Course Information
BCL (Hons) (NFQ Level 8)
Full Time – Undergraduate Studies
CAO Code: DN600
CAO Points Range 2019: 521
Length of Course: 4 Years
Average Intake: 125
O6/H7 in English, Irish, a third language and three other recognised subjects
Special Entry Recommendations: Students will need a minimum grade H3 in Leaving Certificate French (or equivalent) to take the BCL (Law with French Law) course.
Why is this course for me?
This degree is one of two French Law Programmes offered by Sutherland School of Law, the other being the BCL/Maîtrise. All students interested in the French Law Programmes enter the BCL [Law with French Law] in first year. Both degrees offer the exciting opportunity for immersion in two of the world’s major legal systems, the common law and the civil law.
The BCL (Law with French Law) degree provides you with a qualification in Irish law, while acquiring a broad knowledge of French law and a very high level of competence in French language and French legal terminology. Students gain valuable comparative insights, which inform an enhanced critical perspective on Irish law.
One year (third) is spent at a leading law school in France.
Career & Graduate Study Opportunities
This degree ensures that graduates are well placed to pursue careers with international law firms, EU and international organisations, diplomacy and government departments, or Non-Governmental Organisations. Past graduates have progressed to study at prestigious institutions in the EU and internationally and others have obtained scholarships to the renowned College of Europe in Bruges.
What Will I Study
Most French law modules studied at UCD are taught through French.
First Year
First year focuses on the core Irish law modules of
- Constitutional Law
- Contract Law
- Tort Law
This is combined with intensive French language training and an introduction to French Public Law and French Private Law, General Introduction to Legal Studies and General Introduction to Legal Skills.
Second Year
In second year, you will study other core Irish law modules
- EU Law
- Property Law
- Criminal Law
You will also advance your French language training and continue to study French Private Law and French Public Law.
Third & Fourth Year
You will spend your third year at a partner university in Aix-Marseille, Lyon, Paris, Strasbourg or Toulouse. You will return to UCD for the final year of your BCL degree and will be required to complete a dissertation in French on French law.
Sample Law with French Timetable (.pdf)
For detailed information on subject content click here.
Key Fact:
Every June, we hold a one-day Summer School which gives 5th year pupils a taste of how we teach law. We also host a Law Open Evening every October for secondary school pupils and their parents to meet law students and law faculty. Here you will have a chance to sample short lectures, listen to careers talks and hear about student experiences, including international exchanges.
Testimonial
“UCD’s Law with French Law degree was the perfect course for me. The French law aspect opens up numerous opportunities on a European and International level, and allows students to undertake an Erasmus. My year abroad in Toulouse is one of my fondest memories of the degree, being immersed in the culture and developing my language skills through my studies and travels. I have been a member of UCD Ladies Hockey Team throughout my time in college which allowed me to meet students from all different disciplines, as we competed together, winning national club championships, national intervarsities and competing for UCD at a European level.”
Sarah Patton Graduate