MA Law

The MA Law is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in any discipline who aspire to pursue a legal career. It is similar to a ‘Graduate LLB’ or a 'Law Conversion Course (GDL)' but studied over two years, providing a greater depth of study and comprehensive legal grounding. Students who have completed this programme can proceed to the professional stage of legal training with the advantage of gaining a master’s level postgraduate law degree. You will develop a thorough grounding in the seven foundations of legal knowledge – Contract, Land Law, Public Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law, EU Law and Trusts. For your eighth subject, you will choose from a wide range of optional postgraduate units from our LLM programme catalogue, or research and write your own research project under the expert supervision of a member of staff. Designed for those aiming for a legal career or seeking other professional roles across the public and private sectors, this programme develops the advanced analytical, communication and research skills valued by top employers. Our programmes are well respected by leading law firms, with Bristol ranking within the top UK universities for employer reputation for law and legal studies (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025). The University of Bristol is ranked 54th in the world and 9th in the UK for Law (Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026). Choosing a postgraduate law degree from the University of Bristol, ranked third in the UK for legal research excellence (THE analysis of REF 2021), means engaging in a rigorous, research-rich curriculum that will make you stand out to employers, and where you will be challenged and inspired by our world-leading academics.

You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in any discipline.If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree. Specific module requirements would still apply.We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement.If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have a relevant postgraduate qualification.