Everything you need to know...
International/EU: £15,860 per year (£1,200 for placement year)
Employability
94% of our graduates are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating (2019/20 Graduate Outcomes Survey).
Course summary
- Learn about legal and criminal justice principles, rules and practice.
- Understand the effect of law in society from academic and practical perspectives.
- Gain legal experience throughout your degree in our on-campus environments.
- Develop employability skills through working with legal sector professionals.
- Consider the possibility of undertaking placements in the UK and overseas.
On this course you’ll gain practical skills and see the real-world application of what you learn. You’ll develop an excellent knowledge of law and criminal justice – alongside the experience to prepare you for professional qualifications in law and other sectors.

Come to an open day
Find out more at our undergraduate open days. Book now for your place.
How you learn
All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.
You’ll learn and gain experience in a variety of areas of law in our on-campus environments – SHU Law and the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC). Our award-winning tutors are experts in their fields. You’ll be taught by lecturers who are expert researchers, and who have years of experience in their professions.
You learn through
- lectures and interactive workshops
- independent research
- case studies in both simulated and live client environments
- practice-based learning centred around live client case work, conducted in small groups under the supervision of legal professionals
- work placements in SHU Law and elsewhere
From your first year, you’ll gain applied foundational knowledge in law and criminology – plus a detailed induction in our on-campus law firm, SHU Law. In your second year, you’ll continue to learn the core areas of law and you’ll begin to specialise – choosing areas such as criminal appeals, prisoners' rights, or private client work through SHU Law.
In your final year you’ll take on more responsibility for your learning and developing your portfolio – through SHU Law and a variety of elective modules in both law and criminology. You’ll also have opportunities to branch out into placement settings across the UK and overseas, cementing your knowledge not just as a student, but for your future career.
You will be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled graduate employment in a number of ways. These include
- support throughout your studies from your own dedicated academic advisor, committed to your personal and professional development as a confident, reflective and autonomous learner
- access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, workshops and online resources to help you to plan and structure your assignments
- employability opportunities such as project work, networking and field trips – and expert advice and guidance from our careers and employability team
Course leaders and tutors

Peter Griffith
Senior Lecturer in LawAs a senior lecturer in Law Peter contributes to teaching and curriculum design in a range of subjects
Applied learning
Work placements
Our regulated and supervised on-campus law firm – SHU Law – offers you a unique chance to get ahead with your solicitor qualifications. You’ll gain vital industry experience working alongside solicitors on real cases. Uniquely, your work with SHU Law is fully integrated into your course from your first year, and will continue throughout your studies.
In your final year you can choose to apply for our Law in Practice placements in external legal settings as part of your studies. Previous students have had placements at major national and internaional law firms – such as Irwin Mitchell and DLA Piper – and often involve sitting in on real hearings and court cases with solicitors. You may also have the chance to do a placement in areas such as local government, coroners’ offices or local law firms.
There are also international work placements available in the USA – including at the Public Defenders’ Office in Savannah, and the Innocence Project in San Diego. Your placement supervisor will help you find the right fit for your career, and will provide support throughout your experience.
Social justice
Throughout the course, you’ll help advocate for those who don’t have or can’t afford representation.
In your third year, you’ll be able to work in the award-winning Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice on a range of projects relating to immigration, asylum and human rights. There’s also the opportunity to help reunite families through our own Refugee Rights Hub.
Future careers
Your degree can be the first step towards a career in law, public sector and criminal justice professions – as well as the wider business and commercial sector.
This course prepares you for a career in
- solicitors' firms
- barristers' chambers
- the police, probation and prison services
- financial services
- local government
- Crown Prosecution Service
- victim support
Student success story
As part of her law course, Anna Lester went into schools across Sheffield, educating children on legal issues such as drugs and cyber-bullying. The project aims to inspire people from poorer backgrounds to think about a career in law. ‘It feels really good to be working in schools and the community in Sheffield. This is not something that every university does – I moved over four hours from home to come here.‘It feels really good to be working in schools and the community in Sheffield. This is not something that every university does – I moved over four hours from home to come here.
Where will I study?
You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
Collegiate campus
Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.
Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities | Keeping safe on Campus

Collegiate library
Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
On this course you work with
- library services and study space at the Collegiate Library
- our on-campus law firm SHU Law, human rights hub housed in the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, our moot court and other collaborative learning spaces
- digital access to the latest legal material, commentary and analysis through our subscriptions to practitioners' databases
- specialist software to manage client case-work
We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 120
This must include at least two A levels or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- BBB at A Level.
- DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- A combination of qualifications, which may include up to two AS Levels, EPQ and general studies.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language or English Literature at grade C or 4
- Mathematics at grade C or 4
• Access - at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2 from a relevant Open College Network accredited course
• Grade B from CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in both reading and writing and 5.5 in all other skills, or equivalent.
We consider other qualifications from the UCAS tariff. Applicants with alternative qualifications or a combination of qualifications and work experience are also considered. We welcome applications from people of any age.
You should ensure that you submit a personal statement and reference as these are considered as part of the selection process.
Please note that if you have a criminal conviction and want to become either a solicitor or barrister that you speak with the relevant regulatory body to determine if this will have any implication for your chosen career path. This is in order to ensure students are notified of regulator requirement for entering the legal profession.
Please note that we do not accept direct entry into 2nd or 3rd year for this course.
Please note the University will only admit students who are aged 18 or over at the point of enrolment.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Module | Credits | Assessment |
---|---|---|
Module: Criminal Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework Exam |
Module: Dispute Resolution In Contract | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework Practical |
Module: Introduction To Criminology And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Uk Constitutional Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework Exam |
Year 2
Module | Credits | Assessment |
---|---|---|
Module: Controversies Of Punishment | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Dispute Resolution In Tort | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Trusts & Equitable Wrongs (Including Wills And Administration Of Estates) | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework Exam |
Module | Credits | Assessment |
---|---|---|
Module: Criminal Appeals | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Cybercrime And Society | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Exclusion Rights And Justice | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Experiencing Criminal Justice | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Human Rights Clinic | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Life Beyond Crime, Substance Use And Offending | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Prison Clinic | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Real World Social Justice And Activism | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Shu Law New Enquiries | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Year 3
Module | Credits | Assessment |
---|---|---|
Module: Placement Year | Credits: - |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Final year
Module | Credits | Assessment |
---|---|---|
Module: Land, Property Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework Exam |
Module | Credits | Assessment |
---|---|---|
Module: 21St Century Crime: Threats, Responses And Human Rights | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Business Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Commercial Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Comparative Criminal Justice | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Crime And Justice In The Information Age | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Criminal Appeals | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Criminal Justice Compared | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Criminal Justice Realities | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Dissertation | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Employment Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Experiencing Custodial And Community Sentences | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework Exam |
Module: Family Law, Policy And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework Exam |
Module: Human Rights Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Immigration Law And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Law And Medicine | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Law In Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Law In Practice | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Law In Practice International | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Law In Practice International | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Law Of Evidence And Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Making Desistance And Recovery A Reality | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Mediation | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Policing And Crime Reduction | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Prison Clinic | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Refugee Rights | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Rights Of Women | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Rights Of Women | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Sex Violence And Extremism | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework Exam |
Module: Shu Law Legal Practice | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Shu Law Legal Practice | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Simulating Justice Practice | Credits: 20 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Module: Sports Law | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Exam Practical |
Module: Streetlaw Schools | Credits: 30 |
Assessment:
Coursework |
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2023/24 is £9,250 per year. These fees are regulated by the UK government and are therefore subject to changes in government policy. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2023/24 is £15,860 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.

Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
This link allows you to view estimated costs associated with the main activities on specific courses. These are estimates and, as such, are only an indication of additional course costs. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
Additional costs for Law courses (PDF, 218KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.