Year one at Durham City Campus builds core legal knowledge through tort law, contract law, European Union law, UK constitutional law, the individual and the state, and introduction to English law and legal method. You develop foundational knowledge of private law, public law, legal reasoning, and research skills while building analytical and writing skills for professional legal careers. These modules form six of the nine core subjects required for a Qualifying Law Degree, preparing you for criminal law and optional modules in land law, trusts law, and commercial law in year two at Durham Law School.

• Tort Law — Core
• Contract Law — Core
• European Union Law — Core
• UK Constitutional Law — Core
• The Individual and the State — Core
• Introduction to English Law and Legal Method — Core

Year two develops applied legal study through criminal law as the core module, covering the criminal justice system, elements of criminal liability, defences, and selected offences. You apply legal analysis, case law, and statutory interpretation to criminal law problems while building research and professional skills for legal roles. Alongside criminal law, you typically select optional modules such as land law, trusts law, commercial law, public international law, and legal philosophy to complete Qualifying Law Degree requirements at Durham University.

• Criminal Law — Core

Year three completes your law degree through a substantial dissertation on a legal topic of your choosing under academic supervision, alongside optional advanced law modules. You undertake independent legal research producing a major written thesis, consolidating analysis, writing, and research skills developed across years one and two. Graduates are prepared for lawyer, solicitor, barrister, attorney, and judge career pathways across law firms, chambers, corporate legal teams, and public sector legal services in the UK and internationally.

• Dissertation — Core