Universities and Online Degrees Guide

Rhodes University

Bachelor of Laws

The Bachelor of Laws in Law and Legal Studies is offered by Rhodes University.

Program Length: 3 YEARS.

Bachelor of Laws offered by Rhodes University at the Faculty of law

The LLB degree is the minimum academic qualification for practising law in South Africa. At Rhodes, the LLB degree is offered as a four year programme, a two-year programme, or a three-year programme. Only in exceptional circumstances will students who enter university for the first time register in the Faculty of Law at Rhodes. In their first year, all prospective LLB students register for a general degree in another faculty (Humanities, Science or Commerce) where they do some non-law courses as well as two law courses. Students may select courses from a wide range of subjects and a variety of permutations exists. Only in their second year, after obtaining sufficient information to make a proper decision, do students decide which route to follow. It also enables students who discover in their first year that they are not suited to a career in law to change their study direction without forfeiting a year of study. The Faculty's resources are limited and students' academic results play an important role when applications for admission into the LLB are considered.

1. A five year combined Law and Humanities OR Law and Commerce OR Law and

Science LLB stream

Students enter this stream with the intention of following a programme in Law and Humanities OR Law and Commerce OR Law and Science, leading to a BA/BSocSci or BCom/BBusSc or BSc and thereafter a two-year LLB. The objective of a broad-based education is achieved in this stream by including courses which ensure that students have a thorough grasp of at least one discipline outside Law. Students register for a BA, BSocSci, BCom, BBusSci or BSc in their first year of study and continue with that degree with Legal Theory as a major subject.

Having obtained the first degree, students then register for the LLB, to be completed over two years. To do so, one must have obtained sufficient law credits in the first degree, which is usually the case if one has majored in Legal Theory.

Normally candidates who obtained at least 60% in their Legal Theory major will be admitted, as will candidates from other universities who obtained an average of at least 60% in their previous year of study. Where a candidate has not met these requirements, the Dean of Law has the discretion to admit that person, on good cause shown and subject to availability of Faculty resources. Preference will be given to those candidates who obtained their first degree at Rhodes University.