectrum of careers. The most complete guide to degree courses is found in the CRAC series published by Hobsons, which is produced annually and can be accessed on the internet. To find out what type of courses might be available from the universities of your choice it is best to contact them directly. These courses tend to be added to and improved upon annually so do not rely on old literature and prospectuses-check with the university.