Law & French
BCL (Law and French) allows you to study law and French at the same time in a joint honours degree. You can then become a lawyer with specific linguistic skills. Over the course of four years, you will take modules in law and French. You will graduate with a degree in both. This means you can progress further towards a career in law, or you can pursue a career in linguistics, translation or teaching.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 Years
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements
At least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish. Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
English O6/H7
Irish O6/H7
Other Language H3 in French
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
UCC awards the following points to the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme Link Modules:
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
While Link Modules are counted for point scoring purposes they may not be counted as one of the six subjects to satisfy minimum entry requirements.
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Skills and Careers Information
Students in the BCL (Law and French) course are provided with an excellent and internationally renowned education in law and in French.
They acquire critical legal skills thanks to the dedication of all staff members in the Department of Law (through subject areas such as general constitutional law and political institutions, business law, human rights, environmental law), they have the opportunity to become bilingual in French and English, and they learn a great deal about French contemporary and historical culture.
Our current graduates are working in various law firms in Ireland and abroad, as well as in UN and EU institutions.
Further information
Approximate Available Places 1
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
Approximate Available Places Overall 24
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.
Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.
Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.
Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
Course Outline
BCL (Law and French) allows you to study law and French at the same time in a joint honours degree. You can then become a lawyer with specific linguistic skills.
Over the course of four years, you will take modules in law and French. You will graduate with a degree in both. This means you can progress further towards a career in law, or you can pursue a career in linguistics, translation or teaching.
Most of our graduates combine these two sets of skills and become lawyers with a unique linguistic ability. They often go on to work abroad in international or EU firms and institutions.
The highlight of the degree is Year 3, which you will spend at a prestigious law school in France (Paris X, Lyon III, Strasbourg, Montpellier or Rennes) or Canada (Université de Montréal).
The core legal part of the degree is common to all other law courses in UCC (BCL, BCL International, BCL Clinical and BCL Irish), so you will be part of the larger cohort of students in the Law Department. However, you will have specific classes in French, offered by the French Department, and in French law (within the Law Department).
The 15-20 students who start a BCL (Law and French) degree every year tend to develop a strong sense of identity.
In year 3, you will go abroad to study French or Canadian law entirely through the medium of French. This year is often seen by our students as a life-changing experience, during which they not only practise and improve their linguistic skills and become acquainted with another legal system, but also learn to live independently in a foreign country.
When they return to complete their degree, they have matured and are ready to make judicious module choices in Year 4, in preparation for their professional project, or for further university studies.
The degree is fully compliant with the entry requirements of the Law Society of Ireland and of King’s Inns. In four years, it will provide you with an excellent legal education, and the opportunity to become fluent in French.
Our BCL (Law and French) graduates are much sought after by employers and third-level institutions alike, as their maturity, legal capability and linguistic skills make them lawyers with a very specific edge.
Core Modules in First Year:
FR1101 Foundation Course in Written and Oral French (10 credits)
FR1201 Introduction to French Studies (5 credits)
FR1801 Law, Language and Literature (5 credits)
LW1101 Legal Writing and Analysis (5 credits)
LW1104 Foundations of the Legal System (5 credits)
LW1114 Droit institutionnel de l’Union européenne (5 credits)
LW1153 Criminal Law (10 credits)
LW1154 Law of Contract (10 credits)
LW1162 Constitutional Law: Institutions of Government (5 credits) or
LW1164 Dlí Bunreachtúil: Institiúidí an Rialtais (5 credits)
Placement or Study Abroad Information
Year 3 is spent abroad, studying law entirely through the medium of French at prestigious French or Canadian law schools: Paris X, Strasbourg, Rennes, Lyon III, Montpellier, Montréal and Aix-Marseille.
Limited placement opportunities are also available for students in Paris and in Strasbourg.
Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in their host country and to truly experience the French or Canadian way of life while learning French and law.
Academic Programme Catalogue
See the Academic Programme Catalogue (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/programmes/) for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/)
Dr Luigi Lonardo, Course Director
llonardo@ucc.ie
021 490 3209
http://www.ucc.ie/en/lawsite/