Frequently Asked Questions about studying Law at Essex

Here are answers to the questions we often get asked by people thinking about applying to the School of Law at Essex.

You can also see lots of information about Law courses offered at Essex in our Coursefinder.

FAQs for all LLM courses

FAQs for LLM in International Human Rights Law

1. Who can I contact about my application?

Please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office by e-mail at: admit@essex.ac.uk for any undergraduate admissions enquiries.

2.What are the entry requirements to study law at the University of Essex?

The standard requirements are AAB in three A levels. For those studying the International Baccalaureate, the standard conditional offer will be 36 points. For other qualifications please see our prospectus. For mature applicants (aged over 21) the entry requirements are different, please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office at:  admit@essex.ac.uk.

3. Why was I / am I being interviewed?

It is our policy at Essex to interview as many prospective students as possible so that we can get to know you and vice versa. Some students will also be interviewed if we have not been able to make an offer on the paper application only, for example where that person has been out of education for some time or the predicted grades do not meet our standard conditional offer requirements. We do not like to dismiss prospective students out of hand and so will endeavour to interview in order to be able to make a more informed decision.

4. When will I hear back from the interview?

We will endeavour to move speedily following the interview and the decision should reach you within two weeks.

5. Suppose that I don’t do as well as I hope and don’t meet your standard conditions?

If you find that you have slipped down a grade or two in August please don’t panic. We cannot promise anything, but we will consider your situation in full. We will be in contact with you.

Law at Essex

1. How is the academic year organised?

Essex works on a basic calendar of three terms each of ten weeks. The autumn term will commence in the first week of October for a period of ten weeks. There is then a four week vacation for the Christmas break. Classes recommence in January for the spring term for a further ten weeks, ending with a four week vacation. Classes recommence in March/April for the summer term for a further ten weeks. Exams usually take place during May/June. The teaching day commences at 9am. and ends at 6pm. Lectures can be timetabled between these hours. Wednesday afternoons are traditionally kept free of teaching.

2. How many hours of teaching can I expect?

The law modules at Essex are taught over approximately 12 hours per week. In the core modules, students can expect two hours of large-group teaching (lectures) per week and one bi-weekly seminar/tutorial.

3. What does LLB mean?

It is an abbreviation of the Latin for Bachelor of Laws. Wherever you see this degree designation at Essex you can be assured that all of the Law Society requirements will have been met, which means that the degree will exempt the student from the first stage of professional training. Some Universities on the other hand use different letters – some having non-qualifying LLBs, whilst others have qualifying BAs.

4. Will you send me preparatory reading over the summer?

We do have a list of suggested reading material that is sent to you upon formal acceptance of a place at Essex. This will usually be sent to you in September and is intended to help you to prepare for your forthcoming classes.

5. How are the law degree courses structured?

We have structured the Essex law courses so that students sit four full-year modules per year. This allows students to gain a solid grasp of each subject which will inevitably aid our students in the workplace. There are nine core subjects on the Essex three-year LL.B. law degree course: eight of those are required by the Law Society and are the minimum requirements for anyone graduating with a qualifying law course. Students are then able to choose the remaining three modules from a list of law options - or indeed modules from other departments. The four-year joint courses and the M120 Laws (Study Abroad) course are structured similarly to the three-year course in that the same nine subjects are compulsory. With the joint courses the remaining modules will entail some compulsory subjects from that other course. On the LLB Laws course the third year will be studied at a partner institution in a European or overseas country, and students will take a foreign language module in their first two years if necessary. For more detailed information on these courses please refer to the prospectus. For the English and French law (with Maîtrise/Master 1) two years are spent in the UK and two at the University of Nanterre (Paris X) in France. Again please refer to the prospectus for further information.

6. What is the staff-student ratio?

The School of Law as a whole comprises thirty-nine full-time members of staff and the intake is typically two-hundred. This gives a staff-student ratio of roughly 1:5 in the department as a whole. In tutorials (small-group teaching) there are usually 12 students to one tutor.

7. What happens when I first arrive at the University of Essex?

Students will undertake a short induction module in the school with a structured tuition timetable. This will be a time for the student to settle in to the University and the School. All students will be assigned to a personal academic tutor in the School who will be happy to answer any problems or queries. This is also a chance to attend social events in order to assimilate into university life and to make new friends.

8. How many examinations will I have to sit?

Because we teach full-year modules on the law courses at Essex, students are examined only once at the end of the academic year in May or June. It has been shown that constant examination of performance can lead to a ‘brain-drain’ and discourages ‘deep learning’ by the student. Our exams are usually three hours long with students required to answer three to four questions.

9. Will I be required to write essays?

Law is a highly analytical subject and the main mode of assessment is by written essays and problem-based questions. Problem questions will establish a set of fictional facts that the student is required to understand and analyse in order to apply the appropriate law. Most modules will require a degree of on-going assessment throughout the year, usually one or two pieces of written module work, which will usually qualify for a percentage of the final module mark (usually 25 per cent). Module work provides an excellent opportunity for students to practice their legal analysis in the particular subject before the final exam. Students may also write a 15,000 word dissertation in place of one of their options in the final year on a topic of their choosing.

10. How are classes organised and how big are they?

Students will study four modules per year. In each of the core modules students are required to attend for two hours of lectures per week. Lectures are whole group classes, with as many as 200 students in attendance. Students will also be required to attend for a one-hour tutorial in each subject per fortnight. Tutorials are smaller-group classes with between 6-12 students per class. Here the students are usually given a reading list and a number of suggested questions or issues for discussion to prepare in advance. Some modules use the seminar method of teaching which involves a greater element of student discussion similar to a tutorial; seminars will usually involve up to 20 students.

11. Do you have many mature students?　

The number of mature students will vary from year to year but Essex does tend to attract a good level of mature students.

12. How does the Legal Skills module fit in?

This module is a practical module designed to introduce the students to techniques and materials essential to the study and practice of law. Because of its importance, this module runs during the first year of the course for all students and is compulsory. The module runs for five weeks during both the autumn and spring term.

13. Can I take another module not connected with the law, for example, History, History of Art or Languages?

Yes. Students will have a number of optional module requirements to fulfil, for example on the three-year course students have three options. These options can either be taken in the many and varied law modules that we offer, or a student may elect to undertake a module in another department. This can be a good way of keeping up an interest in another subject studied previously or learning about a completely new area. One requirement is that the level of the module taken (second or third year level) must correspond with the current year of study of the student.

14. Can I transfer from the three-year LLB course to the 'English and European Law' course, or vice versa?

If you wish to study in France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Finland, or Germany; you must transfer either before arriving at University or within the first two weeks. You must also possess at least a grade "B" in that language at A level. If you wish to transfer into the course and go to an English teaching university then you can do so before you start at Essex or after your first year results are known, see prospectus for further details. It is, however, less likely that you can move in the other direction (from four-year course to three-year) because of contractual agreements between Essex and its partner universities once the course has commenced.　

15. Will I be able to transfer from one law programme to another during the course?

There is no automatic right to transfer between law courses once you have started the course, for example from a four-year joint course, English and French Law (with Maîtrise/Master 1) or the M120 Laws (Study Abroad) course to the three-year LLB and vice versa. Whilst it might be possible to transfer to single honours Law from the joint honours courses after the first year, it is not possible to transfer in the other direction without repeating the year because of pre-requisite requirements in other departments.

16. Do you permit direct second-year entrance?

Please see our direct second year entrance web page.

More about the School

1. Do you have a personal tutor system?

Yes. At Essex we believe that the student is paramount and the student’s welfare is very important to us. Our personal tutor system ensures that each student is placed with a member of academic staff for the duration of their studies at Essex. The personal tutor is available for any general welfare issues that the student wishes to discuss. It is a confidential system.

2. Why is staff research important?

Research is a fundamental aspect of a lecturer’s teaching. Good quality research, like that undertaken by the School of Law at Essex, will feed directly into the lecturer’s teaching giving students the assurance that they are learning the most up-to-date law and have the opportunity to analyse cutting-edge developments.

3. Do you guarantee a place on the Legal Practice Module (LPC)?

We do have an arrangement with the College of Law which guarantees a place for any student graduating with at least a lower second class (2:2) degree.

4. Do we help with placements with law firms?

Students wishing to undertake law placements in barristers’ chambers or solicitors’ offices will usually do so during the summer vacation of their first or second year. We actively encourage students at Essex who have not already done so to undertake such a placement. Time spent seeing how the role of a solicitor or barrister is performed can ensure a more informed choice, which is reassuring for the student and can be a pre-requisite for many firms. The Careers Centre at Essex is very good and, in co-operation with the school careers advisor, organises an annual law careers fair. This is an opportunity for those students interested in a career in law to listen to a number of interesting and relevant talks, for example, concerning how and when to apply for post-qualification training and how to write an effective CV. The University also arranges for a selection of law firms and other employers to visit the campus for a special law fair; this is a very good opportunity for students to talk with solicitors and to compare different firms. However, the application process will then be up to the student; a career in law demands a degree of perseverance and determination, and so students are expected to undertake research on the type of firm that they wish to work in and to make the formal application.

5. How can we tell whether you are as good as another University?

This is a difficult question to answer, but there may be a number of factors that you would like to consider when choosing between institutions: (1) a higher research rating (as here) will indicate a research-led department which generally translates into more up-to-date teaching, (2) a good teaching record (Excellent as here), (3) the entrance requirements - many Universities now require the equivalent of at least AAB at A level (as here) which is a sign that the institution is a selecting University. Other factors that may influence your choice will include; the course itself, staff-student ratio, travelling distance of the institution from home, cost, availability and distance of accommodation at the university, and whether it is a campus or city based university.

More about the University

1. Can I work while I am at university?

During term-time students are permitted to carry on employment, but we urge you to ensure that you keep this to a minimum so that your studies are not overly affected. The University has an excellent JobShop on campus, which helps students to find work on campus, or in the local area.

2. Will I need to have my own computer?

Any written module work must be typed and so familiarity with computers is a must. In addition students may be contacted en bloc via email. However, there is no necessity to own a computer as there are very extensive computing facilities on campus with 24 hour availability. In addition, all University-owned accommodation has networked computing facilities, which means that for student residents who do own a computer internet facilities are available from the student’s own room, are faster than broadband, are available 24 hours a day seven days a week and are free of charge (that means already included in the cost of the accommodation). There is also a computing help desk on campus with trained staff available for general advice.

3. Will I need to buy books?

The module supervisor will liaise with the library to ensure that there is sufficient number of copies available in the library of the core and supplementary texts. However, for convenience most students will purchase at least some of their own books each year. We do have on campus a second hand book shop which will buy used books at a good price, so that the outlay for the second and final years is a little reduced. The library also stocks a large range of periodicals and other materials for use by students. In addition, students will also have access to a number of databases (including periodicals and other materials) via the internet, which are free of charge.

There is a branch of Waterstones on campus which will stock all core texts.