English and Law

Studying English and Law provides you with analytical, research and creative transferable skills that open up a range of career paths to explore, keeping your career options open for the countless professions where legal knowledge is invaluable.

We aim to broaden your understanding of literature and culture, while equipping you with skills and knowledge of the legal sector. We're networked into the legal profession, which opens up exciting opportunities for work internships and professional mentoring. 

You will also have the opportunity to explore a variety of literature from around the world, reading into key themes and creatively applying literary theory to uncover new perspectives and possibilities – from gender and identity, to culture, politics and genre.

Student Legal Advice Centre and Pro Bono work

Students studying Law at Derby may have access to our Student Legal Advice Centre - our dedicated space for real-world learning. Volunteering in the Centre provides you the opportunity to develop transferrable skills that will assist you in gaining the skills required once you graduate. 

The Centre offers assistance in the following areas: 

• Family law 
• Criminal injuries compensation authority claims 
• Immigration family reunion (in partnership with British Red Cross and Paragon Law) 

The Centre also offers support to Litigants in Person in Family Law matters at the Family Court at Derby. In Autumn 2022, a Business Clinic and Legal Triage Clinic (exclusively for University of Derby students) was launched. 

The Centre also has a Policy Clinic and Justice Project. The Justice Project promotes the teaching of law to all members of the community, including school children, by informing them of their legal rights and responsibilities.  

The Centre was shortlisted for Best Contribution by a Law School at the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2022, and was highly commended at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2021 for Best contribution in relation to the Centre’s Immigration Family Reunion Clinic. 

A broad perspective with English

English at Derby is an exciting, diverse and challenging course that not only incorporates the close analysis of literature, but also considers the situations in which literature is produced and read. This means your studies will include the intellectual and cultural history of art, film and philosophy, as well as contemporary cultural politics. You will be introduced to a range of cultural expression from across the globe and from diverse historical periods. 

The range of options will gradually allow you to acquire a degree of specialisation in a particular area. They include key aspects of literary history such as Renaissance drama, the 'rise of the novel' in the eighteenth century, Romantic poetry, nineteenth-century realism, modernism, and postmodernism, as well as modules investigating postcolonial writing and the literature of crime.

Literature asks questions about who we are, why we are here, and the nature of the world in which we find ourselves, and studying English reflects the vibrancy, dynamism and profundity of the subject at large. 

Tailor your degree

To make sure you get the most out of your degree, your Law modules are prescribed. However, you’ll be able to tailor your studies in English by choosing various modules covering different themes and theories in literature such as crime, fantasy, gender and cultural politics – all to suit your career goals and interests.

Expert teaching

Our Law teaching team includes barristers, solicitors, criminal psychologists, sociologists and experienced police officers. Several are still actively engaged with practice, which helps you keep up to date with contemporary issues in justice. Our teaching is also enriched by research covering some of the most pressing issues confronting society today, from slavery to digital privacy. 

This course is supported by visiting professors and guest lecturers who are leading authorities in their fields. Our celebrated Public Lecture Series also brings influential figures to the University to shed new light on the legal system. 

For English modules, you will be taught by an enthusiastic team with research expertise covering a broad range of areas. We place emphasis on discussion and active engagement with the material. We aim to challenge you to achieve your best, and offer substantial tutorial support in addition to scheduled classes.

Facilities

Law students are based on the Derby Campus at One Friar Gate Square. It includes a mock court room, replica custody suite and social learning hubs where you can develop your skills and familiarise yourself with the type of environments you’ll encounter in real-life legal situations.

Boost your employability with a placement year

Take an optional placement year to put your skills into practice in a real-world setting. We’ll support you in finding a placement and throughout your time in industry. It’s a great way to gain valuable experience for your CV, build contacts, and explore career options before you graduate.

What is a Joint Honours degree?

A Joint Honours degree offers students the opportunity to study two subjects.

A Joint Honours degree is a great option if:

• You want to study two subjects you’re passionate about
• You’ve got a specific career in mind and want to create a tailored degree to prepare you for the future
• You want to study a new subject alongside one you’re already familiar with

The Law Pathways within the Joint Honours Scheme do not lead to a Qualifying Law Degree. However, if you select a particular combination of modules (as advised by the Subject Leader) this may offer some exemptions from the Postgraduate Diploma in Law/Common Professional Examination. Any such exemption must be negotiated by the individual student with PGDL /CPE providers and with the professional bodies.

The modules below indicate the range of modules you may study as part of this combination, however prescribed and optional modules will vary depending on whether you choose to study both subjects equally, or choose to major or minor in a subject. To find out exactly which modules you would study as part of your chosen combination please contact StudentHub@derby.ac.uk.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

You'll be taught through a variety of methods, such as:  

• lectures
• seminars
• workshops and tutorials
• student presentations
• debates
• one-to-one sessions with a tutor
• work projects   
• self-directed study   
• video discussions with overseas partner institutions   
• case preparation
• mooting - where you present a legal issue against opposing counsel in a mock court case
• interviewing
• negotiation

Engaging in real or simulated legal practice, you will build a range of the key skills required to succeed in the legal sector at every stage of the course. 

You will also develop skills in legal scholarship, with the chance to undertake problem-based research and original academic enquiry. If our teaching team consider the work you produce to be of sufficient quality, it could be published in the Derby Law School Journal. 

Through our peer assisted mentoring scheme, students from later years of the course also give helpful guidance and support to first year students.

English is a subject based upon discussion and interpretation, and your English classes will reflect this, with great emphasis placed upon student contributions and presentations in addition to lectures.

Showcasing your skills

Mooting forms part of certain modules and you can develop your expertise further through regional and national competitions. We have an excellent record of success in these challenges. 

We also help run a schools’ debating competition in partnership with Derby & District Law Society and Enterprise for Education where you can mentor local secondary school pupils.

How you are assessed

Our assessment strategy is designed to produce confident, articulate graduates with a broad set of skills.  

For Law modules, assessments include: 

• group work
• oral presentations
• written coursework
• examinations
• seminar debates
• group presentations 
• conference papers 

For English modules, there are no exams and forms of assessment include seminar debates, group presentations and conference papers alongside essays and longer research projects. We place great emphasis on developing your research skills, with independent projects playing a key part in the second and third year of the course. 

Studying English and Law provides you with transferable creative, communication and analytical skills. You will develop key skills - such as writing, editing and presenting – that are essential for many roles, making you attractive in the job market and giving you excellent career opportunities. 

You may consider a career in: 

• Writing, editing or publishing
• Journalism 
• Marketing, advertising or events
• Art and Literature-based organisations such as media centres, museums or galleries
• Teaching  

This degree also allows graduates to engage in careers in business, banking and human resources – any profession that welcomes an exposure to studying law. 

You can go on to study at postgraduate level and achieve an LLM or complete a qualifying Solicitor exam. 

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

You will typically study your two subjects equally at stage one, before choosing whether you want to major in one subject at stages two and three.

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.