About the degree programme

Our joint programmes allow you to study law alongside another academic discipline. Over four years of study, you will take a range of courses from both the Law School and the Business School. 

There are important connections between business and the law, in particular in property rights and contracting, and business practices. The joint LLB Law and Business programme aims to promote:

  • advanced knowledge and understanding of the theory
  • concepts and rules of law
  • exploration of the global, dynamic climate of contemporary business and management

Business

Studying business will prepare you for the social, political, environmental and cultural challenges facing contemporary businesses, governments and not-for-profit organisations.

Taught by world-leading industry professionals and researchers, you will develop personal and professional competencies such as:

  • authentic leadership
  • ethical, responsible, sustainable business behaviour
  • entrepreneurial practice
  • effective communication

Competency Framework

This will enable you to work across a range of roles in contemporary business including:

  • accountancy and finance
  • strategy
  • marketing
  • human resource management
  • data analytics
  • entrepreneurship and innovation

The Business School Student Development team provides opportunities for you to develop a range of essential business graduate competencies.

You may participate in the undergraduate Edinburgh Award, supported by an alumni professional mentor and trained coaches, focusing on:

  • Personal and Professional Development (Year 2)
  • Effective and Responsible Leadership (Year 3 or 4)

Edinburgh Award
You can also participate in a large number of business societies, business events and peer-support schemes.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years.

A key benefit to studying a 4-year degree programme is that you have the flexibility to study a range of subjects, outside your chosen degree programme, in Year 1 and Year 2.

This allows you the opportunity to study other courses that interest you or enhance your degree. By the end of Year 2, you can decide which of these subject areas you want to focus on in the honours years of your programme.

How a joint degree programme works

A joint programme allows you to gain a well-rounded learning experience. You will have more exposure to different disciplines, allowing you to expand your knowledge and expertise.

Teaching on joint programmes is split across the two subject areas, and teaching will take place in locations associated with both subjects.

You will gain a different perspective through studying more than one subject and have a wider skill set that is highly attractive to future employers.

Programme rankings

  • 13th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings: Law 2024.
  • 21st in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025: Law & Legal Studies.

Programme benefits

  • Edinburgh Law School has been educating and training some of the world’s finest legal minds for more than 300 years.
  • Studying in Scotland’s capital, you will be at the heart of Edinburgh’s legal centre, with the highest courts in Scotland a five-minute walk away.
  • You will benefit from access to some of the best academic law materials in Europe in our law library.
  • You will join a supportive law community and be assigned to a LawPALS group. This is our peer-assisted learning scheme, which is designed to help you adapt to the study of law.
  • You will have access to a number of events and opportunities through the Law School's Career Opportunities Programme.

Find your entry requirements

Use the dropdowns to find out your entry requirements.

  1. Select the country where you are studying or where you studied your qualification.
  2. Select the qualification you are studying or studied.
United Kingdom,

Tuition fees for LLB (Hons) Law and Business

View the tuition fees for one academic year of LLB (Hons) Law and Business.

Additional costs

On some courses, you will be encouraged to buy additional learning materials for learning and assessments.

If you choose to study abroad in Year 3, additional costs should be anticipated. Costs will vary depending on the country and partner university. 

Additional costs may include:

  • insurance
  • visa requirements
  • accommodation
  • travel

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that a single student can potentially spend a maximum of £920 to £2,257 on living costs each month, depending on your accommodation.

This estimate covers the costs of:

  • accommodation
  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel within Edinburgh
  • health and wellbeing costs

Scholarships and funding

Funding information

You can find detailed information on financial support available, based on where you are living, in our funding section.

What you will study

On the joint LLB programme you will study Scots law alongside business. 

In Years 1 and 2, you will study foundation 'Ordinary' courses.

In Years 3 and 4, courses are studied at 'Honours' level, where you will choose from up to 40 specialist courses covering a range of theoretical, practical and historical fields of study. 

If you wish to retain the option of practising as a lawyer in Scotland, it may sometimes (but not always) be possible to complete the additional courses required. 

Where this is an option, it will typically require extra study throughout the programme. You must consider the possible impact of this on qualifying as a solicitor. 

We highly encourage all students on joint degree honours programmes to discuss their intended pathway with the Law School.

Law

You will be introduced to general legal principles and legal techniques and will study compulsory courses including:

  • Scottish Legal System
  • Critical Legal Thinking
  • Contract Law
  • Family Law
  • Public Law of the UK and Scotland
  • European Union Law
Business

In Year 1 you will study Global Challenges for Business and The Business of Edinburgh. These courses will introduce key concepts of management and business, including:

  • strategy
  • finance
  • marketing
  • people management
Find Year 1 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Law

You will study the compulsory courses Commercial Law and Business Entities, alongside other law courses which may include:

  • Property Law
  • Jurisprudence
  • Public Law and Individual Rights 
  • Delict
  • Criminal Law 
  • Revenue Law 
  • International Private Law 
  • Evidence 
  • Succession and Trust Law
Business

You will choose two optional courses in a range of disciplines, such as:

  • finance
  • marketing
  • innovation and entrepreneurship
  • organisation studies
  • international business
  • business analytics
  • understanding and delivering public services
  • human resource management
  • business economics
  • business simulation
Find Year 2 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

You will receive advanced legal skills training during your honours study and will have the opportunity to specialise in further law subjects, chosen from a wide range of courses, including:

  • Commercial Law 
  • International Law 
  • Property Law 
  • Family Law 
  • Criminology 

You will also study the compulsory courses Strategic Management and Advanced Legal Writing alongside additional optional courses in business.

Find Year 3 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

This is the final year of the LLB (Hons) programme.

You will choose further law courses to expand your specialist knowledge.

You will write a dissertation. This will help you develop your legal research and writing skills.

You will also study further courses in business.

Find Year 4 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Study abroad

You will have the opportunity to study abroad in Year 3 of this degree at one of our partner universities.

If international travel restrictions allow, you may be able to choose where you study from our selection of international partners.

A study abroad experience will allow you to immerse yourself in a different culture, enrich your learning and enhance your future job opportunities.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Large group lectures provide the teaching framework for law in Years 1 and 2. These are complemented by small group tutorial sessions. 

Year 1 students will normally have two or three lectures per week for each course. You will also have a regular tutorial for each course. 

Years 3 and 4 consist of two-hour seminars, rather than lectures and tutorials. You will discuss and explore topics in more depth. 

All Year 1 students have access to Edinburgh's Law Peer-Assisted Learning Scheme (Law PALS) and the Business School Peer-Assisted Learning Scheme (BizPALS). The Mooting Society also provides you with opportunities to learn and practise courtroom skills.

Assessment

You will be assessed by a combination of coursework and exams.

Support for your studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a student adviser, and this should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.

Our academic staff

Edinburgh Law School has been at the centre of the teaching and practice of law since its earliest days. Academic staff are experts in their field and passionate and supportive in their teaching. You will have easy, local access to:

  • the Edinburgh Sheriff Court
  • the Supreme civil and criminal Scottish courts
  • the Crown Office
  • the Scottish Government
  • the Faculty of Advocates
  • the Law Society of Scotland

You will come into frequent contact with the personnel of all of these institutions, both through field trips and through external teaching provided by personnel from these institutions on the programme.

Where you will study

Study location

Law

The Law School has been housed in the Old College since the late 1800s. Our traditional and historic home underwent a full refurbishment, completed in 2019. This transformed the building into a 21st century home for the school, while celebrating and preserving the heritage and history of Old College.

The Law School is ideally placed for those studying and working in the law. It is within easy walking distance of the highest courts in Scotland and the Scottish Parliament.

The Business School

The Business School is located in a dedicated building in George Square, in the middle of the central campus. 

All business teaching takes place across the central campus. Depending on your course choices, you may be required to travel to King’s Buildings if you are studying courses in science and engineering.

Academic facilities

Law

As a student at Edinburgh Law School, you will benefit from excellent teaching, study, and research facilities. 

Designed for the way you study, the new features include:

  • a law library
  • spacious seminar rooms
  • dedicated student social spaces, including a café

Our library is one of the largest law libraries in the UK.

The Business School

At The Business School, you will have access to:

  • specialist business resources in the central Main Library (books, journals, databases)
  • dedicated student experience and student development support

For specialist business analytics, business research and finance related courses, we have dedicated teaching labs (and associated software and databases). We also have our own Business School café.

Accreditation

Law

Our LLB programmes are accredited by the Law Society of Scotland. However, this combined honours programme does not include all courses required to proceed to the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice and thereafter to the legal profession in Scotland. 

It may be possible, in discussion with the Law School, for joint honours students to meet these requirements by studying additional courses.

Business

Business School programmes are accredited by a range of world-leading business education organisations and professional bodies. We have strong links to the world of practice through research, consultancy and teaching.

Details of our accreditation and rankings

This programme holds double accreditation from international ranking bodies:

  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
  • European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)

Career paths

After graduating you can progress to the legal profession in Scotland by completing the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, followed by a traineeship with a legal firm, to qualify as a solicitor. 

Please note however that this is only possible following a joint degree programme if you have completed all additional courses required to proceed to the Diploma.

You can then opt to go to the Bar, to qualify as an advocate. This requires a period of 'devilling' under the supervision and direction of a practising advocate.

Careers outside Scotland

Graduates who qualify to practise may also go on to qualify and practise law in other jurisdictions, in Europe and elsewhere.

This is in accordance with the relevant local conversion requirements and any further study required in the non-Scottish destination jurisdiction.

Non-legal careers

Graduates who do not choose a legal career often use their skills and experience for employment in areas such as:

  • finance
  • management
  • journalism

Our graduates have also worked with international organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union. 

Business graduates

Business graduates are valued by employers across the world, and graduates from our programmes are highly sought after in the job market. 

Our graduates secure employment in a diverse range of fields, the most popular being: 

  • accountancy 
  • management 
  • consulting 
  • finance 
  • marketing 
  • human resources 

During your time as a student in the Business School and following graduation, our Careers Service will help you fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals. 

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals.

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies.

With the Careers Service, you can:

  • access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
  • try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
  • get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
  • attend careers events and practice interviews
  • get information and advice to help you make informed decisions

Further study

Students intending to enter the Scottish legal profession must take, in addition to the professionally required LLB courses, the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at a Scottish University. Application for entry to the Diploma is made during the final year of the LLB degree.

How to apply

You must submit a full application through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) before the relevant deadline.

What you need to apply

As part of your application, you will need:

  • your academic qualifications
  • a personal statement
  • evidence of your English language skills (with relevant qualifications)
  • a reference

How we select

If you have met, or are predicted to meet, all our entry requirements by the relevant deadline, then your application will go into our selection process.

As part of this selection process, we will review all the information you submit in your UCAS application when we decide who to select for this degree programme.

When to apply

  • 2026 entry UCAS deadline: 14 January 2026 (6:00pm GMT)

This is the deadline for all UK, EU and international applicants to non-medicine and veterinary medicine programmes.

To find out if any degree programmes have spaces after 14 January 2026, search the University of Edinburgh on the UCAS website.

After you apply

After you have applied for your degree programme, we suggest you have a look at the following information to help you prepare for university:

Applying as an international student

As an international student, you apply for this degree programme through UCAS.  

Visas and immigration 

If you do not have the right to live in the UK, you will need to apply for and secure a Student visa before the start date of your degree programme.  

Our Student Immigration Service can help you with the Student visa application process. 

Agents  

An education agent is someone who can help you with the application process as an international student. 

We work with education agents around the world and have a list of local offices you can contact.  

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single undergraduate students from outside Edinburgh. To be eligible, you need to meet all criteria and apply for accommodation by 16 August in the year of your entry to the University.

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Societies and clubs

Our societies and sports clubs will help you develop your interests, meet like-minded people, find a new hobby or simply socialise.

Societies

Sports clubs

At Edinburgh Law School, students also have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities alongside their studies, which give them the chance to develop their skills and interests and to fully take part in the Edinburgh Law School community.

Find out more about the Law School's student groups and societies

The city of Edinburgh

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life.

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include:

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustment