Masters Degrees (Advocacy)

The Specialist LLM in Professional Advocacy provides a unique opportunity to acquire the relevant knowledge and skills to manage litigation and dispute resolution successfully and effectively.

Who is it for?

This specialist degree should interest and benefit a broad range of students. If you are already professionally qualified having taken the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) or Legal Practice Course (LPC) it will develop your understanding of practice and enhance your career. If you have legal qualifications in another jurisdiction it will provide understanding of legal process in England. You can join the course straight after a law degree, but some experience of legal practice is an advantage.

Objectives

The course offers you a skills-based and practice-focused approach to the subject of advocacy in a legal professional setting. You will have the opportunity to study how inquiry and dispute resolution procedures in the civil and criminal justice systems are best managed to produce the best outcome for stakeholders.

Academic facilities

As a City Law School student you will benefit from everything the Institution has to offer including the Learning Success department and Lawbore, an online resource designed to help you find the information you need for the course modules. All course modules have online depositories through Moodle.

The City Law School has its own dedicated administration team and you also have access to two legal libraries, one at the Gray’s Inn campus and the other based on site at our Northampton Square campus. As part of the University of London you can also become a member of Senate House Library for free with your student ID card.

Our excellent location in London puts us within walking distance of the British Library which has a collection of over 150 million items and extensive law resources.

Placements

Each year a small number of internships become available and you will be provided with information about such opportunities and how to apply during the year of your study.

Teaching and learning

This course is taught by leading academics as well as visiting practitioners including barristers and solicitors who work in private practice and in legal departments of major companies.

Assessment

All modules are structured as 10 weekly two-hour seminars which comprise both lectures as well as interactive tutorials. All modules are supported by our online learning platform - Moodle. Assessment is by way of coursework which comprises 100% of the final mark in each module. Each module carries the same weight in terms of the overall qualification.

You will be allocated a dedicated supervisor for your dissertation who will help you develop a specific topic and provide support in terms of resources, content and structure.

Modules

As with all LLM specialisms at City, University of London, you may take either five modules and a shorter dissertation (10,000 words) or four modules and a longer dissertation (20,000 words).

All modules are of the same duration and are taught per term (September – December or January – April) rather than the whole academic year. If you take four modules you will take two per term in each term and if you take five modules you will have three in one term and two in the other.

Dissertations are written during the summer term when there are no classes. In order to obtain this specialism, you must choose at least three modules from within this specialism and write your dissertation on a subject within the specialism.

Specialism modules
-Mediation and Negotiation
-Advocacy: Trial Stories
-Advocacy in the Criminal Trial
-Professional Ethics for Commercial Legal Practice
-Criminal Trials: Evidence and Proof
-Forensic Psychology for the Legal Practitioner

For your remaining modules you can choose from more than 50 modules covering a diverse range of subjects.

Career prospects

As a graduate of this specialist LLM you will be well placed to pursue careers in this area of law in private practice, in-house in a law firm, policy and government, non-governmental organisations and a wide range of non-legal careers in the field of advocacy.

With so much competition for those seeking to enter and develop a career in the legal profession, this LLM is designed to provide a depth of understanding and a range of skills that can make a real difference in building your career.

The City Law School has a vibrant Pro Bono programme including our award-winning commercial law clinic for tech start-ups Start-Ed.

Students who complete the LLM may wish to continue their academic studies by enrolling in a PhD offered by The City Law School.

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Our Bar Professional Training Course

At The University of Law, we pride ourselves in offering the best legal training - and our Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) is no exception.

Our BPTC is designed to help you secure pupillage and prepare you for life as a barrister. You can expect exceptionally high standards of tutoring, a bespoke level of careers support and a wealth of pro bono projects giving you invaluable experience.

Why choose our BPTC?

We’re the only BPTC provider that requires all students undergo a selection process http://www.law.ac.uk/postgraduate/bptc/#our-unique-selection-process-and-advocacy-committee before being offered a place on our course. This means you’ll study in small classes alongside carefully selected students

We offer four times the advocacy required by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), all taught by qualified practitioners with unparalleled experience in delivering advocacy training

Benefit from our unique Advocacy Committee http://www.law.ac.uk/postgraduate/bptc/#our-unique-selection-process-and-advocacy-committee: enter prestigious international and national competitions and test your advocacy skills in front of real barristers and judges

Succeed in pupillage applications and beyond and be supported from the moment you accept - with support from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service http://www.law.ac.uk/employability-service/

Gain a real insight into the profession and make a wealth of valuable connections at our networking practitioner events

Benefit from our scholarships and prizes http://www.law.ac.uk/postgraduate/postgraduate-scholarships/. We have one of the most comprehensive scholarship schemes in legal education and reward academic success with a series of prizes at the end of your BPTC year

Flexible study options – you can choose to study your BPTC full-time or part-time in Birmingham or London Bloomsbury, or full-time in Leeds

Follow this link to discover more about how you'll benefit from our Selection Process and Advocacy Committee - http://www.law.ac.uk/postgraduate/bptc/

Course Content

With its unique combination of face-to-face teaching and online training, the BPTC structure has been designed to reflect the litigation process that practising barristers encounter every day.

Knowledge areas

•Civil litigation, evidence and remedies
•Criminal litigation, evidence and sentencing
•Professional ethics

Core skills

•Advocacy, including examination-in-chief, cross-examination and civil applications
•Conferencing
•Drafting
•Opinion writing
•Resolution of disputes out of court

Study options

In your final term, you’ll choose to study two options from a list that includes:

•Advanced criminal litigation
•Alternative dispute resolution: mediation
•Chancery
•International commercial practice
•Employment tribunal practice
•Family practice
•Immigration practice and asylum
•Judicial review
•Personal injury and clinical negligence

Mock trials

We give you as many opportunities as possible to hone your essential advocacy skills and put what you learn into practice:

•Participating in mock trials in real courtrooms with real judges and senior barristers
•Advocacy skill demonstrations with feedback from practising barristers
•Visits to the High Court, Magistrate’s Court, Crown Court and County Courts

Employability

At The University of Law, we recognise that your ultimate goal is to obtain pupillage, progress onto tenancy and hone all the skills and experience you need to develop your practice. That’s why we ensure that every step of the way, you have dedicated careers support and a wealth of opportunities to progress.

A personal careers service

The University of Law has the UK’s largest law careers and employability service, with more than 30 experts providing support as soon as you accept your place. Through one-on-one careers appointments, live and virtual workshops, the careers team advise on:

•CVs and cover letters
•Mini-pupillage applications
•Which sets to apply to based on your interests and profile
•Pupillage applications: drafting and review
•Interview preparation, including spotting and debating current affairs and relevant legal topics
•Mock interviews
•Deciding between pupillage offers
•Post-BPTC employment, scholarships and further study

Events

As well as bespoke advice and assistance, our careers team are able to organise a wide-range of events and presentations thanks to our excellent links with chambers across the country.

Typical events include:

•Inviting the barristers on pupillage committees to discuss and answer questions about the pupillage application process
•Specialist panels and external speakers discussing the nuances of specific practice areas e.g. Commercial & Chancery and Family
•Presentations by external speakers including specialist practitioners and representatives from the Inns of Court
•Discussion on the non-legal aspects of being a barrister including talks from a chambers’ marketing manager and a tax consultant
•A small number of evenings hosted by specific chambers, reserved for students only

Pro bono opportunities

The University runs a varied pro bono programme at all of our centres, which allow our students to gain experience in dealing with real cases while helping the local community. You’ll get valuable first-hand experience of client relationships, legal research and drafting, whilst helping those who may not otherwise have access to legal support and advice.
Current projects include: Legal Advice Centre, Own-It (Intellectual Property), Royal Courts of Justice Personal Support Unit, Family Law Advice Clinic, Social Welfare Legal Advice, Environmental Law Foundation and Streetlaw.

How to Apply

Applications for our full-time and part-time BPTC are now open.

Please follow this link http://www.law.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply-for-a-postgraduate-course/#apply-for-the-bptc

Locations

This course is available at the following University of Law locations: Birmingham, Leeds, London Bloomsbury and London Moorgate. http://www.law.ac.uk/locations/

Further Information

For further information on eligibility, stucture and assessment, course fees and the application process, please follow this link http://www.law.ac.uk/postgraduate/bptc/

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This course has been specifically designed for students looking to forge a career in the sustainability sector, whether starting from scratch or accelerating/re-directing an existing professional path.

Delivered by experienced sustainability professionals, the Master's Degree in Sustainable Development Advocacy is a unique programme that trains graduates to influence organisations to work towards more sustainable practices by facilitating a fundamental shift in understanding and values. Whilst students enter the course from all disciplines and stages in their career, they graduate as critical thinkers, change-makers and future leaders, and can demonstrate this with a portfolio of placement project work.

The course attracts high calibre individuals with a desire to influence, innovate and succeed; our graduates are policy-makers, business leaders, entrepreneurs and grass-roots pioneers.

Delivered in partnership by the University of Worcester and independent sustainable development charity the Bulmer Foundation, the Master's Degree in Sustainable Development Advocacy has been nominated for the Green Gown award and described as one of the most innovative Masters Degrees available in the UK.

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Prepare for the Bar with City’s Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) and study in London’s prime legal location.

Who is it for?

The BPTC is designed for aspiring barristers. It attracts students from around the world and from all parts of the UK. Students will have already completed a qualifying law degree or a non-law degree plus a Graduate Diploma in Law.

From recent graduates to doctors and front bench opposition MPs, the programme caters both for those who have always been dedicated to a professional legal career as well as people seeking a career change, and those who are able to make use of the training together with a professional legal qualification in business, management or administration.

In particular, the course is designed for students who want to develop their skills as advocates, and those who want to research and apply the law to help clients in presenting legal cases in court. Bar students often have a deep commitment to helping those who need assistance in protecting their legal rights.

Objectives

The Bar Professional Training Course is a rigorous programme designed to reflect the modern working Bar. We replicate life in chambers, so you learn how to represent a range of clients and to prepare for the demands of court.

Studying at Gray's Inn Place, in the heart of legal London, City Law School students achieve impressive academic success. In 2015, our students represented half of the national BPTC cohort achieving a grade of ‘outstanding’* – the most prominent indicator of success in securing future pupillage.

* Bar Standards Board BPTC Key Statistics report 2016

The programme is taught by a team of professionally-qualified experts who are the authors of the BPTC manuals in use across the country. Internationally renowned and highly skills focused, City’s BPTC provides a bridge between academic legal study and professional practice and covers three essential areas:
-Advocacy
-Written and oral advisory skills
-Drafting skills.

Underpinning all of these areas is a foundation of analysis and legal research, combined with the need to set priorities and organise your work in order to meet deadlines.

Placements

Placements are not a formal requirement of the programme, but we encourage you to spend time in chambers doing mini-pupillages.

Pro bono is an opportunity to use your time and knowledge to provide legal advice to those who may otherwise not have access to such services. It provides you with invaluable experience and a chance to develop your legal skills further. At The City Law School you will have the opportunity to work with one of our pro bono volunteering organisations that needs assistance.

Mooting is a great way to develop important legal skills such as research and analysis whilst also learning how to structure a legal argument. At The City Law School, we run an annual internal mooting competition where students act as a counsel to argue a point of law before a judge.

Academic facilities

The Bar Professional Training Course is taught at Gray’s Inn Place campus. Here you will find the Atkin Building which houses the student common room and the large lecture theatre and teaching accommodation. The library, computer study areas and additional teaching accommodation are located in two nearby buildings.

The City Law School has its own dedicated administration team and its own online legal resource portal - Lawbore. You also have access to two legal libraries, one on site at the Gray’s Inn campus and one based at our Northampton Square campus.

Within the Gray’s Inn library you will find areas for group study and a room to record advocacy performances. There is a large suite of recording rooms nearby. You will also receive copies of the textbooks used on the course. These include:
-Practitioner books in civil practice and criminal practice.
-The City Law School BPTC manuals (published by OUP as the "Bar series").
-Textbooks in civil procedure, evidence and alternative dispute resolution.

Teaching and learning

Most of the course is taught in small groups where you will be studying with 12 other students, and in classes of six students for advocacy. You will also learn through one-to-one tuition in the advocacy skills part of the course.

Debating, mooting and mock trials also prepare you for pupillage interviews.

We also train students on how to give peer feedback and conduct client conferences, where you give an oral performance which is recorded for feedback. You also have the opportunity to cross-examine mock witnesses and clients in real time as part of the programme’s final assessment.

You will be assessed under examination conditions in the written skills and the knowledge-based areas of ethics, civil procedure and criminal procedure. You will also be assessed through replicated scenarios, which we would expect you to encounter in practice.

Teaching is supported by a range of materials, including a series of skills and subject manuals written by senior members of staff and members of the practising Bar. These manuals are published by Oxford University Press, have been adopted by other providers, and are widely recognised as leading and innovative texts on teaching legal skills. The course is also supported by a wide range of written and electronic resources.

Modules

Modules in the first two terms are compulsory (and are based on the Bar Standards Board requirements), and you can choose two options from 11 topics in the third term.

The course has been developed to give you the relevant legal skills and knowledge that all newly qualified barristers need, along with the detailed knowledge you will need for your chosen specialist areas/subjects. While there is a strong focus on advocacy, advisory and drafting skills are also important as well as knowledge of court procedures and evidence and the principles governing ADR and professional ethics. Three of the option subjects (FRU, domestic violence and social security) are pro bono based, which gives you the opportunity to get real-life experience as part of the programme.

There is a strong focus on preparation, participation and practice. Students are encouraged to recognise that work on the programme is set in a realistic context and to approach the work in a professional, ethical, practical and problem-solving way.

Core subjects in the first and second term
-Advocacy Cross Examination (10 credits)
-Advocacy Examination in Chief (10 credits)
-Advocacy Addressing the Court (10 credits)
-Civil Litigation, Evidence & Remedies 12 credits)
-Conference Skills (six credits)
-Criminal Litigation, Evidence & Sentencing (12 credits)
-Resolution of Disputes out of Court (ADR) (six credits)
-Drafting Skills (12 credits)
-Professional Ethics (six credits)
-Opinion Writing Skills (12 credits)

Other important areas covered within the context of the main subjects:
-Costs
-Human rights
-Risk analysis

Option subjects in the third term - you will choose two of the below elective modules:
-Advanced Criminal Litigation (12 credits)
-Commercial Law (12 credits)
-Company Law (12 credits)
-Domestic Violence (12 credits)
-Employment Law (12 credits)
-Family Law (12 credits)
-Fraud & Financial Crime (12 credits)
-Free Representation Unit (12 credits)
-Landlord & Tenant (12 credits)
-Professional Negligence (12 credits)
-Social Security (12 credits)

The range of options offered in any one year is subject to availability and demand, but we usually run all 11 options. The same range of options is offered to part-time BPTC students as to full-time ones, but subject to demand, some may only be delivered during the day.

Career prospects

Training for the Bar is a serious proposition because of the responsible role played by barristers in the administration of justice. It is also one of the most sought after and respected careers available. On successful completion of the course you will receive the Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Skills and be eligible to be Called to the Bar of England and Wales by your Inn. At that stage you are entitled to describe yourself as a barrister, but will not be entitled to represent clients in court until you have completed the first six months of pupillage.

Pupillage is usually for 12 months, and is usually taken in one set of chambers, although sometimes pupillage takes place in two or more sets.

Minimum pupillage awards for the first year are £12,000. Some pupillage awards exceed £60,000. Tenants earn more than pupils.

We have a strong success rate with BPTC students gaining pupillage year on year. As soon as you accept your place on the City BPTC you can get individual guidance from our dedicated Pupillage Advisory Service to give you the best possible chance of entering the Bar. The service offers tailored advice about:
-Building links with the profession
-Applying for mini-pupillages
-Completing pupillage applications
-Preparing for interviews (including offering mock interviews)
-Getting ready for pupillage

If you decide the Bar isn't for you, you can receive expert advice about your career options from your personal tutor and City's Careers, Student Development & Outreach service. The service offers support for interviews, mock interviews and job searching techniques.

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If your goal is to become a barrister, the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) at Manchester Law School is designed to provide you with the best possible skills, experience and training to prepare you for a successful career. We offer advocacy training and group sessions that offer true-to-life mock trials, assessments, 'mini chambers' and real-life legal work experience opportunities.

Manchester Law School has a proud history of providing barrister training in the North West and as a result has outstanding links to both the local legal profession and the Northern Circuit (Chambers in Cheshire, Liverpool, Manchester and Preston). Practitioners from the Northern Circuit will provide you with Additional Advocacy Classes for students and are on-hand at regular events to offer advice about your future as a barrister and obtaining pupillage.

You can expect exceptionally high standards of tutoring and a wealth of pro bono opportunity. We will support you preparing pupillage applications, with access to our specialist careers service.

Features and benefits of the course

Specialist BPTC facilities
Recognising the challenging nature of barrister training, the Law School offers a number of specialist facilities for the use of students on the BPTC programme. Students benefit from specialist postgraduate study areas, personal chambers rooms, legal libraries, personal study areas plus a mock courtroom where students can practice their advocacy skills in a realistic legal environment.

Advocacy
We will provide you with the opportunity to hone your advocacy skills with many opportunities to understand the skills involved and to put them into practice. Our advocacy sessions far exceed the minimum hours set by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and we are very proud of the skills that our students develop during the course. You will receive approximately 42 hours of criminal and civil advocacy plus assessments, which is over three times the minimum required by the BSB. We also offer Additional Classes with barristers who are in full time practice to give you further opportunities to develop your advocacy skills.

Additional Professional Programme (APP)
An innovative feature of Manchester Law School’s BPTC programme. The APP bridges the gap between student and professional life, and prepares you for the Bar. There is a whole range of extra curricula, career-boosting activities of which you can take advantage. From guest lectures provided by judges and clerks of chambers, to Pro Bono opportunities, the Student Law Society, mooting and other national competitions.

Practitioner Mentor Scheme
Each chambers group is allocated their own Practitioner Mentor, a locally based barrister who will be on hand to guide you along the path to practice.

Mediator Training Programme
We are exclusively offering the option to gain an additional independent professional qualification in mediation through the ADR group, normally costing £2,750 +VAT, at no extra cost to our BPTC students. The programme is practically orientated and focused on equipping you with the skills you need to perform well at mediation – either as a representative or as a mediator – and leads to ADR Group Accredited Mediator Status.

Award-winning Faculty environment
At Manchester Law School you will have access to an outstanding Faculty building, housing spacious study and IT zones, laptop counters, cafes and coffee shops, and free WiFi. You will benefit from highly modern facilities on our thriving campus too, at the heart of the UK’s second city.

About the Course

The BPTC focuses on developing highly practical skills and features an innovative 'mini-chambers' approach designed to mirror the real life working practices of a barrister. You will be placed in a group (or chambers) with 11 other students and be provided with a permanent, multimedia-equipped base room. You will be expected to 'perform' regularly in front of your fellow students to encourage the development of strong working relationships similar to a professional chambers.

The BPTC begins with a participative and dynamic induction programme introducing students to the highly practical BPTC, compared with academic study. Students are almost immediately offered the opportunity to network with local practitioners during a team building exercise and social event. Following this induction, the remainder of the course features a combination of compulsory subjects and an opportunity to study two subjects of your choice, depending on your particular career aspirations.

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The course provides students with the opportunity to advise and represent social security appellants and employment law claimants (areas identified in research as ones with high levels of ‘unmet legal need’, in part because legal aid has never been made available for them), in a context where they reflect on how persons of limited means access legal services.

Key benefits

- The LLM in Clinical Legal Education (CLE) is a distinct and unique legal education course in Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland, there being no comparable courses at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

- The Course Team also received the Distinguished Team Teaching Award in December 2014 from the University, as well as Learning and Teaching Awards 2014 Course/School Team of the Year in the inaugural UUSU awards of that year.

Visit the website: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/course/llm-clinical-legal-education-ft-jn or for the part-time option visit https://www.ulster.ac.uk/course/llm-clinical-legal-education-pt-jn

Course detail

- Description -

Students obtain experience in aspects of legal practice, from client-handling and case- related research, to advocacy and representation, and reflecting on Public Interest Litigation, as well as developing and managing the Ulster Law Clinic, the specialist clinic embedded in the course.

- Purpose -

The function of the course is to supplement the existing range of legal service providers by focusing on, and meeting, ‘unmet legal need’ in the fields of employment law and social security law. In doing so, students are tasked to analyze ‘unmet legal need’, the availability and consumption of legal services and reflect on wider issues of access to justice, ‘equality of arms’, and dispute resolution.

- Teaching and learning assessment -

Traditional methods of teaching and learning include staff-led lectures; student and tutor-led seminars; group work and student presentations; and problem based scenarios. Within the induction programme students will begin their skills based learning, with an introduction to skills development in interviewing, drafting, negotiation and advocacy.

Assessments include written and oral based coursework and case studies of relevant legal issues and client based problems through the use of reflective learning journals; case studies on simulated and real client cases; and advocacy, interviewing and negotiation exercises.

Career options

You will develop skills highly relevant to legal practice, and to policy, research and advocacy roles in the voluntary, public and private sectors in the UK, Ireland and beyond. Successful completion may also open up a range of further study and research options.

The LLM CLE allows you to develop the analytical skills prized by employers in a wide range of career pathways within the United Kingdom, Ireland and internationally. Students obtain experience in all aspects of legal practice, from client-handling and case-related research, to advocacy and representation, and reflecting on public interest litigation, as well as developing and managing a working Law Clinic. The degree is relevant to legal practice and policy, and to research and advocacy roles in the voluntary, public and private sectors. Successful completion also opens up a range of further study and research options.

How to apply: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply#pg

Why Choose Ulster University ?

1. Over 92% of our graduates are in work or further study six months after graduation.
2. We are a top UK university for providing courses with a period of work placement.
3. Our teaching and the learning experience we deliver are rated at the highest level by the Quality Assurance Agency.
4. We recruit international students from more than 100 different countries.
5. More than 4,000 students from over 50 countries have successfully completed eLearning courses at Ulster University.

Flexible payment

To help spread the cost of your studies, tuition fees can be paid back in monthly instalments while you learn. If you study for a one-year, full-time master’s, you can pay your fees up-front, in one lump sum, or in either five* or ten* equal monthly payments. If you study for a master’s on a part-time basis (e.g. over three years), you can pay each year’s fees up-front or in five or ten equal monthly payments each year. This flexibility allows you to spread the payment of your fees over each academic year. Find out more by visiting https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/fees-and-finance/postgraduate

Scholarships

A comprehensive range of financial scholarships, awards and prizes are available to undergraduate, postgraduate and research students. Scholarships recognise the many ways in which our students are outstanding in their subject. Individuals may be able to apply directly or may automatically be nominated for awards. Visit the website: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/fees-and-finance/scholarships

English Language Tuition

CELT offers courses and consultations in English language and study skills to Ulster University students of all subjects, levels and nationalities. Students and researchers for whom English is an additional language can access free CELT support throughout the academic year: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/international/english-language-support

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The MSc Professional Practice (Learning Disability) is open to all professionals working with people who have a learning disability. Professionals working with this client group need to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in order to meet the clients’ changing needs.

The aim of this degree is to transform your practice and thus improve the quality of care for service users. Module content and delivery is underpinned by the latest research evidence, which ensures that this award meets the challenges of the demanding and dynamic environments that health and social care practitioners work in today.

See the website http://courses.southwales.ac.uk/courses/609-msc-professional-practice-learning-disability

What you will study

Modules
Core modules:
- Research methods
- Dissertation

Specialist modules:
There modules relate directly to this degree.

- Autistic Spectrum Disorder
This 20 credit module covers areas such as Introduction to Autistic Spectrum Disorders; autism; Asperger’s syndrome; incidence and prevalence, diagnosis; assessment strategies; related syndromes and conditions; bio-psycho-social factors; diet; pharmacotherapy; environmental considerations; communication methods; TEACCH; therapeutic approaches;

- Contemporary Issues in Learning Disability
This 20 credit module covers areas such as local, national and international policy developments; inter-professional practice; quality of life; frameworks and philosophies of care; anti-discriminatory practice; vulnerability and abuse issues; stake holder involvement; developments in research and service delivery; person centred approaches; developments in technology.

- Advocacy
This 20 credit module covers areas such as – What is Advocacy and the different types of advocacy- independent; self; group; citizen and professional; Legislation and duties; Mental Capacity Act 2005 and consent; the role of the IMCA; DOLS; Human Rights Act 1998 and Equalities Act 2010; Power, Empowerment and Participation; Practical skills – supporting people to self advocate; Communicating concepts; listening, negotiation skills; Developing, marshalling and presenting coherent arguments on behalf of others; Policy and Guidance e.g. POVA; advocacy within the policy process; ethical principles, frameworks and decision making; interagency working, confidentiality and sharing information; thresholds for intervention/referral; creating an advocacy culture.

Learning and teaching methods

To gain the MSc Professional Practice (Learning Disability) degree you will need to study at least 80 credits (including your dissertation of 60 credits) relating to the support and care of people with learning disabilities. This means that you must choose to study at least one of the specialist modules. To graduate from a masters’ degree course you must study a total of 180 credits which must include a 40 credit research module.

These modules run yearly depending on demand and are usually delivered via weekly four-hour sessions throughout the academic year.

Teaching methods include facilitated discussions, seminars, workshops and presentations. You will be required to undertake background reading to develop a broad knowledge base and encouraged to become a critical thinker, enabling you to question theories and develop your own ideas informed by evidence and research.

We offer a range of support services for students with a disability. We encourage you to discuss your individual requirements with an adviser as early as possible when you apply.

Work Experience and Employment Prospects

To date, students undertaking this course have normally been qualified nurses. However, other professionals such as psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and social workers have undertaken modules. Currently, there are attempts being made to include this pathway or elements of it in the post qualified social work framework and childrens nursing post registration programme. Feedback received from students undertaking modules has so far been very positive especially the use of service users and carers as well as specialist practitioners and leading academics.

Assessment methods

Assessments will take the form of written assignments (one linked to publication).

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The MSc Health Policy will develop your understanding of, and critical engagement with, key challenges in health policy. Both state and non-state actors grapple with how best to promote the health of communities and populations, including the most effective strategies for preventing disease, ensuring efficient and high quality health care, and reducing health inequalities.

These challenges extend beyond the traditional domain of the health sector, requiring engagement with economic and social policy and a range of non-state actors including third sector organisations, commercial interests and international agencies.

The MSc in Health Policy is designed for individuals interested in a wide range of health-related roles including government and international agencies, health advocacy, health administration and health care delivery, consultancies, advisory roles, the commercial sector, and health-related research. Within the programme there is scope for you to specialise in either health systems or health inequalities, or to follow a broad policy stream.

The Health Systems stream is ideal for those seeking to work in health care policy, planning or management, in either the public or private sectors. It will expose you to different models of health care financing, purchasing and delivery, equipping them to engage with key contemporary challenges and debates including how to achieve sustainable health care financing, the role of the state in health care, the appropriate mix of public and private provision, and how best to achieve the goals of equity, efficiency and quality in health care delivery.

The Health Inequalities stream is ideal for those seeking to engage with health disparities both between and within countries, particularly those relating to inequities in social structures and power. In this stream you will explore evidence and policy responses to health inequalities across a range of axes, including class/socioeconomic position, ethnicity/race and gender, and will consider how health and its determinants are shaped by a range of influences including social and economic policy, commercial power and political conflict. This stream is particularly suited to those interested in working in policy, advocacy and research settings with a focus on health equity.

You may also elect to follow a broad policy stream within the MSc Health Policy, rather than specialising in health systems or health inequalities. This stream equips you with an understanding of how health policy fits within broader approaches to social and economic policy, and is particularly suitable for individuals wanting to work in public policy, advocacy or research.

Our students come from countries at all levels of economic development and from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, with many using the MSc as an investment to develop their careers or move into a more policy-focused role. While the programme has a strong policy focus, it also includes an academic orientation so is good preparation for further research at PhD level.

The MSc programme is situated within the Global Public Health Unit, which is located in University’s School of Social and Political Science rather than a medical school. This reflects our programme’s reach across traditional boundaries, linking policy analysis, public health, social policy, economics, sociology, medicine and epidemiology. The MSc programme offers innovative research-led teaching that draws on academic expertise from all these disciplines, while also benefitting from close links with the Centre for Population Health Sciences in the University's medical college.

Programme structure

You will complete one compulsory course and a number of option courses.

Following the taught courses, you will work towards an independently researched dissertation.

Learning outcomes

This programme is designed to equip you with the knowledge and critical skills you need to play a senior role in health policy, advocacy and research.

Specific aims are to:

• Have a critical understanding of core concepts and frameworks relevant to health policy and population health.
• Be aware of key contemporary challenges to health and the role of the state and other actors in seeking to address these.
• Have a critical awareness of the links between health policy and broader social and economic policies, including the extent to which health objectives may complement or be in tension with other social goals
• Understand different models of health care financing, purchasing and delivery, and be able to draw on these in critically appraising the roles of different actors in the development and implementation of health policy and in a diverse range of health systems reforms (Health Systems stream)
• Understand the social determinants of health and health inequalities, and apply this understanding in critically evaluating different approaches to improving health and reducing health inequalities (Health Inequalities stream)

Career opportunities

This programme is intended to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue employment positions in policy, advocacy and research roles relevant to health policy. Most students use the MSc as an investment to develop their careers or move into a more policy-focused area, including jobs with health agencies or consultancies, government departments, international organisations and third sector organisations. By combining an advanced degree from a world-leading university with expertise in an innovative field relevant to multiple policy agendas, students who successfully complete our programmes are well placed to secure interesting positions within an often very competitive area.

Our graduates in recent years have moved on to a range of exciting employment and research positions. These include positions with health departments and other government ministries in both high-income and developing countries; with agencies and donor organisations working in health care and health promotion; with international organisations and consultancy; research positions examining health systems for the European Union and other levels of regional governance; and employment in commercial sector organisations including pharmaceutical and other health-related companies.

All students have access to the Edinburgh University Careers Service during the programme and for two years after graduation.

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This MA looks at contemporary changes in media and communications, by putting into perspective the transformations that affect the way people live and work, national and international institutions evolve, and how cultural practices develop- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-global-media-transnational-communications/

This programme's internationally acclaimed and comparative approach to the events, issues and debates of our times is particularly suited for those interested in exploring the bigger picture as well as the nitty-gritty of transformations in media and communications and their impact on culture, society and politics.

Its cutting-edge and interdisciplinary approach to postgraduate learning, independent study, and life skills provides you with the analytical skills, conceptual knowledge and practical understanding of the real and imagined shifts that are taking place in – and through – the media industries, everyday life online and on the ground at home and abroad.

The Masters attracts budding scholars, media practitioners, activists, and advocates from many regions, with a variety of educational and professional backgrounds.

It's particularly suitable for those wanting to move their knowledge and analytical skills up a level for further study as well as for those who have experience of studying or working in the media and cultural sectors, non-profits and other third sector organisations, alternative media, the arts, grassroots and international advocacy and activism.

The programme achieves these goals by:

-exploring the challenges traditional media sectors face as news, entertainment, and services go global and converge on the web
-critically studying the past, present, and future of the internet and information and communications technologies
-examining changes to communicative cultures, media production, and services in a ‘post-Web 2.0’ context
-thinking about how ordinary people, businesses, governments, and multilateral institutions (mis)use ICT
-looking more closely at how local communities, governments, and transnational corporations look to influence media futures
-researching differences in how people, cultures, and countries access and use media and communicate across borders
-debating the implications of the digital divide, media censorship, and digital surveillance by governmental and commercial agencies
-reading, watching, and hearing how artists, creative entrepreneurs, power elites and ordinary people respond to technological and social change

The Programme Director is Professor Marianne Franklin. Lecturers, guest speakers, and research students on this programme are affiliated to the Centre for the Study of Global Media and Democracy, the School of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University (USA), the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, Edinburgh Law School, Le Monde diplomatique, a number of international NGOs, activist and advocacy groups, international academic and media networks.

Follow us on Twitter @GloComm ‌

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Professor Marianne Franklin.

Modules & Structure

The programme is broken into three parts:

-core modules
-option modules (where students can devise their own specialisations)
-dissertation

The themes covered may vary from year to year, depending on research developments and staff availability.

Along with two compulsory (core) modules, research skills module, and a research dissertation, you can choose from a range of theory and practice option modules from Media & Communications as well as other Goldsmiths departments.

Distinguishing Features: this programme's content, structure, and assessment takes an interdisciplinary and innovative approach to:

-reading, thinking and articulating challenging ideas
-conducting individual and collaborative research
-accessing and contributing to current debates
-incorporating practitioner and activist perspectives
-teaching and learning that is both research-led and student-inspired
-supporting excellence in individual and group projects

Activities: Based on an interactive communication model of learning and teaching, the core programme is organised around lectures, participatory workshops, student presentations, written work, informed debates.

-It features guest speakers from around the world and various media and communications domains.
-It involves students in creating their own media-based projects, such as our prize-winning live Video Conference event with international partners.
-It looks to foster original research dissertation work, formal presentation and collaborative skills.
-It provides instruction in the fundamentals of designing and successfully completing an independent research dissertation project alongside one to one supervision and workshops

On completing this programme you will be able to (re)enter the workplace, return to your creative pursuits, activism, or advocacy project or, if you wish, continue onto further research with up-to-date knowledge about the facts and fictions around these trends.

Assessment

Individual and group presentations; live video/web conferences, examined essays and research papers; qualitatively assessed assignments and discussion leading; dissertation.

Careers

Graduates from this programme find work and excel in a number of domains:

national and global media corporations
government departments
global news & broadcasting
online media
PR and advertising
NGOs and non-profits
intergovernmental organizations
the entertainment industry
the arts and cultural sectors
Alumni have found work with the BBC world service, Globo corporation, Carnegie Foundation, European parliament and European Commission, CCTV, NBC, Google, Microsoft, NGOs (eg Greenpeace, Global Partners) and charities (eg Dementia UK), newspapers (eg in South Korea, Brazil, Slovenia, China), alternative media and advocacy networks, museums, theatres and art gallerires, online national and international media outlets (eg Chinese, indigenous Taiwanese), PR and marketing around the world.

Other alumni have continued on to PhD programmes, at Goldsmiths and elsewhere. Many have been successful in gaining research scholarships and funding to further their academic and practitioner careers.

The ethos of the department is one which looks to achieve a healthy balance between scholarly pursuits and practical skills; we look to develop all-round thinkers and doers who can – and do – contribute to the cultural and professional life of their communities and countries. Graduates from this programme excel in their analytical skills, range of knowledge, flexibility, and adaptability.

Skills

At Goldsmiths we support and develop students to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical, creative, practical and/or professional pursuits.

You will be equipped with new insights and ideas, analytical skills and practical knowledge about how both traditional and newer media, familiar and cutting-edge information and communication technologies, and computer-mediated communications actually operate and contribute to society, culture, and politics in contemporary settings.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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The UWE Bristol Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) provides the foundation of your career as a barrister. Rigorous and demanding, yet stimulating and rewarding, the course will equip you with the advocacy, research, conference and mediation skills you need to excel at the Bar and beyond.

We aim to be as supportive of your pastoral care as we are of your academic progression, and alongside the teaching, the course provides excellent opportunities to help secure a pupillage.

Key benefits

To increase your chances of obtaining pupillage and improve your employability generally, you will also have the chance to:

• participate in our award-winning pro bono Law Court Clinic;
• hone your mooting skills in our Bristol Chambers sponsored mootingcompetitions;
• appear in the Bristol Crown Court or in the Civil Justice Centre before real life judges in our Chambers sponsored family, criminal and civil commercial advocacy competitions;
• teach legal skills to LLB undergraduates.

Course detail

The BPTC takes you from the initial stages in civil and criminal proceedings through to trial. You will firstly master the compulsory subjects within the criminal and civil areas, before moving on to two specialist options of your choice.

The quality of teaching on the BPTC is nationally and internationally renowned, with tuition provided by a dedicated team of barristers, solicitors and judges and an unrivalled range of facilities to enhance your study experience. Our high student satisfaction rates are testament to the high quality of tuition on the course; and 85% of students would recommend our BPTC to other (BPTC, Bristol UWE, Full time student evaluation survey December 2014).

Modules

Compulsory:

• Civil Advocacy
• Civil Litigation, Remedies and Evidence
• Conferencing Skills
• Criminal Litigation, Evidence and Sentencing
• Opinion Writing
• Drafting
• Professional Conduct
• Resolution of Disputes Out of Court
• Criminal Advocacy

Optional:

• Clinical Negligence
• Criminal Law
• Commercial Law
• Employment Law
• Family
• International Trade
• Landlord and Tenant
• Refugee and Asylum Law

Format

Highly experienced and supportive tutors, drawn from legal practice, as well as the academic side of law, will enable you to develop your knowledge quickly. Most of the course is taught through small group sessions, meaning you will benefit from substantial face-to-face contact with your tutors.

Certain subjects are also supported with online resources (for example, recorded lectures, MCQ tests and recorded demonstrations) to enable you to supplement your work and knowledge remotely at a time to suit you.

Assessment

Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation and Professional Conduct assessments are all set centrally by the Bar Standards Board and examined using multiple choice and short answer questions. Opinion Writing and Drafting are set locally as unseen assessments in controlled conditions. All other assessments are also set locally and are either completely seen or partially seen, in that you will receive information in advance to research the relevant areas of law.

Mock assessments with feedback will also be given to help you monitor and improve your performance, and deal effectively with all forms of assessment.

Careers / Further study

The BPTC prepares you for a successful career as a barrister and is designed to give you the necessary skills, knowledge and network to secure a pupillage.

Many of our graduates have gone on to secure work as barristers, while others are working as legal associates, managers and legal advisers.

How to apply

Information on applications can be found at the following link: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/study/applyingtouwebristol/postgraduateapplications.aspx

Funding

- New Postgraduate Master's loans for 2016/17 academic year –

The government are introducing a master’s loan scheme, whereby master’s students under 60 can access a loan of up to £10,000 as a contribution towards the cost of their study. This is part of the government’s long-term commitment to enhance support for postgraduate study.

Scholarships and other sources of funding are also available.

More information can be found here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/feesandfunding/fundingandscholarships/postgraduatefunding.aspx

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The UWE Bristol Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) provides the foundation of your career as a barrister. The part-time course provides exactly the same level of training as the full-time BPTC, but runs over two years, with most teaching taking place at the weekend.

Rigorous and demanding, yet stimulating and rewarding, the course will equip you with the advocacy, research, conference and mediation skills you need to excel at the Bar and beyond. At the same time, you will have access to excellent opportunities to enhance your CV and help secure a pupillage.

Key benefits

To increase your chances of obtaining pupillage and improve your employability generally, you will also have the chance to:

• participate in our award-winning pro bono Law Court Clinic
• hone your mooting skills in our Bristol Chambers sponsored mootingcompetitions
• appear in the Bristol Crown Court or in the Civil Justice Centre before real life judges in our Chambers sponsored family, criminal and civil commercial advocacy competitions.

Course detail

The BPTC takes you from the initial stages in civil and criminal proceedings through to trial. You will firstly master the subjects within the criminal and civil areas, before moving on to two specialist options of your choice in the second year of the course.

Modules

Compulsory modules:

• Civil Advocacy
• Civil Litigation, Remedies and Evidence
• Conferencing Skills
• Criminal Litigation, Evidence and Sentencing
• Opinion Writing
• Drafting
• Professional Conduct
• Resolution of Disputes Out of Court
• Criminal Advocacy

Option modules:

• Clinical Negligence
• Criminal Law
• Commercial Law
• Competition Law
• Employment Law
• Family
• International Trade
• Landlord and Tenant
• Refugee and Asylum Law

Format

Highly experienced and supportive tutors, drawn from the academic side of law, as well as legal practice, will enable you to develop your knowledge quickly. Most of the course is taught in small groups in dedicated study rooms, meaning you will benefit from substantial face-to-face contact.

Certain subjects are also supported with online resources (for example, recorded lectures, MCQ tests and recorded demonstrations) to enable you to supplement your work and knowledge remotely at a time to suit you.

Monthly skills sessions with written and verbal feedback allow you to continually develop your skills.

Assessment

Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation and Professional Conduct assessments are all set centrally by the Bar Standards Board and examined using multiple choice and short answer questions. Opinion Writing and Drafting are set locally as unseen assessments in controlled conditions. All other assessments are also set locally and are either completely seen or partially seen, in that you will receive information in advance to research the relevant areas of law.

Mock assessments with feedback will also be given to help you monitor and improve your performance, and deal effectively with all forms of assessment.

Careers / Further study

The BPTC prepares you for a successful career as a barrister and is designed to give you the necessary skills, knowledge and network to secure a pupillage.

Many of our graduates have gone on to secure work as barristers, while others are working as legal associates, managers and legal advisers.

How to apply

Information on applications can be found at the following link: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/study/applyingtouwebristol/postgraduateapplications.aspx

Funding

- New Postgraduate Master's loans for 2016/17 academic year –

The government are introducing a master’s loan scheme, whereby master’s students under 60 can access a loan of up to £10,000 as a contribution towards the cost of their study. This is part of the government’s long-term commitment to enhance support for postgraduate study.

Scholarships and other sources of funding are also available.

More information can be found here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/feesandfunding/fundingandscholarships/postgraduatefunding.aspx

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Our aim is that the Glasgow Diploma comes to be regarded as the trademark of excellence, ensuring that you are not just employable but sought after by employers.

Key facts

• PgDip: 9 months full-time;
• Contact: [email protected]

Why Glasgow

• This highly practical programme has been designed by practising lawyers to replicate the work that you will do when you commence your traineeship, ensuring that you will be a confident and competent trainee solicitor.
• The Glasgow Legal 40, legal alumni of the university who practise across a wide range of areas, support our Diploma students in various ways including mentoring them and attending networking events.
• We have developed strong links with employers and work with them to ensure that the programme we offer meets their requirements enabling you to commence your traineeship with the necessary skills and knowledge.
• Extensive use is made of our library of filmed resources which link to course materials developed in collaboration with the judiciary and our tutors.They include various court hearings including criminal trials, proofs, debates, motions and a judicial review as well as a mediation, collaboration and negotiation.
• Students attend Glasgow Sheriff Court and appear before sheriffs to deliver pleas in mitigation; police officers attend the university to take part in court cases.
• Almost every one of our 150 tutors is a practising lawyer, and all are dedicated, enthusiastic, committed and keen to share their experience with the next generation of lawyers.

Programme Structure

You will take 5 core and 3 optional courses. This allows you to select courses which suit your areas of interest or meet the requirements of your future employers in the legal profession. Courses are delivered through a combination of on-line resources, e-modules, lectures and by small group tutorials (12 or less). Our team of 150 highly experienced, enthusiastic and committed tutors, almost all of whom are practising solicitors or advocates, are all focused on ensuring that you meet the requirement of a “Day 1 ready trainee” by the end of each course.

Core courses
• Criminal litigation (incorporating advocacy, evidence and procedure and negotiation)
• Civil litigation (incorporating advocacy, rules of procedure, evidence, negotiation and pre-action protocols)
• Property Law and Conveyancing (incorporating commercial leases)
• Private client (incorporating wills, trusts, deeds of variation and guardianship)
• Business, ethics, finance and practice awareness.

Optional courses
• Advanced civil litigation (incorporating advocacy, remedies, debates, proofs and appeals)
• Advanced criminal litigation (incorporating advocacy)
• Commercial contracts
• Commercial conveyancing
• Corporate
• Family law (incorporating negotiation, mediation, collaboration and litigation)
• Human rights (incorporating employment, asylum and immigration, legislative competence, children's hearing referrals)
• Contemporary Scottish Public Law

Industry Links and Employability

Our Services to Students

Following completion of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice students must complete a traineeship within a legal firm as a pre-requisite for legal practice.

We strive to increase our students’ employability through our links with the legal profession by working with colleagues in the School of Law, the University's Career Service and other relevant organisations. Our aim is to support and guide our students to help them make the correct career choices.

When planning future career choices, Glasgow DPLP students can access
• The Glasgow Legal 40 mentoring network: exclusive to Glasgow Diploma students
• Professional Legal Practice events including Glasgow Legal 40 networking events and "Life in Law" autobiographical talks from distinguished members of the profession
• Expert advice from the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice team
• Projects such as CLASP pilot in which corporate law students advise start-up businesses
• An annual Law Fair to network with Scottish Law Firms and other employers
• Information about traineeships and other jobs direct from employers
• Employability website
• After completion of the progrmme - invitations to events to improve employability.

Legal 40 Mentoring Network

The Glasgow Legal 40 is an initiative designed for University of Glasgow School of Law Diploma students. The group comprises 40 successful University of Glasgow legal alumni, drawn from all sectors of the legal profession. The main activities of the group include a mentoring programme and a series of social and educational events which allow Diploma students to engage with distinguished members of the legal profession and which will benefit the next generation of lawyers to emerge from the School of Law.

Since 2013, the group has been strengthened and developed by the introduction of Glasgow Legal 40 associates. This involves students who benefited from support and mentoring offered by Glasgow Legal 40 members undertaking the same role for their successors.

Launched in September 2010, our programme aims to bridge the gap between academia and professional legal practice; the Glasgow Legal 40 is a unique and key initiative which allows us to achieve our goal of ensuring our students are not just employable, but sought after by employers. Eileen Paterson, Director of Professional Legal Practice (Operations) explains: “The Glasgow Legal 40 initiative has already been of enormous benefit to our students. We are extremely grateful to our alumni who have supported our students in numerous ways and have been enthusiastic in their commitment to this initiative."

Our Diploma students benefit from
• Easing students' transition from university to practice
• Allowing students to draw on the experience of expert mentors
• Increasing student networking skills
• Providing role models for students pursuing careers in legal practice
• Increasing student links with the legal profession
• Increased employability.

Students contemplating pursuing a career as an advocate at the Scottish Bar are able to take courses in International Private Law and/or Roman Law at no additional cost. These courses are compulsory entry requirements for the Faculty of Advocates.

Career Prospects

Upon successful completion of the programme you will be eligible to progress through your traineeship to work as a solicitor or advocate. The Diploma in Professional Legal Practice is a requirement for entry into these roles in the legal profession.

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The Diploma provides you with the necessary qualification to pursue a law traineeship. It is the first step towards a career as a solicitor or advocate within Scotland. Our goal is to equip you with the hands-on skills necessary to practise law in the 21st century. We create opportunities for you to develop a professional network which will support you throughout your career.

Why this programme

◾Designed by practising lawyers, our programme replicates the work that you will do when you commence your traineeship.
◾The Glasgow Legal 40, highly experienced legal alumni of the university, supports our Diploma students through mentorship and by attending our networking events.
◾We work with employers to ensure that our programme meets their requirements, enabling you to commence your traineeship with the necessary skills and knowledge.
◾You will receive one to one in-person feedback from tutors on every course.
◾Our library of filmed resources has been developed in collaboration with the judiciary and our tutors. It includes material such as court hearings, covering criminal trials, proofs, debates, motions and a judicial review as well as a mediation, collaboration and negotiation.
◾You will attend Glasgow Sheriff Court and appear before sheriffs to deliver pleas in mitigation; police officers attend the university to take part in court cases.
◾Our 200 tutors are all highly experienced legal practitioners. They are dedicated, enthusiastic, and keen to share their experience with the next generation of lawyers.

Programme structure

You will take five core and three optional courses. This allows you to select courses which suit your areas of interest or meet the requirements of your future employers in the legal profession. Courses are delivered through a combination of on-line resources, e-modules, lectures and by small group tutorials (12 or less). Our team of highly experienced, enthusiastic and committed tutors, almost all of whom are practising solicitors or advocates, are all focused on ensuring that you meet the requirement of a “Day 1 ready trainee” by the end of each course.

Core courses
◾Civil litigation (incorporating advocacy, rules of procedure, evidence, negotiation and pre-action protocols)
◾Commercial awareness
◾Conveyancing (incorporating purchase, sale and commercial leases)
◾Criminal litigation (incorporating advocacy, evidence and procedure and negotiation)
◾Private client (incorporating wills, trusts, deeds of variation and guardianship).

Optional courses
◾Advanced civil litigation (incorporating advocacy, remedies, debates, proofs and appeals)
◾Advanced criminal litigation (incorporating advocacy)
◾Commercial contracts
◾Commercial conveyancing
◾Contemporary Scottish public law
◾Corporate
◾Family law (incorporating negotiation, mediation, collaboration and litigation)
◾Human rights (incorporating topics such as employment, asylum and immigration, criminal, children's hearing referrals).

Students contemplating a career as an advocate at the Scottish Bar are able to take courses in International Private Law and/or Roman Law at no additional cost. These courses are compulsory entry requirements for the Faculty of Advocates.

Career prospects

Upon successful completion of the programme you will be eligible to progress through your traineeship to work as a solicitor or advocate within Scotland. The Diploma in Professional Legal Practice is a requirement for entry into these roles in the legal profession, in addition to providing employment opportunities in related legal disciplines.

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The Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) offers intensive, post graduate-level studies to students who wish to qualify as a barrister.

The BPTC is taken after undergraduate study and before the period of work based training, also known as pupillage, required for those training to become barristers.

This programme will prepare you for the 12 months of pupillage and ensure that you acquire the skills, knowledge of procedure and evidence, attitudes and competence required during your work based training. It will also provide you with a solid foundation in knowledge and skills for your early years of tenancy.

The BPTC aims to foster a professional and ethical approach to practice as a barrister, whilst giving you an informed view of a barrister’s working life.

Distinctive features

We have delivered a high quality and highly regarded Bar Professional Training Course/Bar Vocational Course since 1997. Distinctive features include:

• a guaranteed period of two weeks' placement (offering mini-pupillage with a local Chambers or other placement with the employed Bar, and marshalling with a local Circuit Judge and District Judge);

• a high level of individual feedback and support on performance in oral and written skills;

• a course strongly supported by the local employed Bar, the independent Bar and the Judiciary;

• the opportunity to practise all skills exceeds the Bar Standards Board’s minimum recommended number.

Structure

The BPTC is a one year course studied over three terms. All modules within this programme are compulsory and comprise knowledge areas, core skills and options. An attendance record is kept and 100% attendance at teaching sessions is expected.

During the first and second term you will be taught and assessed in the following areas:

• Civil litigation evidence and remedies
• Criminal litigation evidence & remedies

You will develop the core skills of :

Submission advocacy
Trial advocacy 1 and 2
Conference skills
Drafting
Opinion writing
Professional ethics
Resolution of disputes out of court

In the final term, you will select two optional subjects. As well as developing legal skills within the curriculum, you will have opportunities to acquire hands-on experience by taking part in:

• several pro-bono schemes run by the School of Law and Politics;
• other activities such as mooting, negotiating, client interviewing competitions and legal discussion groups.

These opportunities are designed to increase your confidence, skills and employability.

Please visit the website to see the modules taught on this cause:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/bar-professional-training-course-pgdip

Teaching

You will be taught through a mixture of lectures and small group sessions. Most teaching is delivered in small groups of 12 students with all oral skills teaching in smaller groups of six students.

You will have practice opportunities through your teaching that exceed the minimum indicated by the Bar Standards Board. The timing of teaching sessions and assessments has also been carefully considered to ensure that you have sufficient opportunity to practise and receive feedback. This is essential to enable you to refine your work and skills as a result of feedback received.

Assessment

The BPTC assessments are designed to be fair, rigorous, realistic and provide sufficient depth and/or breadth of coverage of the skills and subjects assessed. Individual assessments will cover a representation of the outcomes in the particular subject or skills area. A practical emphasis will appear throughout.

Each skills teaching session is a formative session; in addition you will undertake a practice assessment for each of the core subjects studied in terms one and two. These assessments will be undertaken in circumstances that reflect the arrangements for the summative assessments.

Three assessments, civil litigation evidence and remedies, criminal litigation evidence and remedies and professional ethics will be assessed by way of a centrally set paper produced by the Bar Standards Board.

For all Cardiff-produced BPTC assessments, the assessment criteria and, where relevant, guidance/explanatory notes will be made available to you from the outset of the subject. The assessment criteria for each subject are clearly aligned with its learning outcomes to ensure you can demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes for the subject through the assessment.

There are 12 summative assessments. Four are knowledge assessments, one in each of the following:

Civil litigation and evidence
Criminal litigation, evidence and sentencing
Professional ethics
Resolution of disputes out of court.

There are eight skills assessments, in each of the following:

Conference skills
Opinion writing
Drafting
Advocacy (one assessment with oral plus written components and two oral assessments; examination in chief and cross examination).
Option one (written or oral)
Option two (written or oral)

Career prospects

After completion of the BPTC you will be able to undertake a pupillage in preparation for practice as a barrister.

Alternatively, the BPTC may be lead to legal work in some other capacity, e.g. paralegal or legal executive, with the option of seeking pupillage at a later date.

Placements

Guaranteed placements are offered giving you the opportunity to marshal with both a Circuit Judge and District Judge in addition to undertaking a mini-pupillage.

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Summary

Early Childhood Studies at Roehampton is committed to babies and young children as people with agency and unique capacities, and to their overall wellbeing from the prenatal period.

The postgraduate programme draws on Froebel’s understanding of the transformative power of young children’s play on their thinking, and the crucial way that adults can either seek to assist or control young children’s intrinsic creativity. In adults’ interactions with children, however, Froebel recognised the profound influence of the community and social context.

The syllabus is underpinned by an awareness of the influence of these social, cultural and political contexts on young children’s lives, and of the roots and structures of inequality that arise from these issues. The programme will strengthen your awareness and understanding of these influences and explore how you take account of them in action. In these respects, the programme also draws inspiration from the work of Paulo Freire, the radical and pioneering educator.

The teaching is informed by active research and scholarship in early years policy and practice, as well as leading research into young children’s well-being, thinking and understanding. There is a deep commitment to working in partnership with families and communities and to the development of students’ professionalism, advocacy and leadership.

The programme is relevant, engaging and of professional and personal value for a variety of roles within the early years sector. For those working directly with young children, engagement with the course content will provide a platform for continuing professional development and career progression, while for those involved in early years policy or research, the course offers an opportunity to engage with up current thinking in a broad range of issues.

Content

Students will first look at babies' and children’s capacity for play, how they think, and how they communicate their ideas and emotions though a variety of ‘languages’ such as talk, mark-making, drawing, construction, movement, music and dance. This is studied from a variety of theoretical perspectives, critically looking at the values and assumptions underpinning these views.

There is special focus on Froebel’s legacy in early childhood practice and other key pioneers in the child-centred tradition, which embodies advocacy and respect for children and their families. You will gain an understanding of the political nature of this work, learn advocacy skills for the well-being of young children and their families and develop effective leadership and collaboration techniques across disciplines in the field of early childhood. Alongside modules going deeper into young children’s emotions and well-being, students will learn skills for undertaking their own social and educational research. These skills will be put into practice with an extended in-depth research-based project, critically enquiring into an identified social or educational problem.

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