About Law , PG Dip - at University of Winchester
The Graduate Diploma in Law is a professionally accredited programme primarily designed for non-law graduates who wish to convert to the study of law. It is a fast-track qualification for the Academic Stage of Legal Training which precedes the Vocational Stage. This Level 6 qualification enables students to apply to the professional bodies for the award of the Common Professional Examination (CPE). Students intending to qualify as solicitors or barristers must subsequently study the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course.
Programme ContentThe programme begins with the module, Legal System, Research and Skills. The professional bodies require all students to pass this module in order to progress to the study of substantive law. The second part of the programme consists of seven compulsory modules: “the Foundations of Legal Knowledge,” as described below. Additionally, all students write a dissertation, the Legal Research Project, on a subject of their choice.
ModulesThe Foundations of Legal Knowledge are as follows:
Criminal Law
Contract Law
The Law of Tort
Equity and Trusts
Public Law
European Law
Land Law
Learning and TeachingThere is a small cohort of students providing student-centred teaching and learning. The programme consists of lectures and seminars, which emphasise interactive learning. Additionally students are prepared throughout for the second stage of training (vocational) by developing practical skills such as negotiation and mooting.
AssessmentThe Legal System, Research and Skills assessment is a test of multiple choice questions. Assessment in the Foundation of Legal Knowledge is a combination of coursework and examination. Depending on the subject, and taking into account the need to balance the assessment workload during an intensive programme of study, some subjects are assessed by 70 per cent examination and 30 per cent coursework, others by 100 per cent examination. Practice in assessments is provided throughout the programme.
