Business and law degrees combine to open up a range of careers

We look at the different ways to explore the legal side of the business world, and vice-versa

Business and law programmes come in a variety of formats and offer students the chance to gain qualifications and experience in both disciplines. Depending on where you study it’s also possible to begin a business and law BA programme and progress to a qualifying law degree (LLB) if you’re interested in legal practice.

Once such course is offered at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, where modules include commercial and company law, marketing and strategic management. At the end of the first year, students can choose to stay on the path to a business and law BA, or major in one discipline to gain an LLB in law with business or a BA in business management with law.

In addition to full and part-time options, online study is a possibility at institutions including Arden University. “Most people choosing to study business and law do so because they want to attain legal and business knowledge that can be practically applied in a modern business setting,” says Arden’s BA business and law programme leader Angela Burns. “It’s as much about skill as it is about theory.”

Learning online allows students to work alongside their studies, as well as offering time to reflect on the topics covered, according to Burns. It lets working students implement their skills as they learn and prepares the uninitiated for the working world. “Workplaces are fast-paced. Meetings, discussion and decisions take place virtually. The online business and law student has developed skills that enable them to hit the ground running.”

At the University of Sunderland students can follow a combined studies path, choosing business and law as major and minor subjects (in either order); or they can choose a dedicated business or law programme. Pick one subject and you’ll still encounter the other: Stephen Levett, associate dean of the faculty of business and law, explains that all the university’s law courses have a business element built in, as “law firms are increasingly looking for graduates who are commercially savvy.” Similarly, Levett continues, “these days you can’t be involved in business without some understanding of law, so it’s dotted all the way through our business programmes.”

Whatever business and law path you take, Levett advises focusing on the teaching style to help find the right institution for you. “Some universities will take a very traditional approach to delivering law and business programmes, with lectures and seminars and lots of reading; others will be more hands on and much more vocational. Think carefully about how you want to approach your studies, because if you don’t like what you’re doing you’re not going to do very well.”