Law (full-time) - Graduate Diploma

The full-time course is structured into two teaching blocks and covers the seven foundations of legal knowledge, as identified by the professional legal bodies. An independent research project then enables you to cover another area of legal study in depth.

All modules studied during the GDL are compulsory and represent the aspects of law that are most relevant in legal practice. These modules are divided between the teaching blocks, as follows:

Pre-course preparation

• English Legal System - provides you with a basic understanding of the legal system in England and Wales and covers the legal terminology, reasoning and methods that you will practise and develop throughout the course.

Teaching block one (September-January):

• Public Law - introduces you to the constitution of England and Wales and the theoretical principles that underlie it, as well as the judicial review process and how we use the law to protect human rights.
• Obligations I (Contract Law) - takes you through the area of contract law and what is involved in forming and enforcing contracts.
• Obligations II (Law of Tort) - introduces you to tortious liability, in other words how we can enforce obligations to avoid harm being caused to our neighbours.
• Criminal Law - provides an introduction to criminal law, particularly the underlying policy issues and the difference between theory and practice.

Teaching block two (January-June):

• Equity and Trusts - introduces you to equity and trust law, including defining what a trust is and looking at the relevance of trusts today.
• Property Law - explores land as an area of law, the rights and obligations associated with it, and how to transfer land from one party to another.
• European Union Law - provides you with an understanding of what constitutes European Union law, how it works and how we take account of EU law within domestic law in England and Wales.
• Independent Research Project - you will also study a research topic of your choice in depth (out of a range of subjects of current topical interest) and write a 4,000-5,000 word mini dissertation.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

Highly experienced and supportive tutors, drawn from legal practice, as well as the academic side of law, will enable you to develop your knowledge quickly.

Each topic will be based on an introductory lecture, followed by a workshop in a large group and then a smaller-group seminar. Both the workshops and seminars are highly interactive, and are designed to give you a deeper understanding of the material covered, and how it can be applied to practical contexts.

You will research and discuss real cases and legislation, based on current developments in law, giving you a valuable insight into situations you are likely to face in your legal career.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

At the beginning of the year, you will attend a one-week induction and receive your books and tutors' materials. You will then have 12 hours a week of tuition, spread over three days.

Dedicated support

We aim to offer you the highest level of support both during your studies and after you graduate. You will be allocated a personal tutor, who you can meet with, or contact by phone or email, to discuss all aspects of the course and receive one-to-one career guidance. You will also have access to our dedicated law careers member of staff, 'ask the experts' careers events, CV writing clinics and mock pupillage interviews.

As is required by the professional regulatory bodies, the main form of assessment for the GDL is through examinations, which are held at the end of each teaching block. Some modules also include a coursework element of 25%.

The Independent Research Project will be assessed through your 4,000-5,000 word mini dissertation, which you will write in response to your allocated research task.

Mock assessments with feedback will be given to help you monitor and improve your performance, and help you deal effectively with all forms of assessment. Two past examination papers will also be available in order to prepare you for examinations.

For more detail see our full glossary of assessment terms.