MSc Socio-Legal Studies

At the University of Bristol, the postgraduate student experience is enriched by a vibrant international community, diverse teaching methods and a group of scholars passionate about the law’s impact on society and interdisciplinary research.

You’ll engage with course materials and benefit from regular, in-depth interaction with tutors who are leaders in their fields, as well as with your peers, through a blend of lectures, seminars, bespoke skills workshops and structured independent learning.

You will study two core units in the Law School and three core units from elsewhere in Arts and Social Sciences. You will also have the opportunity to elect to either join one the Law School’s many LLM units or take a unit from the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies. Methods of assessment will depend on the optional subjects chosen but could include essays or oral presentations.

• You’ll benefit from dynamic, small group teaching from expert academics in the Law School on socio-legal study and methods, in units that typically include Social and Legal Theory and Advanced Legal and Socio-Legal Research Methods.
• You will have the opportunity to elect a unit from Law or Social Sciences, including the chance to join one of the Law School’s extensive list of LLM units or pursue an individual research interest. Your dissertation will build on the optional unit you have chosen and develop the approaches taken in the core units.

Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc Socio-Legal Studies. 

You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in Law

OR

an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent non-law degree in a related field, such as Sociology, Social Policy, Social Welfare, Public Administration, Social Administration, Demography/Population Studies, Geography, Economics, Political Science, History and Philosophy.

If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.

We will also consider your application if your subject is not listed above, if you have evidence of significant academic or professional experience (at least 12 months, paid) in fields including, but not limited to: government departments, NGOs, Think-Tanks.

We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree.

We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement.

If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have a relevant postgraduate qualification.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.