Education
Welcome from the Head of School
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the School of Law at Queen's University Belfast.
The Law School at Queen's is ranked as one of the top Schools in the UK and Ireland. Teaching quality within the School was judged to be 'excellent' and our research was awarded a 5B (excellent) by the UK Higher Education Funding Bodies. There are over 1,000 undergraduate students enrolled in the School, 120 postgraduates, 30 PhD students and almost 50 members of academic staff. You will be taught by scholars from all over the world, many of whom have international reputations in their fields and all are committed teachers and researchers. In addition, the School has active relationships with universities in Ireland, France, Spain, the USA, Canada, South Africa, India, Latin America and Australia through which opportunities for study abroad and staff exchanges are fostered.
Although many of our graduates pursue careers in the legal profession, the majority develop careers spanning a very wide range of other sectors. Our goal is therefore to provide students with a liberal legal education - one that exposes you to the widest possible understanding of the nature and role of law in society and provides the basis for a very wide range of potential careers. We currently offer five undergraduate degrees. Most of our students take the Single Honours LL.B, but significant numbers are also enrolled on the LL.B Law and Accountancy, the LL.B Law with Languages (Spanish or French) and the LL.B Law with Politics. As with all undergraduate degrees at Queen's, our programmes are taught within the modular structure across two semesters per academic year. Students have access to an excellent law library and extensive IT facilities.
The School operates a proactive system of student support. Advisers of Studies are allocated to each degree programme tasked to guide and support you throughout your time with us, together with the School's experienced and helpful administrative staff. In addition, we place considerable emphasis on facilitating good communication between staff and students. To this end, a Staff-Student Consultative Committee, comprised of elected student representatives, the Advisers and the Director of Education, meets twice each semester. This Committee provides students with a forum in which to raise matters of concern to them and also enables the School to keep students informed about matters affecting the School and wider university.
All that remains to be said is that this is the beginning of a new chapter in your life. As one of our students, you are amongst the brightest entrants to Queen's and indeed one of the best qualified to any university programme anywhere. Upon graduation, will join a community of past students comprising Nobel prize winners, the judiciary, politicians, leading scholars, senior members of the legal profession, the civil service, media, banking and the business communities. My colleagues and I look forward to meeting you in the class room and at the various social events enjoyed by staff and students during the academic year. I am confident that your time at Queen's and in the Law School will prove to be the high point in your educational experience, and a launching pad for great things to come!
Head of the School of Law
