Bachelor of Law (Accelerated)

at University of Buckingham United Kingdom

Well-functioning legal institutions are crucial to economic growth, development and more equitable distribution of resources. The connection between the legal system and the success of business has been shown repeatedly in the 20th Century.

The 2-year fast track programme offers a unique blend of business, economics and law covering micro and macro-economics, labour market economics, human rights law, corporate and business law, business management and business strategy.

We regularly host events and seminars where we discuss the latest research from our academics and invite speakers from the world of business and entrepreneurship.

Our academics offer a supportive, diverse and creative environment for you to explore your interests and ensure a successful educational experience. You will join an international community of students, staff and alumni.

A dedicated professional development course runs through the degree covering academic and job market skills. You will also benefit from internships and research opportunities in the Vinson Centre for Economics and Entrepreneurship.

Students taking this programme might be aiming to enter the legal profession by going on to take the Common Professional Examination and later specialise in areas of law such as anti-trust, securities regulation or taxation. Graduates can also move onto several master’s level programmes and is well suited to students who intend to take an MBA degree before entering business.

We are the beneficiaries of a substantial endowment from Nobel prize-winning economist Ronald Coase, who had a major specialism in the interface between Law and Economics and won the Nobel prize for that research. We offer several generous scholarships for students with a passion for Economics and Law. We especially encourage women and ethnic minorities to apply. Coase Scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Our BSc in Economics (3-year degree) Is a great option if you see yourself working as an advisor in a national or international agency, as a teacher or a journalist, or if you simply wish to keep your options open before going on to a career in business or the professions. The economics programme will be an attractive alternative. In the BSc in Economics (3-year degree) programme, you have an enhanced opportunity for studying problems of economic policy. The problem of achieving macroeconomic and exchange rate stability has been of great importance to many countries in recent years for example, while microeconomic issues such as the allocation of resources to health or to raising environmental quality continue to figure prominently in public discussion. An economics degree gives you the perfect opportunity to study these issues. It also permits you to take modules in politics, law and the humanities so as to broaden your perspective further.

This is the 3-year format of the BSc in Economic degree, which allows you the traditional summer break. Starting each September, there are 3 terms per year, leading to an assessment period in early June. Then the summer is free, before the return for the new academic year in late September. This allows you more time for reading and reflection. For the 2-year format of the degree see BSc Economics | 2 Years, 2 Years (+ 1 term).

The academic staff in the Applied Computing Department (ACD) are all engaged in research and publications. Considering its modest size, ACD has successfully attracted research funding from various sources in the UK and the EU, including industry, research councils, HEA and EU framework projects such as FP6. Furthermore, ACD has been working and collaborating with many European research institutions.

For the academic year, 2012-2013, two PhD and six MSc students (one in Mathematics) have graduated, four of whom graduated with Distinction. The two PhD students have made it for the March graduation and we expect to have three or four more completing their PhD research programmes for the next graduation. One of our new PhD students in Computing joined the Department last October, and three other PhD students have joined us since. Over the last few years, the number of research students in ACD has grown steadily to (currently) 29 PhD and two Master’s research students.

We have had over 20 refereed conference and journal papers published during the last 12 months, and two of the papers have been awarded best paper awards.

ACD supports diverse research topics addressing varied applied computing technologies such as:

• Image processing and pattern recognition with applications in biometric-based person identification, image super-resolution, digital watermarking and steganography, content-based image/video indexing and retrieval, biomedical image analysis.
• Multi-factor authentication and security algorithms.
• Wireless networks technologies (Multi-frequency Software-Defined / Cognitive Radios, convergence and integration of different wireless technologies and standards such as WiFi and WiMax, IPv4 and IPv6, wireless mesh technologies, intrusion detection and prevention, efficiency and stability of ad hoc networks).
• Hybrid navigation and localisation integrations for mobile handsets, including using Cellular and WiFi in conjunction with GPS and Glonass for seamless positioning indoors, Multiplexed receive chain of GPS/Glonass with on-board handset Bluetooth/WiFi, GNSS signals multiplexing for real-time simulation.
• Cloud computing, including the readiness of mobile operating systems for cloud services and focusing on techniques for fast computing handovers, efficient virtualisation and optimised security algorithms.
• Data mining techniques, including database systems, the application of data mining techniques in image and biological data, human-computer interaction and visual languages.
• Research and development of Apps for mobile devices and smart TVs, particularly for application in the areas of education and healthcare.
• Differential geometry – Einstein metrics, quasi-Einstein metrics, Ricci solitons, numerical methods in differential geometry.

As well as researching the chosen subject, our students engage in delivering seminars weekly, attending conferences and workshops, attending online webinars and discussion forums, attending training and focused group studies, supervising tutorial and laboratory sessions for undergraduate students, peer reviews and final year project supervision, among a host of technical and networking activities to enhance their skills and techniques.

This programme aims to engage energetic and motivated Mathematics students in innovative research in pure Mathematics and its application in Computer Science. The programme is suitable for students with a solid background in Mathematics or in a closely related discipline. This programme, in particular, is a stepping stone for students to join research institutes and universities as PhD students and researchers.

Some of our research projects will seek new directions towards neural networks and AI, and potentially towards industrial application. The significance of interdisciplinary research is emphasised in the UK’s Research and Development Roadmap, which includes innovative proposals for interactions between mathematical sciences, biomedical research, and the Computing industry.

The main research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Model theory is a branch of mathematical logic, and its applications in a wide range of subjects such as algebra, topological dynamics, combinatorics, and theoretical Computer Science. Specifically, the projects are focused on Fraïssé construction method, automorphism groups of countable homogeneous structures, structural Ramsey theory, asymptotic classes, ultraproducts, and infinite constraint satisfaction problems in theoretical Computer Science. Research proposals in a wider range of areas in mathematical logic, philosophy of Mathematics, pure Mathematics and theoretical Computer Science are also welcome. These include research areas such as formal methods, type theory, set theory, higher-order logics and fuzzy logics.
• Applied Computational Topology and Geometry is a relatively recent and fast-growing field of mathematics that emerged from applying well-established theories in algebraic topology and geometry. Specific projects focus on applications of data-driven Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in the fields of computer vision, medical diagnostics, and multimedia security for image tampering and fake videos. These applications employ Topological Data Analysis (TDA) and its growing list of tools (Persistent Homology, Mapper, etc.) to infer relevant (topological) class discriminating features from high dimensional and complex data. Other projects involve the use of TDA for interpreting Deep Learning (DL) decisions and dealing with the problem of overfitting of DL models.

Throughout the project, students will interact and be encouraged to work with other researchers at the University of Buckingham and other leading research universities in the UK. The students will be part of research networks such as BPGMTC, SEEMOD, MODNET and Data Science groups.

LLB Law with Business Management (2-year + one term degree – September entry) combines the study of law with that of business to develop knowledge and skills that will boost your legal career. The Business Management component contextualises your legal knowledge within a business framework and reinforces that legal knowledge, for example deepening understanding of company law and commercial law. However, if you are not interested in qualification as a lawyer, it provides an excellent foundation for careers in banking, the civil service and management.

Law with Business Management also satisfies the necessary first step for qualifying as a lawyer in various common law jurisdictions, including Canada, Nigeria, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.

For those interested in qualifying as a solicitor in the UK, Law with Business Management provides you with thorough preparation for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam 1 (SQE1), enabling you to choose the accelerated SQE1 preparation courses after graduation. Our innovative and diverse law curriculum also contributes to preparation for the practice-orientated SQE2, both SQE1 and SQE2 being necessary for qualification as a solicitor.

For those UK and international students wishing to qualify as an English barrister, Law with Business Management also satisfies the academic component of Bar training,  the necessary first step to qualifying as an English barrister.

Buckingham Law School also offers a broad range of extra-curricular opportunities to develop your professional skills and experience of legal practice. These opportunities include the possibility, between the first and second year of your LLB, of a sandwich year placement with a professional organisation.

We often accommodate the particular requirements needed to practise in various common law jurisdictions other than the UK. If you are an international student from one of these jurisdictions, we are happy to discuss what subjects you must take to qualify.

The Business Management component of the degree develops skills in solving business problems that are transferable, organisationally and internationally, across business environments. We teach business and management as live subjects, incorporating practical and real-life projects to enhance learning and produce graduates equipped to meet the needs of commerce and industry. This approach is often highly participatory and may involve visits to selected companies to complement classroom activities.

Our LLB with Business Management graduates who gain a second-class honours degree, or higher, are guaranteed a place on our LLM programme in International and Commercial Law. This opportunity greatly enhances specialist knowledge and enables our students to acquire two degrees in only three years.

Recent corporate scandals across the world have drawn attention to the importance of accountancy and finance. BSc Accounting and Finance 2-year degree programmes are designed to meet the demands of the 21st Century, but which still teach the underlying skills, make it an exciting time to be studying accounting and finance at Buckingham.

The flagship BSc Accounting and Finance degree programme (previously known as BSc Accounting and Financial Management) provides an academically rigorous study of the principal accounting and finance disciplines. It also has a strong vocational orientation, providing significant exemptions from the examinations of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). The combination of a fast-track two-year programme and the number of exemptions attained makes Buckingham Business School a very attractive option to the Accounting and Finance student.

BSc Psychology with English Literature looks at the discoveries and hypotheses of psychologists who over the last 100 years have been enriching the study of English literature, either as a way of understanding the mind of the artist or of the characters they create. Studying BSc Psychology with English Literature at Buckingham as with English Literature as your minor subject, gives you the chance to ‘apply’ the insights which the scientific study of individual and group psychology provides to a range of powerful and enigmatic works of literature, from the plays of Shakespeare, through the Gothic and Romantic projections of the late 18th-century, to the short stories and novels of British and American women writers writing in a post-Freudian universe.

Both subjects require the close analysis of texts (spoken, written, uttered) and the discipline of clear report and essay-writing. Their combination in this programme gives you the imaginative scope of an arts programme with the vocation and professionalism of a Bachelor of Science degree.

BSc Psychology with Business Management looks many important aspects of business, such as human resource management, ergonomics and aptitude testing. Indeed all psychology students take a course called Business Psychology, which all business students also study. This combination is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to go into business or industry.

A BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree combines the three important subjects of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. What makes it different to a BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics offered in other universities is its integrated character, with a special focus on explaining how human behaviour shapes economic and political institutions.

In the Philosophy strand, you will take an Introduction to Philosophy module and study the Philosophy of Mind. In addition, there will be more specialised modules in political theory: Introduction to Political Theory; Freedom; Evolution and Human Cooperation. And students will receive a grounding in the Philosophy of Social Science. There is also an option to study Aesthetics.

The Politics element of the degree focuses on area and country studies, with a particular emphasis on political order and security challenges. Those challenges vary from region to region but typically take the form of political violence (war, terrorism and organised crime), mass migration and economic instability. Students are encouraged to approach these problems from a number of disciplinary perspectives. For example, the study of Latin America would consider the historical, cultural and economic determinants of the region’s politics.

The Economics element of the PPE program covers the core areas of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. But in addition, there is an emphasis on the interaction between Economics and Politics.

Launched in January 2006, our BSc Business Enterprise BBE is the first undergraduate Venture Creation Programme (VCP) at a university anywhere in the world. This means students are required to start and run a business as part of their degree, this is not your typical degree programme as this programme is split between real-world application and theoretical knowledge.

The BSc Business Enterprise (BBE) Programme will interest you if you want to:

• Start and develop your own new business at the same time as studying for an honours degree.
• Make a positive contribution to the strategic development of a family business or other small or medium enterprise.
• Develop an entrepreneurial or “can do” approach to life to enhance your future career anywhere.

Students pitching to the Buckingham AngelsThis course provides the opportunity for you to ‘pitch’ for ‘seed-corn’ capital of up to £5,000, enabling you to start and run your own business as an integral part of your honours degree.  We offer a range of business subjects that will help you to establish your business and develop your qualities of entrepreneurship, management and innovation.

In the first semester, you will learn how to create an effective business plan. This will form the basis of your ‘pitch’ to obtain your ‘seed-corn’ capital from our investment panel ‘Buckingham Angels’.

During the following 18 months, you will be establishing and ‘growing’ the business, at the same time as developing your academic knowledge in-depth across the range of business subjects needed to obtain an honours degree in Business Enterprise.