Law with Politics

Law with politics is a combination that reflects the inseparability of legal and governmental systems in practice. Law shapes what governments can do and how they must do it, while politics determines which laws are passed, how they are enforced and what values they are designed to serve. Studying both disciplines together gives you a more complete understanding of how power operates in society, how rights are protected or threatened, and how change happens within and beyond formal legal structures.

At the University of Leicester, this three-year, full-time programme is delivered jointly by Leicester Law School and the Politics and International Relations department, ensuring that you receive expert teaching in both disciplines rather than a superficial treatment of either. You will develop a thorough grounding in the principles and doctrines of English law, including contract, tort, public law, criminal law and constitutional law, while also studying theories of politics, international relations, political institutions and policy-making. You will learn to read and apply legal texts alongside political theory and empirical analysis, building the ability to move between these different modes of reasoning.

The programme includes a year abroad, which can involve studying in another legal and political system, deepening your comparative understanding.

Graduates of law with politics are well placed for careers in law, including solicitor and barrister training programmes after appropriate conversion or further qualification. The combination also opens doors in the civil service, public policy, politics and government, international organisations, journalism, human rights work and the voluntary sector. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in law, politics, international relations, human rights or public administration, and the dual-discipline foundation makes this next step intellectually rich and professionally versatile.