Manchester Metropolitan University (BTC)
The Legal Cheek View
The original Bar Course provider in Manchester is housed in swish facilities in the south of the city, a short walk from Oxford Road train station.
As part of Manchester Metropolitan University, and specifically its legal arm, Manchester Law School, the BTC benefits from the infrastructure of a large organisation. Good library facilities, a nice canteen and access to the wider teaching pool and industry contacts of the law faculty are all benefits of doing the bar course here.
The Manchester Met BTC also remains the cheapest in town, which is a major factor on a course that many students across the country start without offer of pupillage.
According to class of 2016-17 graduates, one of the main plusses, alongside the price, is the “smaller intake of students compared to other providers”. There is also thumbs-up give for the way Manchester Met divides its students into “chambers”, which apparently provides “a more close-knit feel to the course”.
But the small size of the course has its downsides, with some complaining about the “minimal choice” of elective subjects, and suggesting that some of the options “do not run” where there is insufficient demand.
The teaching is well-regarded. According to one BTCer, tutors are “mostly great” with the caveat that there can be a “huge disparity from tutor to tutor”. Another describes lecturers as “very knowledgeable and friendly”.
Almost all of Manchester Met’s BTC teaching is delivered by current or former barristers. This means “great links to local bar” – which could be crucial in the all important hunt for that pupillage.
Key Info
Part-time fees are £1,042 per 10 credits studied per year. In addition to tuition fees, students are required to pay a non-refundable BSB fee of £710.