Law and German LLB (Hons)

Level: Undergraduate

Subject: Law

Year of entry: 2026

Key facts

UCAS Code

MR12

Award

LLB (Hons)

Duration of study

4 years

Delivery

Full-time

Study location

Central Area

Start date

September 2026

School

Edinburgh Law School

College

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Study abroad

Mandatory

Accreditation

Available

Placement

No

Open days and events

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 School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. 

The joint LLB Law and German aims to promote advanced knowledge and understanding of the theory, concepts and rules of law while allowing you to gain a professional standard of German. 

On this programme, you will develop skills in German, such as:

  • listening, speaking and presentation
  • reading, writing and translation

You will develop an understanding of how German-language culture has had an international influence for centuries. 

Our courses explore German-language literature, film and theatre, all within the context of historical and political developments. 

This programme includes a compulsory year abroad in Year 3 at an institution that teaches in German. This gives you the chance to have a culturally immersive experience in another country, while also developing your legal and language skills.

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 long it takes to complete our degree programmes

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.
  • 13th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025: Modern Languages.

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 German

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

Tuition fees for this programme

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

See a breakdown of living 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.

Funding

What you will study

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

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 is sometimes (but not always) possible to complete the additional courses required. 

This 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.

In Year 1, you will be introduced to general legal principles and legal techniques.

You 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

You will also study courses in German.

If you haven't studied German before you will take German 1A, an intensive language course.

If your entry qualification for German is a Scottish Higher, A level, or equivalent, you will be admitted to German 1B. This course covers language as well as literature and culture from 1770 to the present day.

Find Year 1 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Law

In Year 2, your law courses may include:

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

You will study the compulsory language course German 2. This will further develop your oral language skills and enable you to practise:

  • translation
  • grammar
  • writing different types of texts in German

You will complete your studies with two additional German courses from a range likely to include:

  • Researching Disability in German Literature & Society 
  • Screening Sex: Gender, Sexuality, and Identity on the German Screen and Beyond
  • Culture, Modernity and the City in the Weimar Republic 
  • Reading Antisemitism in Modern German Literature 
  • The Contemporary Short Story in German 
  • Migration in German-Language Discourse
  • German Colonialism: History, Memory, Controversy
Find Year 2 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

During Year 3, you will spend at least 30 weeks on an approved study placement in a German-speaking country. You will study agreed courses in law and German.

Our graduates have told us how much this year abroad has benefited their broader life experience and skills, as well as their linguistic and intercultural competencies in German.

All students who spend Year 3 abroad must also take the compulsory course Advanced Legal Writing (Online).

Find Year 3 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 
  • Property Law 
  • Family Law 
  • Criminology

You will consolidate your core language skills in German and take an honours-level option in an aspect of German-language literature or culture.

You have the option of completing a dissertation in law.

Find Year 4 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Study abroad

You will spend Year 3 abroad (a minimum of 30 weeks) in a German-speaking country.

Turning classroom learning into a lived experience, your year abroad will allow you to deepen your knowledge of German by speaking it daily and immersing yourself in German culture.

Your year abroad is a chance for you to evolve and grow beyond Edinburgh. Our graduates have told us how much the year abroad has benefited their broader life experience and skills.

What are my options for going abroad?

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

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

Year 1 students will usually have two or three lectures per week for each course, plus a regular tutorial for each course. 

For German, you will be taught mainly in seminars and tutorials, complemented by a weekly lecture in Year 1.

Language tutorials give you the opportunity to develop your linguistic skills in a range of real-world tasks under the supervision of an experienced language teacher.

Years 3 and 4 consist of two-hour seminars, rather than lectures and tutorials. In these, students are expected to discuss and explore topics in greater depth. 

For German, students will also continue to have hour-long seminars and tutorials in Year 4. 

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

Additionally, the Students’ Association facilitates a peer support scheme for German, bringing together students across year groups to help each other with specific study skills, topics or themes.

Assessment

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

Coursework in German may take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practise different skills. For example, you may be asked to:

  • write an essay, review, blog post, opinion piece or learning journal 
  • respond to a piece of writing, film, or other media, including through close reading 
  • give a short talk or presentation
  • record a podcast or video 
  • design a poster or presentation

Exams for German will include oral exams to test your spoken language skills.

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.

Support for your studies

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.

German

Teaching in German takes place in and around the University of Edinburgh's Central Area. 

This is where you will also find the Main University Library which holds over 121,500 titles in German, including around:

  • 95,000 books (printed and e-books) 
  • 5,425 journals

The Main Library's treasures include the Karin McPherson Collection. This is a unique resource for students interested in the literature and culture of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

The Collection presents a complete overview of the GDR’s literary (and sometimes broader) culture from 1949 to 1989, including internationally renowned and lesser-known writers.

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.

German

Within the city, you will have access to specialist collections, including outstanding German holdings in the National Library of Scotland. 

We have excellent links with the German Consulate, as well as with the Goethe-Institut.

Accreditation

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.

Career paths

Law 

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. 

However, this is only possible following a joint degree programme if you have been able to complete all additional courses required for 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. There are rules which enable a Scots-qualified solicitor or advocate relatively quickly to re-qualify as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales. 

Graduates may also go on to re-qualify in Germany as a 'Rechtsanwalt'.

Graduates may also qualify and practise elsewhere in Europe and beyond. To do this, you must comply with the local conversion requirements and complete any further study non-Scottish jurisdictions require.

Non-legal careers

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

  • finance
  • management
  • journalism

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

German

German speakers are highly sought after by UK employers, particularly those with links to the German economy, the fourth largest in the world.

In Year 1, if you are studying on our German 1B course, you will do a project in which you interview a German-speaking professional working in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

This will give you the opportunity to:

  • practise professional communication
  • find out about the value of languages in the workplace
  • gain insights into possible career options

You do not have to be based in a German-speaking country to make the most of your degree when you graduate. Wherever you are based in the world, the ability to understand and communicate in the German language will make you stand out.

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

Visit the Careers Service website

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.

Guidance on applying through UCAS

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.

How we select applicants

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.

Search degrees that are open on the UCAS website

Key application dates and deadlines

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.  

Find out more about applying 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. 

Applying for a visa  

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.  

Find contact details for an education agent

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.

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

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

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

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

Law

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

German

The Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) supports more than 300 student-led societies and clubs, including the German Society, and promotes opportunities with local charities through its volunteering centre. 

If you love to write, our online creative writing magazine Babble is the place to publish your:

  • prose
  • poetry
  • drama
  • non-fiction

Babble goes out twice a year and includes work written in German and eight other European languages. You can get involved in the editorial committee, and launch nights typically include readings and performances.

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.

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

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

Health and wellbeing support services

Contact us

Contact us through our enquiry team if you have any questions about this programme.

Open days, events and visits

Find out when our next open days will be taking place

Open days, events and visits

Chat to our students on Unibuddy

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