Students can choose to study a law degree with a wide range of complementary subjects. They can focus purely on Law (BCL) or combine the study of Law with one of the following: Business, History, Irish, Philosophy, Politics, Economics, Social Justice or French Law.
Law governs many aspects of our lives. It affects our day-to-day interactions, transactions and personal relationships, as well as the fundamental challenges which face our society, such as human rights, climate change, migration, international relations, and criminal justice. As a law student in UCD, you will learn what laws are, how they work and how they change.
Our aim is to inform, inspire and challenge our students. During your degree we will teach you how to develop rigorous research and analytical skills and you will learn to understand academic integrity and ethics.
See full list of Law courses below
Why UCD Law?
UCD Sutherland School of Law is the fi rst purpose-built university law school in Ireland, offering students the opportunity to learn in an attractive and friendly environment with unrivalled facilities. The UCD School of Law was established in 1911 and is a globally recognised law school, ranked in the top 100 in the international QS Rankings. We count amongst our alumni many leaders in legal practice, the judiciary, business, the media, political life and civil society organisations. For example, the current President of the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Síofra O’Leary, the Chief Justice of Ireland, Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell and the Attorney General of Ireland, Mr Rossa Fanning are all distinguished graduates of our school.
- We offer world-class learning and teaching facilities in our state of-the-art building which includes a Mock Courtroom where students can practice the skills of advocacy and debate.
- We launched our first non-law degree in 2023 – a unique four-year BSc Criminology with Psychology degree.
- Our academic staff are experts in a wide range of fi elds in national and international law and criminology, allowing us to off er an unparalleled range of innovative and topical modules.
- We are committed to supporting our students through their time in college with peer mentors, academic advisers and student advisers on hand to off er advice.
- UCD Sutherland Opportunity, supported by Law School alumni, provides bursaries for law students to support those with additional financial needs to ensure they can more fully participate in the opportunities offered by the Law School.
International Study Opportunities
On selected BCL programmes our students have the opportunity to study other legal systems through our unrivalled international exchange programme with top universities in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.
Internship Programme
We offer a wide-ranging, credit-bearing internship programme in semester two of third year (currently offered across seven of our degrees).
Graduate Study Opportunities
Every year, a number of our graduates progress to graduate studies in prestigious universities, including Cambridge, College of Europe, European University Institute, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, the London School of Economics and Oxford.
Your First Year Experience
UCD Sutherland School of Law welcomes first year students to a friendly and vibrant community. Under our Peer Mentoring and Academic Adviser schemes you will be assigned a peer mentor and an academic advisor.
You will explore the fundamentals of law on both the BCL and BBL degrees. Both degrees cover core law modules such as Constitutional Law and Contract Law. Students will be given a general introduction to the Irish legal system. Both degrees provide strong foundation modules that will provide you with a general introduction to the Irish legal system, while equipping you with the fundamental skills on how to study law.
In the BSc Criminology with Psychology you will undertake introductory modules in both disciplines and core modules such as Crime and Society and Brain & Behaviour.
Lectures are supplemented with small group tutorial teaching to help you learn how to understand cases, to interpret legislation and, ultimately, find your own voice.
You will be encouraged to join our student societies such as the UCD Law Society and the UCD Student Legal Service. You can also get involved in debating, mooting (mock trials) and negotiation skills competitions.
To help you identify and achieve your career ambitions, specialist careers support is provided by the School’s Career Advisor and via the UCD Careers Network.