Scotland is a great place to study law, and is home to some of the highest performing UK universities, not only in the field of law but also across other subjects too. The top five Scottish law colleges are all well known, popular institutions which offer excellent facilities for students and a well-respected degree at the end of the course. Here, we look at these outstanding institutions and what they have to offer.
The University of Glasgow is the top performing Scottish law college and ranks 5th in the whole of the UK for the subject, ensuring an excellent standard of education for its students. The university itself has an impressive pedigree, dating back to 1451, and has forged some of the nation’s greatest talents with alumni including Ian Donald, the pioneer of the pregnancy ultrasound and James Watt who powered the industrial revolution. With a beautiful campus which boasts over 100 listed buildings, this institution has plenty to offer its students including two Student Unions and outstanding library facilities.
The University of Glasgow’s law courses include those in Scots Law and those in Common Law as well as joint honours with other subjects such as business economics and foreign languages. Graduates can take the LLB graduate entry course which takes two years while undergraduates can take the four year course.
The famous University of Edinburgh ranks highly among the world’s most prestigious institutions and has a history dating back to 1583. Ranked second in Scotland and 7th in the entire UK for law, this impressive institution boasts that 80% of its graduates leave with a 2:1 award or higher. Some well-known former alumni including author Ian Rankin, naturalist Charles Darwin, Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Potter author J K Rowling.
The university offers students the option to study for their Law LLB either as a standalone subject or as part of a joint honours degree with a number of other subjects including politics, history and business. Courses are available to both graduate and undergraduate entrants and last either 2 or 4 years.
The University of Aberdeen is ranked 3rd in Scotland and 10th in the UK for its law programmes. Another venerable institution, this university was founded in 1495 and now holds a place in the ranking of the top 5 UK institutions for graduate employment, with 96% of graduates finding positions within 6 months of their graduation. Some notable alumni include BBC broadcaster Nicky Campbell, actor Iain Glen and former chancellor of the exchequer Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP. As well as offering a standard law degree, the University of Aberdeen offers a number of exciting joint options including Law with English Law, Law with European Legal Studies and Law with business among others. Students can enter either at undergraduate level and take the full 4 year course or at graduate level for two years of study.
The University of Dundee ranks 4th for law in Scotland and 16th in the whole of the UK. Founded in 1881, this institution may be somewhat younger than the previous three on this list but is no less impressive with notable former students including news reader David Suchet, Nobel laureate Sir James W Black and criminal defence advocate Donald Findlay QC. This university offers a wide range of LLB courses including those specifically in Scots Law, courses which focus on English and Northern Irish law and Dual English and Scots law qualifying courses. There are also joint honours with a range of languages and an interesting joint honours in Gas and Oil law. The undergraduate path takes a full four years to qualification, whereas the graduate route requires just two years of study.
The University of Strathclyde ranks 5th in Scotland and 24th in the UK for its law programmes. Located in central Glasgow, this popular university boasts a vibrant community of over 20,000 students, many of whom come from overseas to study. The roots of this institution date back to 1786, during Scotland’s Enlightenment period, and some famous alumni include explorer and medical missionary David Livingstone, inventor of the television, John Logie Baird and James Blyth, the pioneer of wind energy. The law courses on offer here include those in exclusively Scots Law or English Law or a combination of both. There are also joint courses with languages and a specialist Clinical Law path. There are law courses for both graduate and undergraduate entrants, with the graduate pathway requiring 2 years to complete and the undergraduate pathway requiring a full four years.
Scotland’s university represent an excellent place to study, whether you are interested in studying Scots law, English law, Common law or any combination of subjects.