The Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) at Glamorgan offers you the chance to study law in an intellectually stimulating and rewarding atmosphere
Essential Info
The Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) is specifically designed for non-law graduates so they can achieve a ‘qualifying’ award for the purposes of becoming a solicitor or barrister, and is a valuable qualification in its own right. You will study all the subject areas that professional legal bodies regard as ‘foundational’ to an academic legal education.
Glamorgan is one of the oldest providers of the Common Professional Examination (CPE) in the country, so we have a wealth of experience in delivering this course. We understand what applicants need when they decide to start legal study and what it takes to achieve success on this course. Our flexible study options allow you to study full-time over one year, or part-time over two years.
Brochure Download
This postgraduate professional law brochure provides an overview of information that applicants will find useful when making the decision to apply.
Postgraduate Professional Law Brochure (PDF, 757KB)
What You Will Study
The course covers all foundation law subjects within these six compulsory modules:
- Legal Research
- Law of Obligations
- Law of Property and Equity
- Public Law
- European Law
- Crime and Society
How You Will Study
Full-time study involves attendance at one lecture and one seminar per module per week (usually Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays), with the exception of Legal Research which is ‘front loaded’ at the beginning of the course. Studying part-time takes two years and is ideal for students who need to combine study with work and/or personal commitments. Classes are timetabled over two evenings per week (usually Tuesdays and Thursdays) or during the day alongside full-time students. Seminars are two hours long and form the core of your learning environment. In seminars, you will undertake discussion and/or presentation or moots in a stimulating atmosphere. This is supported by online materials, research and the University’s extensive online facilities. We take great pride in exposing students to critical thinking to foster creative lawyers. Assessment is through a mixture of examination and coursework, with the exception of Legal Research, which is assessed by a supervised dissertation.
Possible Career Options
Non-law graduates are in demand by the legal profession because of their fresh perspective, and now make up 50% of all new lawyers. This qualification will also prove to be of value to those considering other careers where an understanding of the legal system would be valuable. Many of our graduates are currently studying for the LPC/BPTC or are practising law. As a Glamorgan GDL graduate you will be given preferential consideration for a place on our Legal Practice Course.
For further careers guidance see The Law Society website or The Bar Council website
Future Study
Additional Information
Facilities
The University has invested in excellent teaching facilities in the Law School based at Ty Crawshay ensuring you will study the foundation law topics in a stimulating and rewarding environment. The grade II listed building houses dedicated facilities for all law students including a moot courtroom, postgraduate study areas and interview practice rooms. This development forms part of the University’s £130m campus development.
