Choosing your path to an Open University law degree: a guide
Section 1: Introduction
How to use this Guide
This Guide has been designed to help you plan your pathway through your law studies at The Open University. It is written primarily for students who want to study for a law degree, but contains information which will be useful for law students who either do not want to study for a degree, or who are not yet sure whether they want to do this.
The Guide has four main sections:
- this introduction
- a Decision Tree: this is a diagram which will help you in formulating the questions you will need to ask yourself when planning your OU law studies
- a bank of Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) about various aspects of planning your OU law studies
- a set of study plans giving you examples of how the law modules can be combined
Please feel free to browse around these sections in whatever way suits you; however, if you would like some guidance on how best to proceed, we suggest that you read this Introduction first, and then consult the Decision Tree, before going on to the FAQs.
If you have any queries after you have read this document then please contact a Student Advisor or email OU-law@open.ac.uk
Why is it important to plan my law studies?
This may seem like a very obvious question, especially if you have a particular goal in mind (e.g. you intend to qualify as a solicitor or a barrister). However, it might be useful to set out some aspects of the Law School’s modules which mean that, for the majority of students, some planning is required:
- currently, the OU Law School, in collaboration with The College of Law, offers a range of modules which you can study on your way to obtaining a law degree
- the modules are at three different levels, and carry a range of credits (see table below)
- if you want an LLB, you must study certain of these modules. This is particularly important if you want your LLB to be a Qualifying Law Degree (a “QLD”) (see table below, and also the FAQ section, Questions 4 and 5 for more on what a QLD is and why you might need one)
- if you need a QLD, you will have to ensure that you complete your studies within a certain period of time (for more on this, see FAQs 5 and 8)
- between them, the modules offer over 400 credits; i.e. more than the 360 credits which you need to obtain a degree, so you will need to select from the range of modules
- it is possible to gain an OU degree in law (the LLB) if you have studied non-law modules
If you are studying the modules with the intention of obtaining a degree, you will need to decide how and when to combine those modules to get the degree you need, and (as far as possible) when you need to get it.
The Module Table
Module
Code |
Module name |
Level |
Credits |
When presented |
No. of study
weeks |
| W100* |
Rules, rights and justice: an introduction |
1 |
60 |
Feb-Oct |
34 |
| W200* |
Understanding law |
2 |
60 |
Feb-Oct |
36 |
| W201* |
Law: the individual and the state |
2 |
60
|
Feb-Oct |
36 |
| W300* |
Law: agreements, rights and responsibilities |
3 |
60 |
Feb-Oct |
36 |
| W301* |
Law: ownership and trusteeship |
3 |
60 |
Feb-Oct |
36 |
| W221 |
Employment law and practice |
2 |
30 |
Nov-Apr |
24 |
| W222 |
Commercial transactions: law and practice |
2 |
30 |
May-Sep |
24 |
| W223 |
Company law and practice |
2 |
30 |
Nov-Apr |
24 |
| W224 |
Relationships, families and the law |
2 |
30 |
Nov-Apr |
24 |
| W150 |
Law in contemporary Scotland |
1 |
15 |
Nov-Mar |
16 |
| Y166 |
Starting with law |
1 |
10 |
4 presentations |
20 |
| Y186 |
Starting with law (from March 2012) |
1 |
15 |
4 presentations |
20 |
* It is compulsory to study these modules if you wish to obtain an LLB and also a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD). (NB: W100 is only compulsory for non-graduates.) For more on this, see the FAQs section (in particular, FAQs 4 and 5).
Next: Section 2: The 'Decision Tree'