Legal Practice Course
The MA in Legal Practice (LPC) is the vocational qualification you need in order to go on to practise as a solicitor. Our LPC course trains you to Masters standard, allowing you to develop an excellent academic understanding in an area of law and practice whilst also providing you with the qualifications you need to progress your legal education. We are the only red brick institution in England to offer the LPC. You can opt to study this course on a part-time or full-time basis.
Conversion courses
If you’re looking to convert your current degree to law, or have a degree in law from outside of the UK, you will need to take a conversion course. Both of our conversion courses are qualifying law degrees which means they will enable you to progress to the MA in Legal Practice (LPC) and continue your legal education. If you’re still not sure which course is right for you, here are the differences between the courses below.
MA Law
The MA Law seeks to build on your existing knowledge and experience once you have achieved your University degree, allowing you to acquire a qualifying law degree in only two years rather than the three years required to successfully complete an LLB. The MA Law also offers the flexibility to complete the programme part time over three years, allowing you to fit your studies around other commitments. Some students prefer to spread out their studies, enabling them to acquire a depth of knowledge over a much wider range of subjects than is possible in a one-year conversion course such as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL).
Graduates of the MA in Law who wish to practise in the UK can continue to the vocational stage of training right here in Sheffield with our Legal Practice Course (MA in Legal Practice).
Graduate Diploma in Law
Also known as the Common Professional Exam, this is a one-year conversion course for non-law graduates or those who have a law degree from outside England and Wales. This course allows students to fast track their legal education while still gaining knowledge of the core law fundamentals.
The GDL runs on a full-time basis from mid-September to the middle of June and covers all subjects required by the relevant professional bodies. In addition to core requirements, you will also study the English Legal System and enhance your skills and understanding through a legal research project. Human Rights and Restitution are studied within their respective contexts and are integral to the teaching of several modules. The course includes the study of Company Law, which is not a component of every GDL, but which we believe to be an essential foundational element of the understanding of the law of England and Wales.
