Law (BCL)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

Entry Points (2024)

500

Course Overview

Law regulates all aspects of society: from marriage and parenting to corporate governance or international relations between countries. To study law is to become aware of one’s legal rights and responsibilities in a variety of contexts, as well as to acquire knowledge and the research, writing and advocacy skills that enable one to argue both sides of a complex situation and devise a pragmatic, client-focused solution.

The four-year Bachelor of Civil Law allows students to focus their studies on the law to maximise their understanding of the legal process. Students can tailor this degree to particular areas of law that interest them. Throughout the programme there is an emphasis on acquiring the fundamental practical skills required of lawyers – legal research, writing, oral presentation and advocacy.

This programme is a full law degree that covers the modules for the solicitor (Law Society of Ireland) and barrister (The Honorable Society of King’s Inns) entrance exams in Ireland.

Professional Work Placement or Study Abroad

In year three of this course students will have the opportunity to spend the academic year completing professional work placement or studying abroad. Students will have the opportunity to apply for a professional work placement in a leading law firm, a corporate organisation, a public sector organisation or other suitable legal placement. Study abroad is highly recommended for students who choose to study a language (Legal French or Legal German) and are encouraged to study in our partner universities in Germany and France. We have also partnered with a number of leading universities in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, China, Finland, Hungary, Italy, India, Poland, The Netherlands, Spain and the United States of America.

Note: Students who choose the optional specialist stream in Legal Irish will spend year three divided between one semester studying at NUI Galway’s Gaeltacht campus in An Cheathrú Rua and one semester of professional work placement in an Irish-speaking legal environment.

Specialist Streams

In final year students have the opportunity to shape their degree and focus on an area of study that interests them and develop special expertise in their chosen field. Students may choose one of the following specialist streams:

Business and Commercial Law
Public Law, Risk and Regulation
Human Rights, Crime and Equality
International, Comparative and Transnational Law
Law and Innovation
Language: Legal French, Legal German or Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish)
General

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Some of the lecturers that teach on this course include :

Dr Brian Tobin
Dr Rory Kelly
Dr Ciara Smyth
Mr Lawrence Donnelly
Ms Ursula Connolly
Dr Connie Healy
Ms. Anna-Louise Hinds
Ass. Professor Naporn Popattanachai
Dr Rónán Kennedy

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate including Irish, English, another language and any three other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades (2024)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

5 (More Info)

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY251

Course code

Course Outline

Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change. Current students should refer to the for details of modules available in the current academic year.

Year 1 (60 credits)

This year focuses on building knowledge/skills with strong foundational teaching. The module ‘Understanding the Law’ builds a platform of essential skills and helps students to transition to the expectations of a university degree.

Compulsory Core Modules (50 credits)

Understanding the Law (10 credits)
Critical Thinking for Lawyers (10 credits)
Constitutional Law (10 credits)
Contract Law (10 credits)
Tort Law (10 credits)

Optional Modules (10 credits)

Family and Child Law (10 credits)
Language: Legal French, Legal German or Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish) (10 credits each)

Year 2 (60 credits)

In second year, students develop their skills further with modules such as ‘Mooting’ which helps develop teamwork and written/oral communication and advocacy skills. There is also a wide range of optional modules to choose from.

Compulsory Core Modules (50 credits)

Criminal Law I & II (10 credits)
European Union Law I & II (10 credits)
Company Law I & II (10 credits)
Evidence Law I & II (10 credits)
Administrative Law I (5 credits)
Mooting (5 credits)

Optional Modules (10 credits)

Labour Law I (5 credits)
Labour Law II (5 credits)
Industrial and Intellectual Property Law (5 credits)
Comparative Disability Law (5 credits)
Information Technology Law (5 credits)
Language: Legal French, Legal German or Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish) (10 credits each)

Year 3 (60 credits)

In third year, students can customise their off-campus experience by choosing either professional work placement or study abroad.

Caithfidh na mic léinn a dhéanann Teanga an Dlí seimeastar amháin ag staidéar ar champas Gaeltachta Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh ar an gCeathrú Rua agus seimeastar amháin eile ar shocrúchán oibre i dtimpeallacht lán-Ghaeilge. (Students who study Legal Irish will spend one semester studying at NUI Galway’s Gaeltacht campus in An Cheathrú Rua and one semester of professional work placement in an Irish-speaking environment.)

Year 4 (60 credits)

In final year, students will have the opportunity to shape their degree by choosing a specialist stream. Students will also complete a ‘Guided Research Essay’ on a topic of their choice and will be supported by an academic mentor. Module selection is subject to timetable clashes and availability.

Compulsory Core Modules (30 credits)

Equity I & II (10 credits)
Land Law I & II (10 credits)
Jurisprudence (5 credits)
Guided Research Essay (5 credits)

Specialist Streams (30 credits)

Students will have the opportunity to shape their degree by choosing one specialist stream. These streams correspond to thematic areas of study and allow students to specialise in a particular topic or area. Certain specialist streams have prerequisite modules which must be passed before choosing the stream in final year.

Business and Commercial Law

Commercial Law (5 credits)
Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
Information Technology Law (5 credits)
Labour Law I (5 credits)
Labour Law II (5 credits)
Revenue Law I (5 credits)
Revenue Law II (5 credits)
Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
Health and Safety Law (5 credits)
International Trade Law (5 credits)
Industrial and Intellectual Property Law (5 credits)
Entrepreneurial Venture Development (5 credits)

Human Rights, Crime and Equality

Applied Legal Theory (5 credits)
Equality and Law (5 credits)
European Human Rights Law – Systems & Themes I (5 credits)
International Protection of Human Rights I (5 credits)
Labour Law I (5 credits)
Animal Law (5 credits)
International and Comparative Disability Rights (5 credits)
Criminology (5 credits)
European Human Rights Law – Systems & Themes II (5 credits)
Housing Law & Policy (5 credits)
International Protection of Human Rights II (5 credits)
Labour Law II (5 credits)
Family and Child Law (10 credits)

International, Comparative and Transnational Law

European Human Rights Law – Systems & Themes I (5 credits)
International Protection of Human Rights I (5 credits)
Equality and Law (5 credits)
Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
International and Comparative Disability Rights (5 credits)
European Human Rights Law – Systems & Themes II (5 credits)
International Protection of Human Rights II (5 credits)
International Trade Law (5 credits)
Public International Law (10 credits)

Law and Innovation

Information Technology Law (5 credits)
Industrial and Intellectual Property Law (5 credits)
Lawyering, Technology and Innovation (5 credits)
Business Intelligence & Analytics (5 credits)
Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
Decision Modelling and Analytics (5 credits)
Entrepreneurial Venture Development (5 credits)
Implementing Digital Innovation (5 credits)
Law and Analytics (5 credits)

Public Law, Risk and Regulation

Applied Legal Theory (5 credits)
Environmental Law I (5 credits)
Information Technology Law (5 credits)
Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
Administrative Law II (5 credits)
Criminology (5 credits)
Environmental Law II (5 credits)
Health and Safety Law (5 credits)
Housing Law & Policy (5 credits)
Industrial and Intellectual Property Law (5 credits)
International Trade Law (5 credits)

Language

Students who choose a language must also choose 20 credits of optional modules from the General stream to meet credit requirements.

Legal German, Legal French or Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish) (10 credits each)

General

Applied Legal Theory (5 credits)
Commercial Law (5 credits)
Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
Environmental Law I (5 credits)
Equality and Law (5 credits)
European Human Rights Law - Systems & Themes I (5 credits)
Information Technology Law (5 credits)
International Protection of Human Rights I (5 credits)
Labour Law I (5 credits)
Lawyering, Technology and Innovation (5 credits)
Independent Research (5 credits)
Revenue Law I (5 credits)
Animal Law (5 credits)
Administrative Law II (5 credits)
Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
International and Comparative Disability Rights (5 credits)
Criminology (5 credits)
Environmental Law II (5 credits)
European Human Rights Law - Systems & Themes II (5 credits)
Health and Safety Law (5 credits)
Housing Law and Policy (5 credits)
Industrial and Intellectual Property Law (5 credits)
International Protection of Human Rights II (5 credits)
International Trade Law (5 credits)
Labour Law II (5 credits)
Law and Analytics (5 credits)
Revenue Law II (5 credits)
Family and Child Law (10 credits)
Public International Law (10 credits)

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Year 4 (60 Credits)

Further Education

Graduates of this course may complete further study to become a barrister or solicitor. Graduates will have completed the modules for the solicitor (Law Society of Ireland) and barrister (The Honorable Society of King’s Inns) entrance exams in Ireland.

Graduates may also be interested in completing a LLM (Master of Laws) or PhD programme. The School of Law offers a wide range of taught LLM programmes and LLM or PhD programmes by research.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Law (BCL) programme will be well equipped to pursue professional studies at either the Law Society (solicitor) or the Honourable Society of King’s Inns (barrister). This degree will also provide an excellent platform for graduates interested in further study or working outside of the professions – as more and more areas of life are legally regulated, the comprehensive grounding in the law and legal process that graduates receive during this degree, as well as the skills acquired, should make them attractive to a wide range of potential employers in financial services, consultancy, commerce and industry, social work and the public sector.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Our students will have the opportunity to gain a professional focus and real world experience through professional work placement. Students gain invaluable experience by putting theory into practice and developing new skills which can support and influence career direction. Students will have a range of CV and interview preparation supports available in advance of their work placement. Some of our current work placement partners include: Berwick Solicitors, Cian O’Carroll Solicitors, MacDermott & Allen Solicitors, Fidelma Bane Solicitors, Damien Tansey Solicitors and Dillon Leetch & Co Solicitors, Mac Sweeney & Co Solicitors, Blake & Kenny, Healy Law, Tom O’Regan Solicitors and Michael Houlihan & Partners.

Study Abroad

Students can study abroad at partner institutions around the world, giving them the opportunity to experience legal education in an international setting and to gain a different perspective on the law.

Access to World Class Academics

Our academic staff are nationally and internationally recognised experts in their fields and many are also industry experienced. Our students have access to academics who lead research projects and influence national and international policy making.

National and International Internships

In addition to professional work placement opportunities in third year, students in their final year will have the opportunity to apply for a limited number of national and international summer internships which are offered on a competitive basis.

Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholarship

Students on this course may be eligible to apply for the Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholarship. The Scholarship will support the successful Scholar throughout their degree to a minimum value of €7,500. The scholarship is awarded on the financial need and academic merit of the successful applicants. View full scholarship details.

Mooting

All students will complete the Mooting module and will have access to the NEW state-of-the-art on-campus Moot Court. Mooting is a simulated courtroom experience. The module is delivered through a taught component made up of lectures and an active component where students will participate in practical seminars and a mock trial. Past students described participating in mooting as ‘transformative’.

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€6,593 p.a. (€6,733 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€3,593 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€19,000 p.a. (€19,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy* €140. *Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees**.
**Excludes Full-Time EU Undergraduate fees. These are fixed and do not change.

Find out More

Phone: +353 (0)91 492389
Email: law@universityofgalway.ie

School of Law webpage: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/school-of-law/

School of Law Undergraduate Courses: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/school-of-law/courses/undergraduatecourses/

Highlights from the School of Law Undergraduate courses: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/school-of-law/courses/undergraduatecourses/highlights.html

FAQs: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/school-of-law/courses/undergraduatecourses/faqs/

What Our Students Say

Ferdia Breathnach | BCL

“Studying Civil Law in University of Galway afforded me the opportunity to delve deep into the law and initially focus on a wide range of subjects. I studied the foundations of law and formed a great understanding of the core principles and subjects that are a pre-requisite for any future career in law and have stood me in good stead to this day. The option now of the Clinical Legal Education course provided by the School of Law enables students to undergo invaluable practical experience of working in various careers in law and this opportunity should be encouraged and availed of.”

Peo Mosepele | BCL

“This course is extremely interesting and offers a lot of diverse opportunities to students. The lectures are often interactive which makes them enjoyable to attend. Additionally, the lecturers are very approachable and always willing to help. One of the fantastic opportunities the degree has offered me was the ability to spend a year studying abroad in Southern Utah University in the US. This allowed me to broaden my experience in a unique and very interesting way. Studying Law in University of Galway was one of the best decisions of my life and I would highly recommend it to anyone.”

Andrew Barr | Finance Associate at Arthur Cox

"Through the wonderful lecturers that served as teachers, mentors and friends, the tutors and all of my wonderful class mates, the BCL course at University of Galway prepared me as well as possible for my career as a solicitor. The course gave me a great grounding in the law and prepared me well for law society exams. More importantly, there were plenty of opportunities afforded to me during my time there: many career fairs; many CV workshops; opportunities with my lectures to discuss current topics, past exams and learning resources. Now that I am working as a solicitor it is great to have so many colleagues in the industry that are friends from University of Galway. I have many life long friends from my course, some of which have chosen to pursue a career as a solicitor, but many of whom have chosen other interesting careers."

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