Commercial Law LLB (Hons) with foundation year

Study level: Undergraduate
Student in the Moot Room

Commercial law provides a comprehensive legal framework to support businesses and enable economic growth. This course examines this framework and how the law protects commercial interests while regulating corporate bodies.

Year of entry

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich
Online/Blended

Duration

4 years full-time
5 years sandwich

Course code

M221

Start date


Course overview

Our degree with foundation year could be the stepping stone you need to achieve your goals. The foundation year aims to prepare you for degree-level study and is a great way to build the confidence, skills and knowledge needed to succeed on your degree course.

Foundation year

The foundation year course offers an introduction to your chosen subject and helps you develop the necessary skills for degree-level study. It aims to provide a thorough understanding of legal principles and best practice. With a focus on European, national and local contexts, this course explores the development of legislation and case law with core academic skills.

Degree

The Commercial Law LLB (Hons) course examines the legal mechanisms developed to ensure free-flowing trade and the protection of commercial interests. It also examines how commercial law has evolved to keep pace with changing business practice, whilst also reinforcing ethically and socially responsible commercial behaviours.

The course aims to help you:

  • Acquire knowledge and understanding of legal doctrines, concepts, principles, rules and values in the foundations of legal knowledge subjects and in the specialist area of commercial law.
  • Develop an appreciation of the context in which law operates, and an understanding of the dynamic nature of law, its uncertainty, the need for reform and proposals for such reform including how commercial law responds to meet changes in business priorities.
  • Develop the ability to apply the legal knowledge and skills acquired to both the theory and practice of law, particularly in a commercial setting.
A star in the centre of a rosette.

Rated Gold Overall

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023

Five stars in a speech bubble.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

City buildings next to a tree.

Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2025

Why you should study this course

You will have the opportunity to:

Foundation year

  • Supports you to gain the academic skills required for degree-level study.
  • Provides a grounding in key areas of law and legal practice.

Degree

You will have the opportunity to:

  • Apply to volunteer in the Business Law and Enterprise Clinic, Employment Law Clinic or Advocacy Clinic at the Coventry Law Centre where selected students can gain practical legal experience under the supervision of trained solicitors and lawyers2.
  • Collaborate with other students and legal academics from around the world by participating in events like our International Commercial Law conference2.
  • Explore commercial law in practice by immersing yourself in our exciting commercial dispute resolution module.
  • Engage with students at other international universities and industry experts. Develop your intercultural competencies and digital skills through our Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects2.
  • Build your legal networks - by applying to participate in the Grow Mentoring scheme, a charity with diversity, inclusion and social mobility at its core.

Accreditation and professional recognition

The degree is accredited1 and recognised by the following bodies:

CILEX -  Chartered Institute of Legal Executives

Commercial Law LLB is a recognized degree by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) for the 2023 intake. Any graduates of this course that pass the optional third year modules ‘Family Law’, or ‘Company Law’ and ‘Employment Law’, will not need to pass the CPQ Foundation stage or CPQ Advanced stage assessments and as such are capable of being recognised as CILEX Advanced Paralegals. Those who do not complete either ‘Family Law’ or ‘Company Law’ and ‘Employment Law’ will still be exempt from the mandatory aspects of CPQ Advanced stage. On completion of your course, you will have the option to pay £400 for CILEX recognition.


Memberships

International Association of Law Schools

Coventry Law School is currently a member of the International Association of Law Schools, an association of around 160 law schools from over 55 countries, representing around 7,500 law faculty members. Having this status allows you to access a variety of international experiences, including with our partner institutions across the world.

European Law Faculties Association

Coventry Law School is also currently a member of the European Law Faculties Association with over 250 members from Europe and beyond.

British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association

Coventry Law School is currently a member of British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association, one of the largest Technology Law associations in Europe.

Memberships are renewed annually, and there is currently no intention for any of the memberships or partnership to lapse, however if our memberships or partnership are not renewed we would notify applicants and students as soon as possible1.


Collaborations

Central England Law Centre

Coventry Law School collaborates with the Central England Law Centre in order to offer a professional element to your learning, through our Law Employment and Advocacy clinics. Students who are selected to participate in the clinics get involved with many aspects of what the solicitors do at the Law Centre, with supervisors who are currently working in practice and experts in specific areas of law. They get hands-on experience doing reserved legal activities, providing supervised advice and assistance to members of the public.

Find your future career in law

See what our students think about their law course.

The Commercial Law LLB programme equips you with necessary skills and know how to interpret and examine the legal aspects of commercial transactions, as well as understand the practical reality of conducting commercial activity.

Dr David Ndolo, Lecturer in Law, 2022
Students in the moot room practicing a trial

What you'll study

During your first year, you will work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge of the law and develop the fundamental legal skills necessary to undertake the remainder of your course. You will also be exposed to a range of contemporary issues in the law that relate to each of the LLB courses on offer. If you discover that you have an interest in a particular area of law that you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degree courses to one of the other LLB courses listed below (subject to meeting progression requirements).

As you move through your second and final year, you will study further core legal modules whilst also exploring more specialist commercial law subjects and enhancing your practical legal skills.

If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).

Common first year courses

  • Criminal Law and Justice LLB (Hons)
  • International Law LLB (Hons)
  • Law LLB (Hons)

Modules

In your second year, you will continue to build your understanding of core legal subjects, whilst exploring commercial law in detail. You will also begin to develop your practical legal skills to provide you with an insight into life in legal practice.

Modules

There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement2 can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee3 of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time you will receive guidance from your employer or partner institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.

Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our placement/study abroad offering here, it is often tailored for each course every year and depends on the length of placement or study abroad opportunities that are secured. Therefore, the placement and study abroad arrangements vary per course and per student. Request further information about going on a placement or study abroad year.

Modules

Year three aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by further developing your professional legal skills in commercial law. In addition to your specialist commercial law subjects, you can choose from a variety of optional modules to tailor your degree to your interests and/or future ambitions. You could also work on a large final project on a commercial law topic of your interest or participate in one of the law school’s pro-bono clinics (subject to securing a place at the Coventry Law Centre2).

Modules

The foundation year offers an introduction to your chosen subject and supports you to develop the skills required for degree-level study.

Modules

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.


How you'll learn

The Commercial Law LLB (Hons) degree has been designed so that it is capable of satisfying the academic component of Bar training as required by the Bar Standards Board. For further details of the requirements of the academic component of Bar training please visit the Bar Standards Board website.

The foundation year is focused on applied learning through a blend of lectures, tutorials and online learning. There are no end-of-year exams. Instead, learning is assessed through coursework and phase tests, which are more reflective of a working environment.

The learning outcomes of modules, assignments and projects will be clearly stated. Your work will be marked according to how well you achieve these learning outcomes and your final feedback will refer to each outcome, as well as providing an overall percentage grade.


Teaching contact hours

You can expect up to 20 hours of learning activities per week, made up of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, online classes and independent learning.

Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 30 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.


Assessment

The learning outcomes of modules, assignments and projects will be clearly stated. Your work will be marked according to how well you achieve these learning outcomes and your final feedback will refer to each outcome, as well as providing an overall percentage grade.

Assessment methods vary and may include practical class and project performance, written practical reports, project thesis, oral presentations, tutorial tasks and assessments which generally take place at the end of each six-week block.

The course is delivered through a combination of live/asynchronous lectures, workshops, online activities and directed readings.

Lectures tend to be expository in nature, introducing you to basic concepts and core principles. Workshops provide you with the opportunity to deepen your understanding of the subject matter through active exploration of legal issues, for example through debates, discussions, presentations, and other practical activities. Teaching sessions are designed to be interactive and may involve exploring real-world and hypothetical problems, considering case studies and analysing contemporary or more theoretical legal issues. This interactive approach enables you to develop your legal skills throughout our degree and immerse yourself in authentic legal experiences.

Throughout the course, your learning will be supported through AULA, our mobile-first virtual learning environment and you will receive specialist training in the use of a variety of legal databases (our platform provider is subject to change).

If you choose to start this course in January it will be run as a condensed programme. You’ll start your course in January and finish your first year in August. Upon successful completion of Year 1, you will progress onto Year 2 in September and then continue to start subsequent years of your course in September, completing your degree at the same time as the September starters unless you opt to do a placement year.


Teaching contact hours

We understand that everyone learns differently, so each of our courses will consist of structured teaching sessions, which can include:

  • On campus lectures, seminars and workshops
  • Group work
  • Self-directed learning
  • Work placement opportunities2.

If you would like more information, you can request information about teaching hours.

Part of university life is undertaking self-directed learning. During a typical week, you will have time that allows you to work independently to apply the skills and knowledge you have learnt in taught or facilitated sessions to your projects or assignment briefs. This self-directed learning allows you to use your research skills, consolidate your knowledge or undertake collaborative group work.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.


Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods include:

  • Formal examinations
  • Phase tests
  • Essays
  • Group work
  • Presentations
  • Reports
  • Projects
  • Coursework
  • Exams
  • Individual assignments

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.


International experience opportunities

Throughout the Commercial Law LLB degree, we aim to expose you to a wide variety of international opportunities2. From undertaking an international field trip to working with students from international universities in a Collaborative International Online Learning project, we aim to offer an international opportunity for everyone. The Law School has particularly strong links with the Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, China and established links with the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, the University of Nebrija in Madrid and the University of the West Indies.

Throughout the course, you will explore aspects of international law and develop cognisance of diverse cultural and global perspectives. The Law School is a diverse community of legal academics and students, which brings depth and vibrancy to your student experience.

Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements are therefore not guaranteed.

More than just a degree

Coventry University's lecturers and staff are exceptional. They genuinely want students to succeed, and as a result, they are always willing and open to providing students with academic guidance. Coventry University is more than just an educational institution, it has created a sense of community by providing a safe space for people from diverse backgrounds.

Khairat Abubakar, Law LLB Graduate, 2022
Two law students practicing, one is wearing a judge's wig

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Entry requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

72 UCAS tariff points. All foundation courses require 5 GCSEs at A-C/9-4 including Maths and English, and at least one A2 level or a BTEC equivalent qualification.

If you don’t fulfil the entry criteria your application may be considered on an individual basis, taking into account any work experience, other qualifications and/or any training you have completed. Speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Contextual offers and Fair Access Scheme

If you meet the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme, you could automatically receive a contextual offer that may be up to 24 UCAS points lower than our standard entry requirements. View the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme.


Fees and funding

2024/25 tuition fees.

Foundation year

Student Full-time Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man £7,950 Not available
International/EU Not currently available*** Not available

Degree

Student Full-time Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man £9,250 per year Not available
International/EU Not currently available*** Not available

Please note: UK (home) tuition fees for the degree course years will be charged at the current Coventry University UK (home) degree fee level. This was set at £9,250 for the 23/24 academic year.

If you choose to do a work placement2, you should consider travel and living costs to cover this. There is also a tuition fee3 of £1,250 that will cover your academic support throughout your placement year.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

  • Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
  • Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

Other additional costs

  • On completion of your course, you will have the option to pay £400 for CILEX recognition, if you successfully pass either ‘Family Law’ or ‘Company Law’ and ‘Employment Law’. This means you will not need to pass the CPQ Foundation stage or CPQ Advanced stage assessments and as such are capable of being recognised as CILEX Advanced Paralegals.

Foundation year funding

In order to receive funding for degree with foundation year courses, you will need to complete a four-year degree programme which includes the integrated foundation year, otherwise you may be responsible for your foundation year fees. For further information, please refer to the 'Tuition Fee Loan' details in the 'Funding your undergraduate course' section of our 'Fees and finance' page.

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**This course with foundation year is not currently available to international students. If you do not meet the entry requirements to directly join year 1 of the degree, please take a look at our International Pathways Programme for additional options.


Facilities

Our foundation years are taught at CU Coventry’s Mile Lane building, a short walk from the city centre. You’re part of the university from day one, so during your foundation year you’ll have access to the wider facilities at Coventry University. Once you successfully complete your foundation year, you'll transfer over to studying your chosen degree at Coventry University, where you'll be taught on campus in the relevant academic buildings.

Located on our Mile Lane campus, you will have access to our Library and Learning Services (LLS), fully equipped seminar rooms and IT suites4. You can also take advantage of reading rights in Coventry University’s Lanchester Library, make use of sport centre facilities and receive full membership to Your Students' Union.

Two students walking outside with the CU Coventry building behind them.

Mile Lane

The campus is home to an on-site library with bookable one-to-one academic writing service and library support sessions, fully equipped seminar rooms, open-access study areas, a café and an IT suite. Our labs contain industry-standard equipment so that you learn using the same equipment as many industry professionals.

A student working in a booth in The Hub.

The Hub

At The Hub you'll find the Health and Wellbeing Centre, the Students’ Union and Square One (which provides entertainment from quiz nights to live music), the Spirituality and Faith Centre, Tank Studio, Careers Office and a fantastic food court.

External view of the Lanchester Library.

Lanchester Library

Coventry University’s Lanchester Library is open 24/7, 364 days a year and has 1,400 study spaces, including group and silent areas. It also currently offers more than 550 computers and an additional 120 free-to-loan laptops.

 

The Commercial Law LLB course is delivered at Coventry University Main Campus, where you'll benefit from our dedicated law facilities4.

The moot room allows you to immerse yourself in the law and develop your legal skills through experiencing an authentic courtroom environment.

Our dedicated law clinic facilities allow students the opportunity to get real-life experience of advising and supporting the public, under the supervision of qualified legal practitioners (subject to availability and recruitment process).

Moot Room

Moot Room

Our Moot Room gives you the opportunity to develop those vital and practical legal skills. You can practise your legal skills in a realistic setting, as well as having the chance to take part in mooting competitions.

Legal clinic

Legal Clinic

Use the Legal Clinic to develop your practical legal skills and help you stand out in your future career. You will have access to 'real' clients and work alongside trained solicitors and lawyers.

A lawyer stands in a court room, with people behind we assume make up the jury, and two judges to his left

Routes into a Legal Career

Find out more about how Coventry University can kick start your legal career through our preparation courses.



Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Critically analyse theories, principles and laws across diverse substantive legal areas, in particular, commercial law and practice, as well as appreciate the social, political and global context in which law operates.
  • Appreciate and apply principles of sustainability, social responsibility and professional ethics, whilst being cognisant of diverse cultural and global perspectives.
  • Identify and synthesise relevant information from primary and secondary legal sources, using both digital and non-digital resources, whilst adhering to principles of academic integrity.
  • Draw reasoned conclusions through the application of legal principles and knowledge to complex problems, whilst tolerating ambiguity and recognising alternative legal outcomes.
  • Communicate effectively and professionally, by conveying and explaining legal information, ideas and arguments appropriately in a variety of contexts.
  • Demonstrate self-management and work independently or collaboratively as appropriate.
  • Demonstrate intellectual independence through the acquisition of specialist knowledge and understanding of current legal thinking and emerging research.
  • Apply a range of practical or clinical legal skills, including those applicable in a commercial law context.

Law graduates can pursue a wide variety of careers both in the UK and overseas. Many graduates enter the legal profession as solicitors, barristers, paralegals or legal executives (additional education/courses and training required). However, the skills learned are also transferrable to career paths outside of law such as recruitment, management, teaching or finance. Many of our law graduates also go on to pursue a career in academia or undertake further academic study.

Where our graduates work

Previous law graduates from Coventry Law School have gone on to work at a wide variety of organisations and firms including:

  • DAC Beachcroft
  • NFU Mutual
  • PwC
  • Deloitte
  • Linklaters
  • Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation
  • Oracle
  • Squire Patton Boggs
  • Stobbs
  • Co-op Legal Services

I have volunteered with the Coventry Law employment clinic. This allows me to interview actual clients and produce advice for them. This has been extremely valuable in relating my studies to the world of work and given me incredible experience, as well as helping the clients. I have learned so much from this opportunity and I feel like I have a step up when it comes to training contract applications.

Leah Bolt, Law LLB Graduate, 2022
Leah Bolt
Two students sat at a desk working on a laptop

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