The internationalisation of law degrees and enhancement of graduate employability

UKCLE PDF project

Project leader: Greta Bosch (e-mail: G.S.Bosch@ex.ac.uk), University of Exeter
Project summary: an examination of dual qualification programmes in law and their role in furthering European integration and graduate employability
Start date: July 2009
UKCLE funding: £1,652

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Globalisation confronts the employment market with new challenges, and graduates need a wide range of key competences to adapt to the rapidly changing and highly interconnected world. Policy developments at the European level promote mobility programmes and joint degrees, part of a commitment to making Europe a competitive and knowledge-based economy with excellence in education.

Dual qualification programmes have a key role to play in increasing European integration in legal education, giving students competency in two legal systems and fluency in two languages as well as enhanced social and civic competencies. They can also contribute to the Bologna Process through programmes such as the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme and Erasmus Mundus.

Unfortunately, too few such programmes are available. Studying law in the UK and achieving an additional qualification is a rarity – only 14 of the over 100 UK law schools offer a dual qualification in law, and only one of those is a post-92 university. Low numbers on these programmes, as well as evidence of intentions to close them down, seem to indicate that dual qualifications remain the preserve of a limited sector of students with external financial and other support.

Project aims

This six month project aims to identify and examine the reasons why there are so few European dual qualification degrees in law in the UK and to propose actions to further European integration in legal education.

Specific questions to be addressed:

• Does more need to be done to support home and international students applying to dual qualification programmes, and the universities offering them?
• How problematic is the necessity for an additional language as the medium of instruction, and how can this be addressed?
• Is dual qualification at degree level enough to work outside the UK, or are there further professional barriers to employability?

In addition, the project aims to demonstrate that integrating an international dimension into law degrees can ensure student employability beyond national boundaries.

Methodology

The project will draw on the experience of the project leader’s own programmes at Exeter, the LLB European/Magister and the LLB with International Study, and will be conducted by means of:

1. Interviews with students and programme directors at seven law schools offering some element of ‘internationalisation’ – ie dual qualification or similar degrees in law.
2. Interviews with employers in both the UK and Europe, aimed at establishing how the ‘international’ element within applicants’ degrees is actually rated.
3. A literature review around the theme of comparative law, where some issues overlap with the issues encountered by dual qualification programmes.

Project outputs

In addition to the final project report an article on findings will be included in the December 2009 issue of The Law Teacher. Findings will also be disseminated via conference presentations and articles in Directions and other appropriate outlets.

Note: in this context, dual qualification programmes are understood as law degrees obtained by studying in the UK and another (non-common law) European or international country, where the graduate is awarded an LLB for the UK part and another qualifying degree from a partner institution teaching in another language than English for the non UK part. The programme of study at both institutions should be completed within four or five years.

Last Modified: 6 July 2010