Law and Philosophy & Ethics

Law and Philosophy and Ethics is a combination that goes to the heart of some of the most difficult questions in human thought. Law shapes every aspect of society, setting duties, regulating relationships and providing ways to resolve disputes. Philosophy and ethics asks the deeper questions behind those rules: what makes a law just, what are the moral foundations of rights and obligations, and how should we reason when values conflict.

Studying them together produces a graduate who can analyse legal systems with technical precision and also think rigorously about the values and assumptions that underpin them.

At Liverpool Hope University, you will explore the complexity of the English legal system alongside philosophical inquiry into ethics, moral theory and the nature of justice. You will develop the careful reading of statutes and cases that law demands, the construction of tightly reasoned arguments, and the critical distance from received ideas that philosophy encourages. The programme is three years full time and includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and integrated work placement opportunities, giving you the chance to develop practical professional experience alongside academic depth.

The year abroad broadens your exposure to different legal and philosophical traditions, while the placement gives you early experience of applying your analytical skills in a professional context. The typical entry tariff is 88 points.

This combination is valuable for careers in law, where the ability to reason about principles as well as rules is a genuine asset, and also in a wide range of other fields. Graduates go into legal practice (via professional qualification routes), the civil service, human rights organisations, journalism, public policy, social work, education and business. The combination of ethical reasoning and legal knowledge is increasingly sought in compliance, governance and regulatory roles across many sectors.

Postgraduate study in law, philosophy, applied ethics or public policy is another common path for those who wish to deepen their expertise or specialise further.