Bachelor of Civil Law

You will choose four courses from a list of around 40 different options, including a dissertation option. All options are taught by a combination of lectures and/or seminars and tutorials apart from the dissertation option, which involves one-to-one sessions with an assigned supervisor.

Seminars are normally led by a senior member of academic staff but are typically interactive in nature, and you will be expected to participate in the discussions arising from the material covered. Tutorials involve an intensive discussion between a tutor and a small group of students, usually between two and four, providing an opportunity for you to present your ideas and discuss your work with leading academics. Typically, seminars will introduce you to a particular area of study and familiarise you with general concepts and ideas which will then be investigated in greater depth in the tutorials. For most tutorials you will be expected to write an essay, which typically will be marked and returned to you at the next tutorial.

Outside of the seminars and tutorials, you will be expected to read extensively in order to acquire the necessary knowledge to engage with course material at an appropriate level.

All course options are examined by timed examinations at the end of the course - with the exception of the Jurisprudence and Political Theory option and the Law and Society of Medieval England option, which are examined by assessed essays, the Taxation of Global Wealth option, which involves an assessed essay and an examination, and the dissertation option. Timed examinations comprise a three-hour examination for each option, in which students typically answer three questions from a list of eight.

For this course, the allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the Law Faculty and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Law Faculty.

BCL graduates pursue a range of careers after completion of the degree. The most common career paths are entry into legal practice, either as a solicitor or a barrister, or progression to academic research in the shape of the MPhil and DPhil, and thenceforth into an academic career.

The University of Oxford has an excellent careers service with which the department has close ties. The Careers Service organises a number of events of specific interest to students wishing to pursue a career in law, and offers one-to-one advice from members of staff with knowledge and experience specific to the legal sector.

The Law Faculty has an extensive network of relationships within the legal profession and each year offers a number of talks and events run by law firms and barristers’ chambers.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. In certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

All graduate courses offered by the Faculty of Law

Bachelor of Civil Law BCL

Criminology DPhil

Criminology and Criminal Justice MSc

Intellectual Property Law and Practice PGDip

Law DPhil

Law MPhil

Law and Finance MSc

Magister Juris MJur

Socio-Legal Research MPhil

Socio-Legal Studies DPhil

Taxation MSc

Oxford 1+1 MBA programme

This course can be studied as a part of the Oxford 1+1 MBA programme. The Oxford 1+1 MBA programme is a unique, two-year graduate experience that combines the depth of a specialised, one-year master’s degree with the breadth of a top-ranking, one-year MBA.

Next
Entry requirements