Course Overview
The four-year Bachelor of Civil Law and Business allows students to combine the study of a full law degree with principal commercial disciplines such as Business & Commercial Law, Accountancy, Economics, Management and Digital Business & Analytics. Graduates will understand not only the legal process but also the fundamentals of business. This will prepare graduates to work as lawyers in a corporate environment.
Students complete all the modules required to support them to undertake the entrance exams for the Law Society of Ireland, should they wish to qualify as a solicitor. Students who wish to qualify as a barrister will have the option of taking all the modules required by the Honourable Society of King’s Inns through the Legal Professions specialised stream.
Throughout the programme there is an emphasis on acquiring the fundamental practical skills required of lawyers – legal research, writing, oral presentation and advocacy.
Professional Work Placement or Study Abroad
In year three of this course students will have the opportunity to spend the academic year completing professional work placement or studying abroad. Students will have the opportunity to apply for a professional work placement in a leading law firm, a corporate organisation, a public sector organisation or other suitable legal placement. Study abroad is highly recommended for students who choose to study a language (Spanish, Legal French or Legal German) and are encouraged to study in our partner universities in Germany, France and Spain. We have also partnered with a number of leading universities who teach through English in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, India, Poland, Spain, The Netherlands, and the United States of America.
Note: Students who choose the optional specialist stream in Legal Irish will spend year three divided between one semester studying at University of Galway’s Gaeltacht campus in An Cheathrú Rua and one semester of professional work placement in an Irish-speaking legal environment.
Specialist Streams
In final year students have the opportunity to shape their degree and focus on an area of study that interests them and develop special expertise in their chosen field. Students may choose one of the following specialist streams:
- Accounting
- Economics
- Digital Business and Analytics
- Language: Legal French, Legal Spanish, Legal German or Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish)
- Law and Innovation
- Legal Professions
- Management
- General
Key Facts
Entry Requirements
Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate including Irish, English, Mathematics, and another language, and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes.
Additional Requirements
None
Next start date
September 2025
A Level Grades (2024)
universityofgalway.ie/alevels
Course Outline
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change. Current students should refer to the for details of modules available in the current academic year.
Year 1 (60 credits)
This year focuses on building skills with strong foundational teaching. The module ‘Understanding the Law’ builds a platform of essential skills and helps students to transition to the expectations of a university degree. In addition to the core law modules, students gain a good basic foundation of accounting by completing two introductory accounting modules. Students do not need to have previously studied accounting and the accounting modules are optional in year two. Students also choose optional modules in Digital Business, Economics or a Language.
Compulsory Core Modules (50 credits)
- Introduction to Financial Accounting (5 credits)
- Introduction to Management Accounting (5 credits)
- Understanding the Law (10 credits)
- Constitutional Law (10 credits)
- Contract Law (10 credits)
- Tort Law (10 credits)
Optional Modules (10 credits)
Digital Business
- Information Management for Business (5 credits)
- Business Information Systems (5 credits)
Economics
- Principles of Microeconomics (5 credits)
- Principles of Macroeconomics (5 credits)
Language
Year 2 (60 credits)
In second year students develop their skills further with modules such as ‘Mooting’ which helps develop communication and advocacy skills. In addition to core law modules students can choose from a wide range of optional modules in Accounting, Economics, Digital Business, Management and a Language.
Compulsory Core Modules (35 credits)
- Criminal Law I & II (10 credits)
- European Union Law I & II (10 credits)
- Company Law I & II (10 credits)
- Mooting (5 credits)
Optional Modules (25 credits)
Accounting
- Management Accounting I (5 credits)
- Business Finance I (5 credits)
- International Financial Reporting I (5 credits)
Economics
- Applied Microeconomics for Business (5 credits)
- Macroeconomics and the Business Environment (5 credits)
- Principles of Microeconomics (5 credits)
- Principles of Macroeconomics (5 credits)
Digital Business
- Business Information Systems (5 credits)
- Information Management for Business (5 credits)
- Cybersecurity (5 credits)
Management
- HRM and Decent Work (5 credits)
- Management (5 credits)
Language
- Spanish, Legal French, Legal German or Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish) (10 credits each)
Year 3 (60 credits)
Customise your experience by choosing either professional work placement or study abroad.
Caithfidh na mic léinn a dhéanann Teanga an Dlí seimeastar amháin ag staidéar ar champas Gaeltachta Ollscoil na Gaillimhe ar an gCeathrú Rua agus seimeastar amháin eile ar shocrúchán oibre i dtimpeallacht lán-Ghaeilge. (Students who study Legal Irish will spend one semester studying at University of Galway’s Gaeltacht campus in An Cheathrú Rua and one semester of professional work placement in an Irish-speaking environment.)
Year 4 (60 credits)
Students will have the opportunity to shape their degree by choosing a specialist stream. Students will also complete a ‘Guided Research Essay’ on a topic of their choice and will be supported by an academic mentor. Module selection is subject to timetable clashes and availability.
Compulsory Modules (30 credits)
- Equity Law I & II (10 credits)
- Land Law I & II (10 credits)
- Commercial Law (5 credits)
- Guided Research Essay (5 credits)
Specialist Streams (30 credits)
Students will have the opportunity to shape their degree by choosing one specialist stream. These streams correspond to thematic areas of study and allow students to specialise in a particular topic or area.
Certain specialist streams have prerequisite modules which must be passed before choosing the stream in the final year.
Accounting
Compulsory Modules
- International Financial Reporting II (5 credits)
- Management Accounting II (5 credits)
- Management Accounting III (5 credits)
- International Financial Reporting III (5 credits)
- Business Finance II (5 credits)
Optional Modules (chose 1)
- Taxation I (5 credits)
- Taxation II (5 credits)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
- Business Finance I (5 credits)
Economics
- Applied Microeconomics for Business (5 credits)
- Econometrics (5 credits)
- Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (5 credits)
- Health Economics (5 credits)
- Microeconomics and Public Policy (5 credits)
- Money & Banking (5 credits)
- Macroeconomics and the Business Environment (5 credits)
- Behaviour Finance (5 credits)
- Economics and Philosophy (5 credits)
- Economics of Financial Markets (5 credits)
- Macroeconomics and Public Policy (5 credits)
- Marine Economics (5 credits)
- Public Economics (5 credits)
Digital Business and Analytics
- Database Technologies (5 credits)
- Business Intelligence and Analytics (5credits)
- Decision Modelling and Analytics (5 credits)
- Law and Analytics (5 credits)
- The Future of Technology in Work and Society II (5 credits)
- Implementing Digital Innovation (5 credits)
Law and Innovation
- Information Technology Law (5 credits)
- Industrial and Intellectual Property Law (5 credits)
- Lawyering, Technology and Innovation (5 credits)
- Business Intelligence & Analytics (5 credits)
- Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
- Decision Modelling and Analytics (5 credits)
- Entrepreneurial Venture Development (5 credits)
- Implementing Digital Innovation (5 credits)
- Law and Analytics (5 credits)
The Legal Professions
Compulsory Modules (20 credits)
- Administrative Law I (5 credits)
- Jurisprudence I (5 credits)
- Evidence I & II (10 credits)
Optional Modules (10 credits)
- Applied Legal Theory (5 credits)
- Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
- Environmental Law I (5 credits)
- Equality and Law (5 credits)
- Information Technology Law (5 credits)
- Labour Law I (5 credits)
- Lawyering, Technology and Innovation (5 credits)
- Independent Research (5 credits)
- Revenue Law I (5 credits)
- Animal Law (5 credits)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
- Criminology (5 credits)
- Environmental Law II (5 credits)
- Health and Safety Law (5 credits)
- Housing Law and Policy (5 credits)
- Industrial and Intellectual (5 credits)
- Property Law (5 credits)
- International Trade Law (5 credits)
- Labour Law II (5 credits)
- Law and Analytics (5 credits)
- Revenue Law II (5 credits)
- Family and Child Law (10 credits)
Management
- Labour Law I (5 credits)
- Human Resource Management: Global Practice (5 credits)
- Labour Law II (5 credits)
- Future of Work (5 credits)
- Strategy (5 credits)
- Lawyering, Technology and Innovation (5 credits)
- Entrepreneurial Venture Development (5 credits)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
Language
Students who choose a language must also choose 20 credits of optional modules from the General stream to meet credit requirements.
- Legal Spanish, Legal German, Legal French or Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish) (10 credits)
General
- Applied Legal Theory (5 credits)
- Commercial Law (5 credits)
- Comparative Competition Law (5 credits)
- Environmental Law I (5 credits)
- Equality and Law (5 credits)
- European Human Rights Law - Systems & Themes I (5 credits)
- Information Technology Law (5 credits)
- International Protection of Human Rights I (5 credits)
- Labour Law I (5 credits)
- Lawyering, Technology and Innovation (5 credits)
- Independent Research (5 credits)
- Revenue Law I (5 credits)
- Animal Law (5 credits)
- Administrative Law II (5 credits)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (5 credits)
- International and Comparative Disability Rights (5 credits)
- Criminology (5 credits)
- Environmental Law II (5 credits)
- European Human Rights Law - Systems & Themes II (5 credits)
- Health and Safety Law (5 credits)
- Housing Law and Policy (5 credits)
- Industrial and Intellectual Property Law (5 credits)
- International Protection of Human Rights II (5 credits)
- International Trade Law (5 credits)
- Labour Law II (5 credits)
- Law and Analytics (5 credits)
- Revenue Law II (5 credits)
- Family and Child Law (10 credits)
- Public International Law (10 credits)
Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.
Glossary of Terms
- Credits
- You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
- Module
- An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
- Subject
- Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
- Optional
- A module you may choose to study.
- Required
- A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
- Required Core Subject
- A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
- Semester
- Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.
Further Education
Graduates of this course may complete further study to become a barrister or solicitor. Graduates will have completed the modules examined in the solicitor entrance exams at the Law Society of Ireland and will have the option to complete the modules required for the barrister entrance exams at The Honorable Society of King’s Inns.
Graduates may be interested in completing a LLM (Master of Laws) or PhD programme. The School of Law offers a wide range of taught LLM programmes and LLM or PhD programmes by research.
Graduates may also decide to pursue further studies with the professional accountancy bodies’ to become an Accountant.
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the Law and Business programme will have a variety of career paths open to them, depending on the specialism they select in their degrees. All graduates will be well equipped to work in a corporate legal environment.
Graduates of this degree will be ready to sit the professional entrance exams for the Law Society of Ireland (solicitor). Graduates who completed the Legal Professions specialised stream will be eligible to sit the professional entrance exams for the Honourable Society of King’s Inns (barrister).
Work Placement
Our students will have the opportunity to gain a professional focus and real world experience through professional work placement. Students gain invaluable experience by putting theory into practice and developing new skills which can support and influence career direction. Students will have a range of CV and interview preparation supports available in advance of their work placement. Some of our current work placement partners include: Matheson, A & L Goodbody, Arthur Cox, William Fry, Maples Group, Damien Tansey Solicitors, Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ), AMOSS Solicitors, CIE, LK Shields, IBM, Irish Water and Coffey Group, Philip Lee, Alastair Purdy & Co., Telegael Teoranta and BSP Luxembourg.
Study Abroad
Students can study abroad at partner institutions around the world, giving them the opportunity to experience legal education in an international setting and to gain a different perspective on the law.
Access to World Class Academics
Our academic staff are nationally and internationally recognised experts in their fields and many are also industry experienced. Our students have access to academics who lead research projects and influence national and international policy making.
National and International Internships
In addition to professional work placement opportunities in third year, students in their final year will have the opportunity to apply for a limited number of national and international summer internships which are offered on a competitive basis.
Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholarship
Students on this course may be eligible to apply for the Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholarship. The Scholarship will support the successful Scholar throughout their degree to a minimum value of €7,500. The scholarship is awarded on the financial need and academic merit of the successful applicants. View full scholarship details.
Mooting
All students will complete the Mooting module and will have access to the NEW state-of-the-art on-campus Moot Court. Mooting is a simulated courtroom experience. The module is delivered through a taught component made up of lectures and an active component where students will participate in practical seminars and a mock trial. Past students described participating in mooting as ‘transformative’.
Course Fees
Fees: EU
€6,593 p.a. (€6,733 p.a. including levy) 2024/25
Fees: Tuition
€3,593 p.a. 2025/26
Fees: Student Contribution
€3,000 p.a. 2025/26
Fees: Student levy
€140 p.a.2025/26
Fees: Non EU
€19,000 p.a. (€19,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26
EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy* €140. *Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.
For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees**.
**Excludes Full-Time EU Undergraduate fees. These are fixed and do not change.
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