University of Oxford - Faculty of Law

(c) PA Photocall

Oxford's graduate law programme is unique. The BCL and MJur (for students from a civil law background) are the only graduate law degrees in the world which are taught through tutorials as well as seminars and lectures. Oxford's graduate law students have closer contact with their teachers than on any LLM. Oxford is renowned for the size, strength, and diversity of its community of legal scholars who are drawn from around the world, and our students benefit enormously from the many opportunities they are given to discuss their work with leading academics in the field.

Taught Programmes:
The Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) - For practitioners and academics alike, Oxford's Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) degree is the most highly regarded taught masters-level qualification in the common law world.

The Oxford Magister Juris (MJur) - This course is designed for outstanding law students from non-common law backgrounds. It is a counterpart to the BCL and shares all its courses.

The BCL and MJur are full-time programmes running from late-September to mid-July. For more information please see the BCL and MJur Ebrochure.

The Masters in Law and Finance (MSc) is taught with the Saïd Business School, and offers outstanding students with a legal background the opportunity to integrate the study of finance with advanced legal study. For more information please see the MLF Ebrochure.

The Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice (MSc) is a specialist one-year programme run by Oxford's Centre for Criminology. The MSc is also open to those with a degree in a relevant discipline other than law. Please visit our website for more information on the MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The Master of Philosophy in Criminology (MPhil) is a one-year degree available only to those proceeding from the Oxford MSc in Criminology. You can find more information about the MPhil in Criminology on our website.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice is a one-year part-time masters-level course for people embarking on a career in IP law and practice. For more information on this course please see the Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice pages on our website.

The Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law is a part-time graduate degree studied over 22 months, offered by Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education. You can find more information about this course by visiting the International Human Rights Law webpage .

Research Programmes:
Oxford has the largest graduate research programme in Law in the English-speaking world, with a vibrant community of about 200 research students engaged in master's and doctoral research across a wide range of legal and interdisciplinary specialisms corresponding to the diverse interests of faculty members. Research students play a central role in the intellectual life of the Faculty, collaborating in numerous discussion groups and seminars.

The Master of Studies in Legal Research (MSt) - an entry-level one-year research degree that can also serve as the first year of a DPhil.

The Master of Philosophy in Law (MPhil) - a one-year research degree that can also serve as the first year of a DPhil, available only to those proceeding from the Oxford BCL or MJur taught postgraduate programmes.

The Master of Letters (MLitt) - an intermediate-level two-year research degree.

The Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) - a major research degree requiring three to four years of study and setting the highest standards of academic achievement.

You can find more information about our Postgraduate Research Degrees on the Faculty's website.

(c) Steve Allen.

The University of Oxford is world-famous for academic excellence. Each year we welcome talented students from all over the globe who are attracted by the chance to study at an internationally-renowned university, with outstanding academic achievement and innovation.
Oxford's teaching and research is consistently in the top rank nationally and internationally, and is at the forefront of medical, scientific and technological achievement. The University has excellent facilities and resources for learning in its world-famous libraries, laboratories and museums. Oxford's collegiate system fosters a sense of community between tutors and students, and among students themselves. Our students have the opportunity to learn alongside leading researchers in their field and to benefit from Oxford's strong links with research institutions, business, and industry, both in the United Kingdom and overseas.
Oxford's graduate students are a valued part of the University, and make up around a third of the total student body. The University offers a wide range of taught graduate and research degrees, ranging from one to three or more years.

(c) Rob Judges.

Oxford's Faculty of Law is the largest law school in the United Kingdom. In 2020  it was ranked as the world's second best law by the QS worldwide league table. The British government's 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed that substantially more top-rated research activity went on in Law at Oxford from 2001-2007, than in any other university in the UK.
The Faculty's facilities include the modern, purpose-built Bodleian Law Library which holds more than 450,000 law related items, more than any other comparable library in the UK. The library is conveniently located in the same building as the Law Faculty, the St Cross Building. Colleges also have collections of law books. There are also extensive academic computing facilities and dedicated staff to provide training and support.

Taught programmes:
Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL): First-class in undergraduate degree in Law or equivalent (as a guide you will need to be in the top 5% of your graduating class).

The Oxford Magister Juris (MJur): First-class in undergraduate degree in Law or equivalent. equivalent (as a guide you will need to be in the top 5% of your graduating class).

The Masters in Law and Finance (MSc): Undergraduate degree in law or an outstanding academic record comprising a non-law undergraduate degree and a graduate or professional qualification in law.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice: Upper second-class undergraduate degree in Law.

Research programmes:
An outstanding record in earlier higher education and the skills and commitment to pursue research to the highest level are required by applicants for postgraduate research programmes. It is very rare for a candidate to be admitted without having completed a degree in Law, except in socio-legal studies and criminology. Further details of admissions criteria are available on the admissions pages on the Faculty website.