
Law LLB
School of Law
You are viewing this course for 2021-22 entry.
Key details
- A Levels AAA
Other entry requirements - UCAS code M100
- 3 years / Full-time
- Accredited
- Find out the course fee
Course description

This course introduces you to all the subjects you need to develop a critical understanding of modern English law. You'll learn how the law works in our society and how it changes and develops.
There are a huge amount of optional modules available for you to select from. Whether you choose commercial based subjects, or international law, human rights, or criminal law and evidence, you can build your LLB to suit your strengths and career aspirations.
The LLB programmes are recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Bar Standards Board as Qualifying Law Degrees for the purposes of satisfying the academic stage of training.
Modules
The modules listed below are examples from the last academic year. There may be some changes before you start your course. For the very latest module information, check with the department directly.
Choose a year to see modules for a level of study:
UCAS code: M100
Years: 2021
Core modules:
- Contemporary Issues in Law and Justice
-
The module is one of the core subjects of the degree, through which students cover the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. It introduces students to techniques of analysing the contributions of law in addressing social problems. Case studies will be explored, based on the research expertise of School staff and selected to demonstrate controversies in the law and a variety of approaches to legal analysis. Students will be challenged to identify how different perspectives on law relate to one another, and how they are portrayed through various media. The module provides a foundation for more advanced critical analysis of the law.
20 credits - Criminal Law and Justice
-
This module will introduce students to the concepts, theories and institutions of criminal law and justice, and its place in society. It will develop an understanding of the essential concepts of criminal liability. It will focus on the main institutional and procedural features of the criminal justice system, with the aim of stimulating an enquiring attitude towards the practice of criminal process. Students will have the opportunity to practise applying these processes to factual scenarios. The module provides a firm foundation for the more advanced study of criminal law and also of criminal evidence, criminal justice and criminal process.
20 credits - Law of Obligations (Contract, Torts & Restitution)
-
The module is one of the core foundation subjects of the degree, which cover the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. It introduces students to the Law of Obligations, within the context of the Common Law. It facilitates an understanding of basic principles of Contract, Tort and Restitution (as appropriate), engendering an understanding of the substantive law, whilst recognising and appreciating the role of these comparators as illustrative of the broader nature of the Common Law. The module provides a firm foundation for more advanced study in the areas of contract, torts, restitution and unjust enrichment.
20 credits - Property Law (Land Law, Equity and Trusts)
-
This module is one of the core foundation subjects of the degree, through which students cover the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. It introduces students to the concepts, theories and institutions of property law, and its place in society, focussing on the mechanisms for the creation, protection, transfer and loss of the different types of property right, specifically in Land Law and in Equity and Trusts. Students have the opportunity to practise the application of these mechanisms to factual scenarios. The module is essential for more advanced study of property-related subjects, including commercial property law, intellectual property law, and environmental law.
20 credits - Public Law in the UK and the EU
-
This module is one of the core foundation subjects of the degree, through which students cover the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. It covers the key principles of constitutional, administrative, EU and Human Rights Law, enabling students to acquire knowledge of the key institutions and laws of the UK and the EU relevant to the constitutional and administrative justice systems of those legal orders. The module challenges students to explore at least one contemporary constitutional debate in some depth. The module provides a firm foundation for the more advanced study of a range of areas of public law.
20 credits - Remedies in Private Law
-
This module introduces students to the different remedies available to parties seeking redress under the law, including damages (both compensatory and otherwise), account, specific performance, injunctions, interim relief, and self-help. It also introduces students to issues relating to the international and regional harmonisation of remedies. In addition, the module facilitates an understanding of the concepts and theories underlying the remedies that are available under the law. The module provides a good foundation for the advanced study of contract, tort, restitution, equity and trusts, and property.
20 credits - Core Legal and Study Skills 1 (CLASS1)
-
This module supports students throughout Level 1 of their undergraduate studies. Following a programme of group learning experiences, lectures, tutorials, and self-reflection, it offers professional and peer support to students as they begin their University studies. It teaches the `English Legal System¿ element of the `Foundations of Legal Knowledge' taught through the other Level 1 Law modules, providing a basis for subsequent legal learning. It provides guidance to ensure students navigate the programme to their specific needs and interests. In doing so, the module will create a foundation for communities of learning that will sustain them throughout their degree.
Core modules:
- Core Legal and Study Skills 2 (CLASS2)
-
This module supports students through Level 2 of their Qualifying Law degree at the University of Sheffield, in particular by assisting students in the transition to a higher level of learning. Lectures are focussed in the first weeks of each semester and are supported by tutorials, and self-reflection exercises which offer professional and peer support. It provides guidance to ensure students navigate the programme to their specific needs and interests, and assists students to gain the most from communities of learning that will sustain them for the remainder of their degree.
Optional modules:
- Advanced Administrative Law and Justice
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. The module develops in more detail the foundational concepts of administrative law introduced in the compulsory module `Public Law in the UK and the EU', with a particular emphasis on theories of administrative law and justice. The main focus will be judicial review: its development, purpose and place within the legal system; the substantive grounds and procedural aspects; and the remedies available. There will also be emphasis on non-judicial remedies in administrative law.
20 credits - Advanced Constitutional Law
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge'. The module develops in more detail the foundational concepts of constitutional law introduced in the compulsory module `Public Law in the UK and the EU¿. Theories of constitutionalism will be explored, alongside recent developments in British constitutional practice. Various proposals for constitutional reform will be analysed and the extensive operation of constitutional law through layers of public bodies identified.
20 credits - Advanced Contract: Contract Theories in a Commercial Perspective
-
This module seeks to give students an overview of the various theories of contract law and their influence on the law relating to commercial contracts. Having provided an introduction to the classical theories of contract law it will then consider competing theories such as contracts as obligation, economic perspectives on contract law, expectational and relational theories of contract law and contract as formalism or realism. Judicial attitudes to commercial contracts will be considered in the light of these different theoretical perspectives. In doing so topics such as the construction of commercial contracts, standard form contracts, and harmonisation attempts in respect of commercial contract law will be considered.
20 credits - Advanced Criminal Law and Justice
-
This module builds upon the foundational learning in LAW135 Criminal Law and Justice, developing students' knowledge about the doctrine and principles of criminal law. The focus rests upon the theme of criminalisation 'Beyond Homicide', the main family of substantive crimes examined by the predecessor module. It examines the range and scope of criminal law in critical detail, looking at the substantive offences and considering them in wider socio-legal context.
20 credits - Advanced EU Law
-
This module is one of the core/optional foundation subjects of the Qualifying Law Degree programmes offered by Sheffield Law School. Building on `Public Law in the UK and the EU¿, it explores the institutional structure and legal framework of the EU, as well as its substantive law. The module offers a distinct perspective on the dynamics of the EU, focusing on fundamental rights, the internal market and citizenship. Students will engage with Treaty provisions, EU legislation and cases, and practise a range of legal skills in applying EU law to concrete situations, thereby developing their employability.
20 credits - Advanced Equity & Trusts
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. The module critically examines the nature of property rights, their creation and transfer, and their protection against third parties. The module emphasises the role of equity in creating new proprietary rights and remedies. Particular consideration is given to the creation of express trusts (predominantly private), to resulting and constructive trusts, to the administration of trusts, and to the personal liability of trustees.
20 credits - Advanced Issues in International Law
-
Advanced Issues in International Law builds on the knowledge and skills learnt in Foundations of International Law, and applies it to a number of selected issues in international law. These issues will vary from year to year and will reflect to a large degree current issues of international concern. They are likely to be in the areas of Law of the Sea, International Environmental Law, International Institutional Law, International Criminal Law, International Law on Terrorism, and International Economic Law.
20 credits - Advanced Land Law
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. The module critically examines the nature of property rights and applies the student's knowledge and understanding of these in the broader structure of land law. The module will primarily explore in depth the system of registered titles to land and, within this framework, co-ownership, trusts of land, mortgages, and commercial interests (including easements and restrictive covenants) will be considered. Within the module, the prevailing system of unregistered titles is used as a comparator.
20 credits - Advanced Law of Contract
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. Issues of contract formation and variation will be examined in depth, alongside an analysis of the doctrines of estoppel, duress, undue influence, mistake and misrepresentation. The module will also re-evaluate the law relating to the interpretation and construction of the terms of the contract including implied terms, exclusion clauses, the doctrines of frustration and remedies. Students will be expected to critique existing legal solutions and apply complex legal principles to mock scenarios.
20 credits - Advanced Torts Law
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. In Law of Obligations the students will already have been introduced to the tort of negligence. We will build upon this foundation and further develop depth and breadth of understanding. Students will then enhance their understanding of tort by reference to other substantive torts. Which may include nuisance, trespass to the person and defamation.
20 credits - Criminal Process
-
The module aims to familiarise students with various criminal justice models and the nature of English criminal processes. Students will study the structure and functions of key institutions, and the role of various actors within the system. This may include modelling of the criminal justice system; values and the criminal justice system; police powers (eg, stop and search, detention); suspect rights; prosecution and pre-trial decisions; bail custody decisions; criminal legal aid; mode of trial; magistrates' court personnel and proceedings; judges and jury trial; 'system errors' and the machinery for correcting them.
20 credits - Criminology Research Project
-
This module develops on the earlier research methods module (Analysing Crime Data). There, students learned to manipulate and analyse data using SPSS on a computer. Here, students will work in small groups developing research ideas to form a fully developed questionnaire, which will be subsequently administered to a small general public sample via Corporate Information and Computing Systems (CICS). Thereafter, resulting data iscoded, computerised and analysed, and results written up as an individual report.
20 credits - Criminology and War
-
The module enables students to critically analyse the nature of contemporary war from a variety of criminological perspectives. It does so through the following debates: criminology of war; war as policing; war as crime; crime in war; masculinity, violence and war; victimology and war; environmental criminology and war; war and domestic criminal policy; war, veterans and domestic crime; and criminology as peacemaking. These debates are informed by a range of examples, in particular from the post-9/11 battlefields of the Middle East.
20 credits - Drugs, Crime and Control
-
This module aims to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of drugs, crime and control by engaging with the key academic and policy literature. Students will explore a wide range of drug-related issues and debates, critically analyse the laws, policies and institutions of drug control, and situate them within the wider social context. The topics covered will include: the social construction of the `drug problem'; drugs and crime; historical and contemporary perspectives on drug policy; drugs policing from the global to the local; tackling drugs through criminal justice interventions; drug control across the world; and the legalisation debate and alternatives to criminalisation.
20 credits - Employment Law
-
Employment law regulates work. Its sources are UK common law and statute and, of increasing importance, European Community law. The course will cover the tension between employment rights and labour flexibility, between regulation and deregulation. Recruitment, rights and obligations at work, pay, discrimination, unfair dismissal and redundancy will be examined, and the links between Employment Law and the law which deals with trade unions and industrial conflict will be identified. The module aims to set employment law in its social, political and European context; to encourage a critical understanding of the law; and to consider future development and reform.
20 credits - Foundations of International Law
-
Foundations of International Law provides foundational knowledge of the principles and institutions of the international legal order, and applies it to specific areas of international relations (further developed in Advanced Issues in International Law). The foundational knowledge covers issues of nature and sources, sovereignty, liability and enforcement. Emphasis will be on developing analytical and problem solving skills in relation to a new and different type of legal order to the domestic one with which students are familiar.
20 credits - Foundations of International Law
-
Foundations of International Law provides foundational knowledge of the principles and institutions of the international legal order, and applies it to specific areas of international relations (further developed in Advanced Issues in International Law). The foundational knowledge covers issues of nature and sources, sovereignty, liability and enforcement. Emphasis will be on developing analytical and problem solving skills in relation to a new and different type of legal order to the domestic one with which students are familiar.
20 credits - Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice
-
This module examines the experiences and treatment of men and women as victims and criminals. It examines whether and how offending patterns vary according to gender and explores connections between gender, offending and victimisation. The module also explores the treatment of and experiences of men and women within the criminal justice system. It argues that in order best to understand crime and criminal justice, criminologists must understand both as gendered.
20 credits - International Commercial Arbitration
-
This module introduces the students to the international arbitration legal framework based on the 1958 UN Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York Convention). It offers a systematic study of the international arbitration system, focusing on many important legal issues and processes including, among others, enforcement of arbitration agreements, selecting and challenging arbitrators, choosing the procedure and applicable law in arbitral proceedings, and enforcement of the arbitration awards. In particular, the module will not limit the discussions to any single country's arbitration law and practice, but will instead present arbitration as a transnational phenomenon and thus enable the students to analyse relevant legal issues from a truly international perspective.
20 credits - International Legal Theory and Practice
-
International Legal Theory and Practice seeks to raise students' appreciation of the various theoretical perspectives that underpin public international law. Through an analysis of such approaches as Natural law, positivism, the 'New Haven' policy-school, critical legal studies, and feminism, the unit encourages students to consider their own views on the theoretical basis of public international law.
20 credits - Law, Accountability and Government
-
The unit builds on Constitutional Law, with a more detailed analysis of the accountability arrangements in operation in the UK. It will examine how the modern constitution has evolved a number of interesting and sophisticated techniques of control, which work beyond traditional Parliamentary and court based institutions, and evaluate the theoretical need for such techniques. Specific areas of study will include: modernising Parliament, multi-layered governance, unelected institutions, enforcing constitutional values and constitutional theory. The aim of the unit is to expand the student's comprehension of how government in the UK is controlled in practice and enhance analytical skills.
20 credits - Police and Policing in a Global Context
-
This module explores policing on a macro-level, taking into account developments on a national and global scale. The topics covered will include: conceptualizing the police and policing; key features of policing, such as police powers, discretion, police culture and accountability; models of policing; the history of policing in the UK and elsewhere; the policing of multi-ethnic communities (who can also be thought of as 'global citizens'); the role of the police in policing, in the light of the growing involvement of non-warranted civilians and others in policing activities; policing in other countries, including post-colonial countries; and policing in a transnational context; policing in global, late modern societies. The module will be partly empirical, but it will also be grounded in theories about the use of power; for example, it will be situated within theories about governance and social control, whilst also exploring whether and from where the police derive legitimacy in exerting power/authority over citizens.
20 credits - Principles of Healthcare Law and Ethics
-
This module will introduce students to the nature and scope of healthcare law and ethics in the UK as it is affected by statute, the common law and international instruments. It will address fundamental aspects of healthcare law and ethics as they arise in practice including resource allocation, regulation, elements of clinical negligence as well the important concepts of consent and confidentiality.
20 credits - Private Law Aspects of Company Law
-
This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the application of contract law, tort law and equity in the corporate context.
20 credits - Punishment and Penal Policy
-
This module is concerned with the sentencing and punishment of offenders. It considers, in historical context: the philosophical underpinnings of punishment; sentencing policy and practice; and the forms that punishment takes (including custodial and non-custodial options). It also considers what we know about public attitudes toward punishment. A key issue addressed by this module is the rapid growth of the prison population since the mid-1990s: how can we explain this state of affairs, and can/should this trend be reversed?
20 credits - Responding to Crime and Victimisation
-
This module examines the legal response to international and transnational crimes, from atrocities such as genocide to crimes with a trans- or international element, such as drug and people trafficking. In particular, the module will cover issues of jurisdiction, criminalisation (including contentious international crimes, such as terrorism and organised crime), justifications of international criminal prosecution and its alternatives, and concepts surrounding the implementation of the punishment of international crimes. Special attention is paid to how domestic public laws influence the applicability and `reach' of contemporary international criminal mechanisms.
20 credits - Sale of Goods
-
Commercial Law is the law that governs contracts for the supply of goods and services, particularly those concerned with large scale transactions. This module concentrates on the legal machinery by which goods and services are marketed, including the law of sale, agency and payment mechanisms. Its aims are to provide students with a knowledge of the core areas of commercial law; critically to evaluate the relevant legal rules and, in particular, their suitability for application to commercial and consumer contracts in modern economic conditions; and, by concentrating on legal problem questions, to develop students' skills of legal reasoning and problem solving.
20 credits - The Law Relating to Public Companies
-
This module introduces students to the law and governance of public companies through an interdisciplinary lens. Students learn about the different theories about the purpose of corporations in society and the different conceptions of corporate governance. This theoretical framework is then used as the basis for a critical exploration of a number of topical aspects of company law and corporate governance, including soft law, corporate social responsibility, information disclosure, insider dealing and market abuse, corporate finance, takeovers and executive remuneration.
20 credits - The Rehabilitation of Offenders
-
Attempts to rehabilitate offenders have a long history and have taken a variety of forms. This module considers the legitimacy and effectiveness of approaches toward offenders which come under the umbrella of `rehabilitation¿. The module focuses in particular on contemporary rehabilitative approaches used in prisons and in the context of community penalties, including the current popularity of cognitive-behavioural treatment programmes. It also examines in detail the relevance and effectiveness of rehabilitation in respect of specific groups of offenders, such as those who commit sexual offences and drug misusing offenders.
20 credits - Understanding Criminology: Advanced Level Introduction
-
This module introduces students who have not taken criminology core modules to key areas of criminological definition, empirical study, theory and the development of criminal justice systems. It equips non-criminology students with a broad understanding and so enables them to take further criminology modules if they choose. The module looks at case studies of crime and deviance from contemporary life to help students understand how some of the history and theory of criminology can be brought to bear on social and legal issues.
20 credits - Youth Crime and Justice
-
This module examines youth crime and `antisocial behaviour, as well as formal responses to young people who offend. During the first half of the module, contemporary and historical views of youth crime are critically examined, attending particularly to class, ethnicity and gender, and to the historical construction of youth as problematic. The second half of the module focuses on youth justice, including the role of the police, the courts, Youth Offending Teams, custodial institutions and other bodies in regulating unruly youth and preventing and responding to youth crime.
20 credits
Core modules:
- Core Legal and Study Skills Final Year (CLASS-FY)
-
This module supports students through their final year of undergraduate study in the School of Law and builds on WINS at Levels 1 and 2. Lectures are focussed in the first weeks of each semester and are supported by a programme of tutorials, led by Personal and Academic Tutors, and self-reflection exercises which offer professional and peer support to students. It teaches a range of research skills, and values, supporting `research-based¿ modules on offer in final year. It provides guidance to help students create a solid foundation for communities of learning that will sustain them after graduation.
Optional modules:
- Advanced Administrative Law and Justice
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. The module develops in more detail the foundational concepts of administrative law introduced in the compulsory module `Public Law in the UK and the EU', with a particular emphasis on theories of administrative law and justice. The main focus will be judicial review: its development, purpose and place within the legal system; the substantive grounds and procedural aspects; and the remedies available. There will also be emphasis on non-judicial remedies in administrative law.
20 credits - Advanced Constitutional Law
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge'. The module develops in more detail the foundational concepts of constitutional law introduced in the compulsory module `Public Law in the UK and the EU¿. Theories of constitutionalism will be explored, alongside recent developments in British constitutional practice. Various proposals for constitutional reform will be analysed and the extensive operation of constitutional law through layers of public bodies identified.
20 credits - Advanced Contract: Contract Theories in a Commercial Perspective
-
This module seeks to give students an overview of the various theories of contract law and their influence on the law relating to commercial contracts. Having provided an introduction to the classical theories of contract law it will then consider competing theories such as contracts as obligation, economic perspectives on contract law, expectational and relational theories of contract law and contract as formalism or realism. Judicial attitudes to commercial contracts will be considered in the light of these different theoretical perspectives. In doing so topics such as the construction of commercial contracts, standard form contracts, and harmonisation attempts in respect of commercial contract law will be considered.
20 credits - Advanced Criminal Law and Justice
-
This module builds upon the foundational learning in LAW135 Criminal Law and Justice, developing students' knowledge about the doctrine and principles of criminal law. The focus rests upon the theme of criminalisation 'Beyond Homicide', the main family of substantive crimes examined by the predecessor module. It examines the range and scope of criminal law in critical detail, looking at the substantive offences and considering them in wider socio-legal context.
20 credits - Advanced EU Law
-
This module is one of the core/optional foundation subjects of the Qualifying Law Degree programmes offered by Sheffield Law School. Building on `Public Law in the UK and the EU¿, it explores the institutional structure and legal framework of the EU, as well as its substantive law. The module offers a distinct perspective on the dynamics of the EU, focusing on fundamental rights, the internal market and citizenship. Students will engage with Treaty provisions, EU legislation and cases, and practise a range of legal skills in applying EU law to concrete situations, thereby developing their employability.
20 credits - Advanced Equity & Trusts
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. The module critically examines the nature of property rights, their creation and transfer, and their protection against third parties. The module emphasises the role of equity in creating new proprietary rights and remedies. Particular consideration is given to the creation of express trusts (predominantly private), to resulting and constructive trusts, to the administration of trusts, and to the personal liability of trustees.
20 credits - Advanced Issues in International Law
-
Advanced Issues in International Law builds on the knowledge and skills learnt in Foundations of International Law, and applies it to a number of selected issues in international law. These issues will vary from year to year and will reflect to a large degree current issues of international concern. They are likely to be in the areas of Law of the Sea, International Environmental Law, International Institutional Law, International Criminal Law, International Law on Terrorism, and International Economic Law.
20 credits - Advanced Land Law
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. The module critically examines the nature of property rights and applies the student's knowledge and understanding of these in the broader structure of land law. The module will primarily explore in depth the system of registered titles to land and, within this framework, co-ownership, trusts of land, mortgages, and commercial interests (including easements and restrictive covenants) will be considered. Within the module, the prevailing system of unregistered titles is used as a comparator.
20 credits - Advanced Law of Contract
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. Issues of contract formation and variation will be examined in depth, alongside an analysis of the doctrines of estoppel, duress, undue influence, mistake and misrepresentation. The module will also re-evaluate the law relating to the interpretation and construction of the terms of the contract including implied terms, exclusion clauses, the doctrines of frustration and remedies. Students will be expected to critique existing legal solutions and apply complex legal principles to mock scenarios.
20 credits - Advanced Torts Law
-
This module is one of the optional foundation subjects of the degree, which students can take to cover in more detail the Foundations of Legal Knowledge. In Law of Obligations the students will already have been introduced to the tort of negligence. We will build upon this foundation and further develop depth and breadth of understanding. Students will then enhance their understanding of tort by reference to other substantive torts. Which may include nuisance, trespass to the person and defamation.
20 credits - Competition Law
-
Businesses selling goods and services often face competition from other sellers of similar products. The effect of this competition will normally be to keep prices down and to enhance choice for customers. Competition law is concerned with protecting and encouraging competition in markets, and seeks to control agreements which restrict competition, the ability of powerful businesses to restrict competition by unilateral conduct, the particular issues raised by concentrated markets and the reduction of competition by mergers and similar transactions. This module looks briefly at the underlying economics and then at EC and UK competition law, at both substantive issues and enforcement. The module has a practical orientation. Previous experience of economics is not required.
20 credits - Criminal Evidence
-
The Law of Criminal Evidence is that body of rules that determine what material may be used to prove or disprove the criminal offence alleged to have been committed by the accused. Specific topics covered include the rules governing witness testimony, the regulation of questioning, the burden of proof, and the operation of exclusionary rules concerning hearsay evidence, confessions and character evidence.
20 credits - Criminal Process
-
The course is designed to build on students' understanding of the criminal justice process, and will look at topical issues relating to the operation of the criminal justice system after a prosecution has been initiated. These may include modelling the criminal justice system; values and the criminal justice system; police powers (e.g. stop and search, detention); suspects rights; prosecution and pre-trial decisions; bail/custody decisions; criminal legal aid; mode of trial; magistrates' court personnel and proceedings; judges and jury trial; 'system errors' and the machinery for correcting them.
20 credits - Criminology Research Paper
-
The Criminology Research Paper requires a student to submit a research paper of 6,000 words on a criminological topic that is approved in advance by the module convenor. The aim of the module is to support a student in independently carrying out research, whether library-based or empirical. It may also enable a student to study a subject that is not otherwise covered in depth on their degree. It is the student's responsibility to select the topic and to approach the module convenor for approval. The student may only proceed with research that a member of the criminology staff is willing to supervise. The student should approach the appropriate staff member and seek agreement for the supervision of their project before opting to undertake the research paper.
20 credits - Criminology Research Project
-
This module extends research methods abilities developed initially in earlier research methods modules. There, students learned to manipulate and analyse data using SPSS on a computer. Here, students will work in small groups developing research ideas to form a fully developed questionnaire, which will be subsequently administered to a small general public sample via Corporate Information and Computing Systems (CICS). Thereafter, resulting data are coded, computerised and analysed, and results written up as an individual report.
20 credits - Criminology and War
-
The module enables students to critically analyse the nature of contemporary war from a variety of criminological perspectives. It does so through the following debates: criminology of war; war as policing; war as crime; crime in war; masculinity, violence and war; victimology and war; environmental criminology and war; war and domestic criminal policy; war, veterans and domestic crime; and criminology as peacemaking. These debates are informed by a range of examples, in particular from the post-9/11 battlefields of the Middle East.
20 credits - Drugs, Crime and Control
-
This module aims to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of drugs, crime and control by engaging with the key academic and policy literature. Students will explore a wide range of drug-related issues and debates, critically analyse the laws, policies and institutions of drug control, and situate them within the wider social context. The topics covered will include: the social construction of the `drug problem'; drugs and crime; historical and contemporary perspectives on drug policy; drugs policing from the global to the local; tackling drugs through criminal justice interventions; drug control across the world; and the legalisation debate and alternatives to criminalisation.
20 credits - Employment Law
-
Employment law regulates work. Its sources are UK common law and statute and, of increasing importance, European Community law. The course will cover the tension between employment rights and labour flexibility, between regulation and deregulation. Recruitment, rights and obligations at work, pay, discrimination, unfair dismissal and redundancy will be examined, and the links between Employment Law and the law which deals with trade unions and industrial conflict will be identified. The module aims to set employment law in its social, political and European context; to encourage a critical understanding of the law; and to consider future development and reform.
20 credits - Family Law
-
The aim of the module is to enable students to understand the principles, policy and practice of selected parts of Family Law. The module is structured to encourage students to develop their critical awareness of the law and the social policy which informs it. It covers the law relating to children after marriage or relationship breakdown; the role of agencies and courts in child care and protection; the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on Child Law; the remedies available to victims of domestic violence; nullity and divorce; and financial provision and property adjustment orders on marriage breakdown.
20 credits - Foundations of International Law
-
Foundations of International Law provides foundational knowledge of the principles and institutions of the international legal order, and applies it to specific areas of international relations (further developed in Advanced Issues in International Law). The foundational knowledge covers issues of nature and sources, sovereignty, liability and enforcement. Emphasis will be on developing analytical and problem solving skills in relation to a new and different type of legal order to the domestic one with which students are familiar.
20 credits - Foundations of International Law
-
Foundations of International Law provides foundational knowledge of the principles and institutions of the international legal order, and applies it to specific areas of international relations (further developed in Advanced Issues in International Law). The foundational knowledge covers issues of nature and sources, sovereignty, liability and enforcement. Emphasis will be on developing analytical and problem solving skills in relation to a new and different type of legal order to the domestic one with which students are familiar.
20 credits - Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice
-
This module examines the experiences and treatment of men and women as victims and criminals. It examines whether and how offending patterns vary according to gender and explores connections between gender, offending and victimisation. The module also explores the treatment of and experiences of men and women within the criminal justice system. It argues that in order best to understand crime and criminal justice, criminologists must understand both as gendered.
20 credits - Intellectual Property Law
-
This module will look at the various legal mechanisms which are available to protect the results of creative endeavour, namely copyright, patents and trade marks. In particular the module will look at the philosophical justifications for granting legal monopolies over material such as music, genetic information and colours (when used to ‘brand’ merchandise) and ask where the balance should be drawn between protecting the rights of the market entrant against unfair copying as against those of society in having unencumbered access to important new ideas.
20 credits - International Commercial Arbitration
-
This module introduces the students to the international arbitration legal framework based on the 1958 UN Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York Convention). It offers a systematic study of the international arbitration system, focusing on many important legal issues and processes including, among others, enforcement of arbitration agreements, selecting and challenging arbitrators, choosing the procedure and applicable law in arbitral proceedings, and enforcement of the arbitration awards. In particular, the module will not limit the discussions to any single country's arbitration law and practice, but will instead present arbitration as a transnational phenomenon and thus enable the students to analyse relevant legal issues from a truly international perspective.
20 credits - International Human Rights Law
-
Protecting human rights is an increasingly important concern of international law in the modern world. Understanding its significance involves knowing what the current guarantees of human rights are and how arrangements for protecting them work. This module provides a broad but selective survey of issues in this field, examining the main human rights treaties and reviewing the procedures for implementing them, in the United Nations, through regional institutions, and elsewhere.
20 credits - International Legal Theory and Practice
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International Legal Theory and Practice seeks to raise students' appreciation of the various theoretical perspectives that underpin public international law. Through an analysis of such approaches as Natural law, positivism, the 'New Haven' policy-school, critical legal studies, and feminism, the unit encourages students to consider their own views on the theoretical basis of public international law.
20 credits - International Trade Law
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International Trade is the lifeblood of national economies. The law developed special, sometimes separate rules to meet the special needs of international transactions. Since international transactions are the clearest examples of pure commercial transactions, study of international trade law offers the clearest insight into the role of the law in regulating and facilitating commercial activity. The aims of the course are 1. to provide students with understanding of the working of a typical international transaction; 2. to provide students with a knowledge of the legal rules relevant to such transactions; 3. to develop students' skills to analyse and understand complex transactions; 4. to develop students' skills of problem solving; 5. to encourage students critically to evaluate the effectiveness of the law's response to commercial activity. The course builds on work done in Commercial Law I and it can be studied in conjunction with Commercial Law II.
20 credits - Law Research Paper
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The Law Research Paper requires a student to submit a research paper of 6,000 words on a legal topic that is approved in advance by the module convenor. The aim of the module is to support a student in independently carrying out research, whether library-based or empirical. It may also enable a student to study a subject that is not otherwise covered in depth on their degree. It is the student's responsibility to select the topic and to approach the module convenor for approval. The student may only proceed with research that a member of the law staff is willing to supervise. The student should approach the appropriate staff member and seek agreement for the supervision of their project before opting to undertake the research paper.
20 credits - Law Research Paper
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The Law Research Paper requires a student to submit a research paper of 6,000 words on a legal topic that is approved in advance by the module convenor. The aim of the module is to support a student in independently carrying out research, whether library-based or empirical. It may also enable a student to study a subject that is not otherwise covered in depth on their degree. It is the student's responsibility to select the topic and to approach the module convenor for approval. The student may only proceed with research that a member of the law staff is willing to supervise. The student should approach the appropriate staff member and seek agreement for the supervision of their project before opting to undertake the research paper.
20 credits - Law, Accountability and Government
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The unit builds on Constitutional Law, with a more detailed analysis of the accountability arrangements in operation in the UK. It will examine how the modern constitution has evolved a number of interesting and sophisticated techniques of control, which work beyond traditional Parliamentary and court based institutions, and evaluate the theoretical need for such techniques. Specific areas of study will include: modernising Parliament, multi-layered governance, unelected institutions, enforcing constitutional values and constitutional theory. The aim of the unit is to expand the student's comprehension of how government in the UK is controlled in practice and enhance analytical skills.
20 credits - Law, Democracy and Populism
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This module will explore the constitutional implications of the populist surge in Europe and America. First, specific features of the different “varieties of populism” are identified, and second, their differential impact on core constitutional structures of liberal democracy is analysed. By comparing different populist approaches, we will examine how the ideals of the new populists have translated into law. Finally, the module focuses on the role of law and constitutional checks and balances as essential bulwarks against democratic backsliding. The current surge of populism seems to indicate that that constitutional democracy can find itself in great danger when democratic support for its core principles begins to ebb.
20 credits - Police and Policing in a Global Context
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This module explores policing on a macro-level, taking into account developments on a national and global scale. The topics covered will include: conceptualizing the police and policing; key features of policing, such as police powers, discretion, police culture and accountability; models of policing; the history of policing in the UK and elsewhere; the policing of multi-ethnic communities (who can also be thought of as 'global citizens'); the role of the police in policing, in the light of the growing involvement of non-warranted civilians and others in policing activities; policing in other countries, including post-colonial countries; and policing in a transnational context; policing in global, late modern societies. The module will be partly empirical, but it will also be grounded in theories about the use of power; for example, it will be situated within theories about governance and social control, whilst also exploring whether and from where the police derive legitimacy in exerting power/authority over citizens.
20 credits - Principles of Healthcare Law and Ethics
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This module will introduce students to the nature and scope of healthcare law and ethics in the UK as it is affected by statute, the common law and international instruments. It will address fundamental aspects of healthcare law and ethics as they arise in practice including resource allocation, regulation, elements of clinical negligence as well the important concepts of consent and confidentiality.
20 credits - Private Law Aspects of Company Law
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This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the application of contract law, tort law and equity in the corporate context.
20 credits - Punishment and Penal Policy
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This module is concerned with the sentencing and punishment of offenders. It considers, in historical context: the philosophical underpinnings of punishment; sentencing policy and practice; and the forms that punishment takes (including custodial and non-custodial options). It also considers what we know about public attitudes toward punishment. A key issue addressed by this module is the rapid growth of the prison population since the mid-1990s: how can we explain this state of affairs, and can/should this trend be reversed?
20 credits - Responding to Crime and Victimisation
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This module examines the legal response to international and transnational crimes, from atrocities such as genocide to crimes with a trans- or international element, such as drug and people trafficking. In particular, the module will cover issues of jurisdiction, criminalisation (including contentious international crimes, such as terrorism and organised crime), justifications of international criminal prosecution and its alternatives, and concepts surrounding the implementation of the punishment of international crimes. Special attention is paid to how domestic public laws influence the applicability and `reach' of contemporary international criminal mechanisms.
20 credits - Restorative Justice
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The module is designed to enable students to research and apply advanced land law in a practical setting. Students will review property title documents, identify and research topics/question flowing from them, conduct a site visit and write a report on the title. The nature of the project will encourage students to consider how legal issues can impact upon the development and ultimate end user of the site. This module is part of a suite of optional final year modules based on special projects undertaken by students in the Law School.
20 credits - Sale of Goods
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Commercial Law is the law that governs contracts for the supply of goods and services, particularly those concerned with large scale transactions. This module concentrates on the legal machinery by which goods and services are marketed, including the law of sale, agency and payment mechanisms. Its aims are to provide students with a knowledge of the core areas of commercial law; critically to evaluate the relevant legal rules and, in particular, their suitability for application to commercial and consumer contracts in modern economic conditions; and, by concentrating on legal problem questions, to develop students' skills of legal reasoning and problem solving.
20 credits - Sexual Offending and Sex Offenders
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This module will explore various aspects associated with sexual offending and sex offenders by engaging with key academic literature and policy documents. The module encourages students to review and reflect on the representations of sexual offending and sex offenders across a variety of media formats, to examine current sexual offences legislations in England and Wales and responses to the ‘sex offender problem’. The module will also critique the supervision and management efforts implemented specifically for sex offenders in England and Wales as well as in other jurisdictions.
20 credits - The Law Relating to Public Companies
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This module introduces students to the law and governance of public companies through an interdisciplinary lens. Students learn about the different theories about the purpose of corporations in society and the different conceptions of corporate governance. This theoretical framework is then used as the basis for a critical exploration of a number of topical aspects of company law and corporate governance, including soft law, corporate social responsibility, information disclosure, insider dealing and market abuse, corporate finance, takeovers and executive remuneration.
20 credits - The Rehabilitation of Offenders
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Attempts to rehabilitate offenders have a long history and have taken a variety of forms. This module considers the legitimacy and effectiveness of approaches toward offenders which come under the umbrella of `rehabilitation¿. The module focuses in particular on contemporary rehabilitative approaches used in prisons and in the context of community penalties, including the current popularity of cognitive-behavioural treatment programmes. It also examines in detail the relevance and effectiveness of rehabilitation in respect of specific groups of offenders, such as those who commit sexual offences and drug misusing offenders.
20 credits - Theoretical Foundations of Criminal Law
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This module explores the theoretical foundations of criminal law in England and Wales, attempting to situate criminal law in its political, philosophical, historical, and social contexts. Specific issues of criminal law theory, such as criminalisation, harm, responsibility, the rule of law, and minimum intervention are discussed, along with an introduction to the principles of criminal justice and the developing trends affecting these issues. Students will be encouraged to critically deconstruct these issues, and evaluate the distance between these theoretical principles and practice by applying these principles to current debates and tensions in the law, gaining a richer and more critical understanding of the law they have previously studied.
20 credits - Understanding Criminology: Advanced Level Introduction
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This module introduces students who have not taken criminology core modules to key areas of criminological definition, empirical study, theory and the development of criminal justice systems. It equips non-criminology students with a broad understanding and so enables them to take further criminology modules if they choose. The module looks at case studies of crime and deviance from contemporary life to help students understand how some of the history and theory of criminology can be brought to bear on social and legal issues.
20 credits - Youth Crime and Justice
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This module examines youth crime and `antisocial behaviour, as well as formal responses to young people who offend. During the first half of the module, contemporary and historical views of youth crime are critically examined, attending particularly to class, ethnicity and gender, and to the historical construction of youth as problematic. The second half of the module focuses on youth justice, including the role of the police, the courts, Youth Offending Teams, custodial institutions and other bodies in regulating unruly youth and preventing and responding to youth crime.
20 credits
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption. We are no longer offering unrestricted module choice. If your course included unrestricted modules, your department will provide a list of modules from their own and other subject areas that you can choose from.
Learning and assessment
Learning
You'll learn through lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and small group teaching. Independent study is the key to academic success, including research and reading.
Study with us and you will be taught by international experts. We're a top 10 law school that’s helping to shape the law and global society. We provide world class learning and teaching, and carry out research of global relevance.
Our teaching is research-led, meaning you benefit from the latest thinking, keeping your learning at the forefront of your subject.
Assessment
- Coursework
- Exams
- Dissertation
Programme specification
This tells you the aims and learning outcomes of this course and how these will be achieved and assessed.
Entry requirements
With Access Sheffield, you could qualify for additional consideration or an alternative offer - find out if you're eligible
The A Level entry requirements for this course are:
AAA
The A Level entry requirements for this course are:
AAB
A Levels + additional qualifications | AAB + A in a relevant EPQ AAB + A in a relevant EPQ
International Baccalaureate | 36 34
BTEC | D*DD in a relevant subject (Applied Law, Applied Science, Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship or Personal and Business Finance) DDD in a relevant subject (Applied Law, Applied Science, Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship or Personal and Business Finance)
Scottish Highers | AAAAA AAAAB
Welsh Baccalaureate + 2 A Levels | A + AA B + AA
Access to HE Diploma | 60 credits overall in a relevant subject , 45 at Level 3 including 39 at Distinction and 6 at Merit 60 credits overall in a relevant subject , 45 at Level 3 including 36 at Distinction and 9 at Merit
Mature students - explore other routes for mature students
You must demonstrate that your English is good enough for you to successfully complete your course. For this course we require: GCSE English Language at grade 4/C; IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component; or an alternative acceptable English language qualification
- Guidance on acceptable A Level subjects
At least two of your three A Levels should be in acceptable subjects
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BTEC relevant subjects include Applied Law, Applied Science, Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship or Personal and Business Finance. Access relevant subjects include Law, Business Studies/Management, Humanities or Social Science
We also accept a range of other UK qualifications and other EU/international qualifications.
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the department.
School of Law

All of our courses prepare you for the challenges of professional life. Learning to identify and address the complex legal, moral, ethical or social questions that underpin the law is key to your success here. Your teachers will be researching the very latest aspects of law and criminology and amongst them are practising legal professionals. Their discoveries become yours, as their research filters into teaching.
Top law firms regularly visit us to meet our students and take a hands-on approach by contributing to your wider education. They also interview our high-achieving students for jobs.
We have over 200 places for voluntary work experience, which gives you the chance to do real client work that has a positive impact in the community. You can get involved in our free legal clinic and the Miscarriages of Justice Review Centre, an opportunity to work on cases of wrongful imprisonment. You can work on our commercial pro bono project, on our criminal justice initiative or at the courts, providing help and support to individual litigants. You can also work with several local charities as a trained adviser, helping individuals with their legal problems.
Our degrees have a strong international focus to prepare you for a career that could take you anywhere. Our study abroad scheme is one of the largest of its kind in the UK and includes destinations in Europe, Australia, China, the US and Canada.
School of Law students are based in Bartolomé House which is in close proximity to the whole University campus. Teaching takes place in Bartolome House and across the University campus, all within walking distance.
Facilities
You'll have access to our very own Moot Court where you'll have the opportunity to argue a fictional case as if representing a client and can also take part in national and international mooting competitions.
School of LawWhy choose Sheffield?
The University of Sheffield
A Top 100 university 2021
QS World University Rankings
Top 10% of all UK universities
Research Excellence Framework 2014
No 1 Students' Union in the UK
Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2019, 2018, 2017
School of Law
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
National Student Survey 2019
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Student profiles
I enjoy studying law because it has the right mix of analysis and evaluation for me. The School of Law has a great reputation as one of the top law schools in the country. It provides you with the high-quality education and wonderful research skills you need for your future career.
Kristijana Vidovic, undergraduate student
Graduate careers
School of Law
Many of our students enter the legal profession, either as barristers or solicitors. For those planning to become solicitors, we have an in-house Legal Practice Course which is a masters programme. Many of our graduates secure training contracts as solicitors in top law firms.
Our former students have joined global, national and regional law firms, barristers' chambers and have become judges. Three Lord Justices of Appeal are among our former graduates and regularly visit to support us. With all the opportunities and skills on offer here, our students have also taken up careers in the criminal justice system and in a wide range of managerial professions.
Practice of law
Following all our LLB courses, you'll be eligible to take the Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course for entry to the legal profession in England and Wales, either as a solicitor or barrister.
Fees and funding
Fees
Additional costs
The annual fee for your course includes a number of items in addition to your tuition. If an item or activity is classed as a compulsory element for your course, it will normally be included in your tuition fee. There are also other costs which you may need to consider.
Funding your study
Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for a bursary, scholarship or loan to help fund your study and enhance your learning experience.
Use our Student Funding Calculator to work out what you’re eligible for.
Visit us
University open days
There are four open days every year, usually in June, July, September and October. You can talk to staff and students, tour the campus and see inside the accommodation.
Taster days
At various times in the year we run online taster sessions to help Year 12 students experience what it is like to study at the University of Sheffield.
Applicant days
If you've received an offer to study with us, we'll invite you to one of our applicant days, which take place between November and April. These applicant days have a strong department focus and give you the chance to really explore student life here, even if you've visited us before.
Campus tours
Campus tours run regularly throughout the year, at 1pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Apply for this course
Make sure you've done everything you need to do before you apply.
How to apply When you're ready to apply, see the UCAS website:
www.ucas.com
The awarding body for this course is the University of Sheffield.