Law and Practice BA (Hons) with foundation year

Study level: Undergraduate
HNC/HND courses
Students in the moot courtroom at CU Coventry.

This course aims to provide you with a solid grounding for building a career in the legal profession.

Year of entry

Location

CU Coventry (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

4 years full-time
5 years sandwich

UCAS codes

251M

Start date

January 2025
March 2025
May 2025
June 2025


Course overview

Foundation year

The foundation year aims to provide a thorough understanding of legal principles and best practice.

Degree

Filled with intrigue and complexities, law is a fascinating and exciting subject area that is an essential component of every business organisation. The Law and Practice BA (Hons) aims to provide a thorough understanding of the practice of law in the modern world.

Why you should study this course

  • Studying the Law and Practice BA (Hons) degree could lead you to a variety of exciting career options including barrister, solicitor or a legal executive (additional education/courses and training required).
  • Success in this field demands discipline, strategic thinking, in-depth knowledge of legislation and the ability to adapt to different scenarios. Legal knowledge is key to success in this career, so our course focuses on theory and best practices, alongside quintessential practical learning such as making succinct legal arguments.
  • Focusing strongly on practical aspect of civil and criminal law, the degree covers a wide variety of topics, ranging from contracts, torts, land law, family law to employment law and EU Law.
  • You should have the opportunity to develop mooting, advocacy and presentation skills thereby building a solid foundation to become a competent and knowledgeable practitioner of law.
  • Designed to cover the different aspects of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) assessment, this course can help you better understand the functioning legal knowledge (FLK) required, in addition to the practical assessments that form the basis of problem-solving skills needed for SQE2.

What you'll study

This year focuses on the civil justice system and property law aspects of English Law. The aim is to provide an elevated level of legal knowledge, ready for progression on to year two. Students who successfully complete year one are eligible for a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Law and Practice.

Modules

This academic year builds on the knowledge gained in year one to cement a solid foundation of core principles. Now that you are working to a higher level after completing the HNC, you will aim to extend your knowledge from the basic financial practices. In this year, you enter the management arena and will begin to focus on the role of leadership within accounting. Operating from a business point of view, you will primarily focus on the role of the accounting profession, legislation and governance. Students who successfully complete year two are eligible for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Law and 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 placement can often be beneficial. Work placements2 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 participating institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.

Modules

In the final year, you will build upon and develop the areas studied in the previous years, exploring EU law, employment law and equity and trusts liability. The skills and knowledge that you refine during your final year will help to prepare you for further professional development. Students who successfully complete their final year are awarded a BA (Hons) degree in Law and Practice.

Modules

The foundation year explores the development of legislation and case law with core academic skills.

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

Your initial foundation year is focused on applied learning geared to high intensity teaching and study throughout the course. The delivery of course content is a blend of lectures, tutorials and online mediums.


Teaching contact hours

The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 20 contact hours per week each year (excluding placement year). Additionally, you will be expected to undertake up to 30 hours of self-directed study, depending on the demands of individual modules.

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

During your foundation year, 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.

Our teaching methods for the degree courses are varied depending on which course/modules you take, offering a number of teaching styles, so in addition to lectures, we also utilise a blended learning approach, including online aspects, workshops and group work. We also operate an open-door policy, with additional availability via email and our current online learning platform, Aula.

Progression through the modules develops knowledge and skills, including communication (written and oral), study skills, research methods, project management, presentation and career development. We will also encourage you to consider your employability and/or entrepreneurial development.

Unlike traditional institutions, there are no end-of-year exams. Instead, learning is assessed through coursework and phase tests, which is more reflective of our learning model.


Teaching contact hours

The number of full-time contact hours may vary from module to module, however, on average, it is likely to be around 20 contact hours per week. Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 30 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.

The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.

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

During your degree methods vary and include, practical class and project performance, written practical reports, project thesis, oral presentations, tutorial tasks and assessments.

Course breakdown:

  • Coursework
  • Phased tests
  • Practical work/presentations

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.


Entry requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

40 UCAS tariff points. All Foundation courses require 5 GCSEs at 9-4/A*-C 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.

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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 £7,950 per year Not available
International/EU Not currently available*** Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see the University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

Tuition fees3 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.

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.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees3:

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

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

All our facilities are located at Mile Lane. Our building has been designed to enable collaboration, creativity and innovation to flourish, and includes (subject to availability4):

  • Indoor and outdoor social spaces, including a café.
  • A library that includes loan laptops, over 115,000 eBooks and a silent study area.
  • Open access IT suites and 83-inch teaching screens.
  • Engineering lab, science lab and a moot courtroom.
  • Student support and careers advice teams.


Careers and opportunities

With an ever-growing demand for legal professionals in all industries, graduates of a law course have an expansive list of career paths to explore.

Many students graduate and find careers in the law sector, while others continue on to further study by undertaking professional qualifications or a master’s degree in specialised subjects such as international law.

On successful completion of the Law and Practice BA (Hons), you will be able to:

  • Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of legislation and processes.
  • Be proficient in collating and evaluating evidence, with enhanced advocacy and advisory skills.
  • Develop appropriate analysis techniques, alongside the ability to undertake reliable and thorough research of case law, law commissions and more.
  • Apply appropriate presentation skills to confidently establish the significance of data produced.

Where our graduates work

Graduates of our law degree courses have gone on to further study in law, business and CILEx at institutions across the UK and internationally, or to work for leading global companies such as DWF LLP, Uber and Central England Law Centre.


How to apply

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