Criminal Law is a fascinating subject for those who want to understand the way in which the criminal justice system works. Are you passionate about understanding punishment and the role legal system plays in protecting the state? If so, then studying a degree in criminal law might be ideal for you.

While a passion for law is vital in order to gain the most out of your degree, it is also important that you are hard-working and self-motivated. As part of your degree, you will be expected to learn previous case studies, and understand the history and evolution of the justice system.

One of the most popular career options available to those who have a qualification in law is to seek a career in the law profession. A degree in criminal law or a GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law) qualification will allow students to pursue training contracts as a solicitor or as a barrister.

Despite the average UK law graduate earning a starting salary of £18,911 per year (which is significantly below the average graduate salary) many students opt to pursue a career in law as prestigious jobs within criminal law can result in very high salaries. This salary will of course vary depending upon country and region.

Of course, it isn’t essential that every criminal law graduate pursues a career within the legal sector and quite often it is possible to enter the jobs market without any further qualifications. Legal skills are transferable to a wide range of sectors from police work, journalism, accountancy and banking.

Like many degree programmes such as medicines, competition for places on law programmes is particularly strong and as such the entry level requirements for undergraduate courses are likely to reflect this. Previous experience studying analytical subjects such as law, economics, history or even philosophy will help strengthen your application, although this is not essential. Most Universities will expect students to have have a minimum of 3 strong A-level qualifications (or equivalent).

Although the minimum length of a Civil Law degree course is 3 years, many prestigious degree programmes will last for four years to allow undergraduates the opportunity to gain work experience within the legal industry. The top Universities for law in the UK also require all students to sit the national admissions test for law [LNAT] test before the course programme starts.

Of course, you may already have a degree and be looking to study law at a post-graduate level. If this is the case and your initial degree isn’t in law, then you can apply to sit the Graduate Diploma in law which will enable you to study for the Bar Professional Training Course.

If you are a non-native speaker of English, then you will need to prove that there are no barriers that will limit you from accessing the course content. All foreign students will be requires to sit an IETLS test and score a minimum of 6.0 – 6.5 in order to demonstrate this.

One consideration to take into account is the cost of your course, as well as the grade requirements. Most universities will only accept undergraduates with A’s at A-level or with 2.1 degrees for post-graduate qualification, so before deciding that law is the course for you, check that your grades meet these requirements. Given that a criminal law course can consist of up to four years, budgeting is also vital. Can you afford the fees? Can you afford the living costs?

If you’re struggling to secure funding, there are a number of scholarships and grants available.

There is such competition for places on criminal law courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, that the decisions you make regarding your institution of study will have a significant impact upon your future; particularly if you want to qualify as a solicitor or barrister. If you are planning on studying for the legal practice course, then make sure you attend a prestigious university that allows you to gain work experience within the legal industries as this will strengthen your application pupilage. Universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, University College London, Kings College London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Exeter and Bristol are all seen as well-established Universities for undergraduate law programmes as they require all undergraduates to sit the LNAT test before entry to their degree programmes. City University is also renowned for its Graduate Diploma in Law course.

Of course it is also important to choose somewhere that will make you happy for the duration of your course, particularly if you’re opting to live away from home. Wherever you choose to study, your degree will end up costing you a lot of money, so you need to ensure that you get the most out of your time as a student. As such it is important that you consider whether the surrounding culture will add to the pleasure of your University years as well as academic benefits of studying at a particular institution.

renowned for its Graduate Diploma in Law course.

Of course it is also important to choose somewhere that will make you happy for the duration of your course, particularly if you’re opting to live away from home. Wherever you choose to study, your degree will end up costing you a lot of money, so you need to ensure that you get the most out of your time as a student. As such it is important that you consider whether the surrounding culture will add to the pleasure of your University years as well as academic benefits of studying at a particular institution.