How to find the best law postgraduate course for you

Postgraduate study isn't just an optional extra for wannabe lawyers, it's essential. There are set pathways for both students with law degrees and without, plus different training depending on whether you want to be a barrister or a solicitor.

The questions to consider if you're thinking about postgraduate study in law

• Do you want to become a solicitor or a barrsister? You can get help answering this important question at targetjobs.co.uk.
• Is your degree a qualifying law degree? If not, you'll need to take a conversion course: the common professional examination (CPE), also known as the graduate diploma in law (GDL). This takes one year full time or two years part time or through distance learning.
• When do you want to start? You'll need to plan ahead if you want to become a lawyer, and you may want to do legal work experience to show your commitment.

Vocational training

After you've completed your law degree (or the CPE or GDL if you're a non-law student) you'll need to start a period of vocational training: the legal practice course (LPC) if you want to be a solicitor or the Bar professional training course (BPTC) if you're an aspiring barrister. Both take a year full time or two years part time.

Learning on the job

And there's more: once you've completed the book learning you'll need to put it into practice via an apprenticeship at a law firm (a training contract) or barristers' chambers (a pupillage). Find out more about both of these options at targetjobs.co.uk/law.

Additional postgraduate study

Although not compulsory, other postgraduate courses in law provide specialised knowledge. These courses, which include LLMs, MAs and PhDs, can boost your employability, particularly if you're keen to specialise at an early stage or to pursue an academic career.

Next steps: choosing the right postgraduate law course

Use our course search facility to find the courses that are right for you: search by location, research rating and study mode and look at students' and employers' ratings of courses.