The Legal Cheek View
Arden University started life in the 1990s as one of only a handful of providers offering courses online. Obtaining the ability to award degrees in 2014, Arden now offers more than 80 undergraduate, postgraduate and apprenticeship courses. Taking on more than 23,000 students each year, Arden delivers both blended and online courses, operating from a number of locations across the UK and Germany.
Arden’s offering covers a number of undergraduate law courses, including the classic LLB, as well as several specialised BAs. Its BAs, whilst not themselves qualifying law degrees, allow students the opportunity to explore other academic interests. Offering a BA in criminology in law and a BA in business management and law, students can gain an alternative insight into the functioning of the legal system in the UK. Offered online, each of its BAs come with the option to take a foundation course first, for those seeking to top up their school grades. With added flexibility when it comes to studying, students have between three and nine years to complete their chosen BA.
The LLB at Arden comes in two options, the first being the classic three-year programme, and the second with an added option for a foundation year of study. We’re told that Arden seeks to focus on practical employability, so it comes as no surprise that the university’s LLB has a special focus on preparing its students for the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE). According to Arden, its LLB “has been revised to mirror the requirements” of this new route to qualification for aspiring solicitors. Students on the LLB can enjoy the option of a fully online programme, or a blended programme of study which sees students spend 8 hours a week at one of Arden’s campuses in London, Birmingham or Manchester.
Headed up by ex-BPP chief, Carl Lygo, Arden also increased its course offering in 2019 to include a prep course for the SQE. Its SQE prep offering takes the form of an LLM, allowing prospective students to take advantage of government funding.
Split into two distinct parts, Arden’s SQE LLM takes place fully online over one calendar year. The first section of the course, dubbed the ‘Diploma’ , sees students prepare for the SQE1. Spanning the first nine months, modules on the Diploma cover the core legal subjects of tort, contract, criminal, land, public and trusts law. Moving into the second part of the SQE LLM, students will begin to prep for their SQE2 exam. Over the course of these final three months, dubbed the ‘Master’s Stage’, students will cover modules on employment law, family law and legal skills in context, as well as produce a research project and a legal practice report.
Assessments throughout Arden’s SQE LLM seek to align with the SQE assessments. So, the Diploma is periodically assessed through multiple choice questions (MCQs), whilst the Master’s Stage focuses on coursework produced by the student. Studying online through Arden’s ‘ilearn’ platform, students will have access to virtual workshops supported by digital materials covering the course content.
The course fees for the SQE LLM come to £9,500 for the year. However, for aspiring solicitors enrolling for the April 2024 intake, there’s an introductory offer of £6,900 for the year.
Courses
Undergraduate Courses
Arden’s LLBs
The LLB (Hons) Law degree at Arden includes an SQE pathway and a Bar pathway, meaning that law students can choose to take modules in their final year which prepare them for their future careers. The LLB (Hons) Law can also be taken with a foundation year, for those wishing to top-up on their grades before beginning their law degree programme.
Course fees: £9,250 per year for blended learning in a UK study centre; £6,935 studying online.
Full time/part time: Three years full-time or part-time study for up to nine years.
Location: London, Birmingham, Manchester or Online
Application deadline: At Arden, you don’t have to start your degree in September like most other universities. They offer several intake dates throughout the year, so students can start their course at a time which best suits.
Arden’s Undergraduate BAs
Although not qualifying law degrees, Arden’s BAs allow students to explore their interests around the field of law. Taking place online, these courses are three years in duration with the option of part-time study for up to nine years.
BA (Hons) Criminology with Law
Studying Criminology at Arden helps students to delve deep into the concepts of crime within society and the intricate mechanisms of the criminal justice system. Using interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, criminology and psychology, students on the course will get stuck in to various modules over their three-year stint including ‘Crimes of the Powerful’, ‘Defending the Realm’ and ‘Policing Priorities’. The BA (Hons) Criminology with Law is also offered with a Foundation degree.
Course fees: £9,250 per year for blended learning in a UK study centre; £6,935 studying online.
Full time/part time: Three years full-time or part-time study for up to nine years. For the Foundation degree, the full-time course takes place over four years.
Location: London, Birmingham, Manchester or Online
Application deadline: At Arden, you don’t have to start your degree in September like most other universities. They offer several intake dates throughout the year, so students can start their course at a time which best suits.
BA (Hons) Business Management and Law
Midway between a degree in business and a degree in law, the BA (Hons) Business Management gives its students the skills and knowledge to tackle both. According to Arden, students can develop an understanding of the interplay between business operations and legal principles, ranging from the day-to-day management of companies to contract drafting, negotiation, and acquisition of assets. The BA (Hons) Business Management and Law is also offered with a Foundation degree.
Course fees: £9,250 per year for blended learning in a UK study centre; £6,935 studying online.
Full time/part time: Three years full-time or part-time study for up to nine years. For the Foundation degree, the full-time course takes place over four years.
Location: London, Birmingham, Manchester or Online
Application deadline: At Arden, you don’t have to start your degree in September like most other universities. They offer several intake dates throughout the year, so students can start their course at a time which best suits.
Postgraduate and Legal Practice Courses
LLM in Professional Legal Practice (SQE1 and SQE2)
Arden’s LLM in Professional Legal Practice prepares students to undertake the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE). Split into two distinct parts, Arden’s SQE LLM takes place fully online over one calendar year. The first section of the course, dubbed the ‘Diploma’ , sees students prepare for the SQE1.
Spanning the first nine months, modules on the Diploma cover the core legal subjects of tort, contract, criminal, land, public and trusts law. Moving into the second part of the SQE LLM, students will begin to prep for their SQE2 exam. Over the course of these final three months, dubbed the ‘Master’s Stage’, students will cover modules on employment law, family law and legal skills in context, as well as produce a research project and a legal practice report.
Course fees: this course is priced at £9,500 with an introductory offer of £6,900 for April 2024 intakes.
Full time: one year full-time.
Location: Online
Application deadline: At Arden, you don’t have to start your degree in September like most other universities. They offer several intake dates throughout the year, so students can start their course at a time which best suits.
Locations
- London (Tower Hill)
- London (Holborn)
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Online