School of Law

The full-time Diploma is delivered over two semesters between September and June.

Due to the nature of teaching and assessment (outlined below), a laptop or similar is essential for the programme. If you have any difficulties accessing a laptop or similar, then please let the Diploma team know as soon as possible.

The requirement for the award of the Diploma is 120 credits, with candidates required to achieve:

(a) a grade D3 or better in all courses;

(b) a grade D3 or better in each component assessment of each course; and

(c) a Pass, where a component assessment is graded Pass or Fail.

The 120 credits comprise:

75 credits in core courses namely:

• Civil Litigation (15 credits)
• Commercial Awareness (15 credits)
• Conveyancing (15 credits)
• Criminal Litigation (15 credits)
• Private Client (15 credits)
• Assessed Writing Skills (non-credit bearing)

45 credits in optional courses, obtained by selecting three from the following list:

• Advanced Civil Litigation (15 credits)
• Advanced Criminal Litigation (15 credits)
• Commercial Contracts (15 credits)
• Commercial Conveyancing (15 credits)
• Corporate (15 credits)
• Employment Law (15 credits)
• Family Law (15 credits)
• Human Rights (15 credits)
• Introduction to Legal Innovation and Technology (15 credits)
• Public Law (15 credits)

Semester 1

The Diploma commences with a compulsory programme, the "Diploma Induction", which takes place on Wednesday 13^th and Thursday 14^th September 2023.

The events and information sessions offered during the Diploma Induction are central to ensuring that you have a solid foundation for the work that you will be undertaking during the Diploma and will allow you to make the most of the year ahead. You will receive introductory lectures on all semester one courses and find out more about the various extra-curricular activities we have on offer throughout the academic year. The timetable for the Diploma Induction will be provided nearer the time.

Thereafter, all full-time students undertake the following core courses during semester 1: Civil Litigation, Commercial Awareness, Conveyancing and Criminal Litigation.  Part-time students undertake Commercial Awareness and Criminal Litigation in year one and Civil Litigation and Conveyancing in year two.  

Semester 2

All full-time students undertake the fifth core course, Private Client, in addition to three optional courses from a choice of ten (see above).  Part-time year one students undertake Private Client and one optional course, while year two students undertake two optional courses. 

As well as information about optional courses being available in the online course catalogue and via Moodle, our virtual learning environment, we will also be running an optional course roadshow in Semester 1. This will provide the Senior Tutors for each course an opportunity to explain what their courses involve and to answer any questions you may have. Your selection of optional courses may reflect areas of law in which you have a particular interest and/or that you or your training organisation consider to be relevant to your traineeship.

You can change your mind about which optional courses you choose until late October.

If you intend to become an advocate in Scotland, entry to the Faculty of Advocates requires not only completion of the Diploma, but also a pass in Roman Law of Property and Obligations and International Private Law. These courses can be studied at the University of Glasgow and accommodated within the Diploma timetable at no additional cost. However, please consider the additional workload carefully.  Please also note that spaces on these courses may be limited. 

The Diploma will be delivered through a combination of recorded lectures, e-modules, tutorials and e-learning materials delivered via our virtual learning environment, Moodle.

Tutorial times are set out in the Diploma timetable (please view 'Quick Links' for full details). 

Lectures

Lectures usually last for fifty minutes and will largely be delivered online or as an e-module, allowing you to access them wherever, whenever and as often as you wish. Viewing all lecture recordings is strongly encouraged as the notes that you take will be a vital resource in preparing for tutorials and assessments. 

Tutorials

Tutorials are generally two hours long (including a break) and will be delivered to small groups (generally eight, ten or twelve students per group) by highly experienced legal practitioners. Tutorials are based around practical, scenario-based learning and allow you to practice professional skills and ask questions to clarify understanding in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

Preparation is essential, as every tutorial prepares you for life as a trainee solicitor. In addition, your preparation for tutorials, as well as your performance and participation during them, is assessed and contributes towards your final grade in each course.

Please note that should you fail to attend tutorials, credit for the relevant course may be refused. This is because we are not able to confirm to the LSS that you have met the relevant educational outcomes if you are not in class to demonstrate that you have met them. This would mean that you would not be awarded the Diploma in the same academic session and would be required to retake and pay for the course, including assessments, in a subsequent academic session.  

Forms of assessment

As this is a professional legal practice course, every effort is made to ensure that assessments replicate the type of work which will be undertaken in practice. Assessments therefore generally take the form of very practical exercises, which may be quizzes, oral, written and/or combined oral/written and may be recorded for marking purposes. Information on assessments in individual courses can be found in the relevant course page on Moodle. 

Formative and summative assessment

A formative (or diagnostic) assessment is designed to measure your understanding of a subject and to allow an opportunity for you to receive valuable feedback without the grade you obtain counting towards your overall course grade.

All Diploma courses offer formative assessment. In some courses, such assessment is compulsory; in others, it is up to you to decide whether to take the offered formative assessment. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these formative assessments.

A summative assessment is marked as set out below and contributes to the overall grade awarded for a course.

Examination diets

Assessments are ongoing throughout the first and second semesters. Re-sit diets are held in December and in April/May. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are available for the re-sit diets. 

Feedback policy

We aim to return feedback to students within three weeks of assessment submission. However, please note that this is a target, not a guarantee, due to class sizes and the fact that our tutors are working solicitors and advocates. If the course team cannot return grades within three weeks, then we will let you know and explain why there has been a delay.

Feedback can be generic, individual or both. Sometimes a lecture might be given going over the main points of an assessment and pointing out common errors. The feedback that you receive should be used to help you understand how you might improve your performance in future. 

The marking process

The Diploma has a rigorous marking process: summative assessments are marked by our tutors and a sample of them is then moderated by our Senior Tutors to ensure consistency, with grades then returned to you via Moodle. All grades are provisional until approved by the Diploma Exam Board.

Prior to each meeting of the Diploma Exam Board, a further sample (including all papers assessed below a D grade) is sent to a third-party expert in the relevant course subject, known as an external examiner. This is normally an experienced legal practitioner or respected academic in another UK educational institution. The role of the external examiner is to ensure that the marking scale has been applied fairly and consistently. Once the external examiner has examined the sample assessments or exam papers, they are returned to the School of Law. The final ratification of grades is then made at the meeting of the Diploma Exam Board. 

Circumstances affecting examination or coursework performance

If you have been affected by personal circumstances, including illness, and think that this has affected your performance in an assessment (including tutorial preparation and participation), then you are entitled to submit a note of these circumstances as “Good Cause” for setting aside the relevant result. The University’s Code of Assessment governs this procedure and how these circumstances will be treated.

You must raise these circumstances with the Diploma team as soon as possible. You must then submit your Good Cause claim and provide supporting evidence formally through MyCampus within five working days of the submission/assessment date in question, so that the Diploma Exam Board can consider your claim. Specific information relating to the consequences of absence from tutorials during the Diploma can be found on the Diploma Homepage on Moodle.

We hope that your experience of life at the University of Glasgow, and your taste of life as a trainee solicitor on the Diploma, will be positive and rewarding. However, new experiences often require adjustment and there may be occasions when the reality is not as you had anticipated. If you find yourself in this position, please do not make hasty decisions without talking to us first. The Diploma team is here to assist you if you are unsure of your course choices or if you experience any difficulties that affect your studies.

Adviser Meetings

You will be assigned either the Director or the Deputy Director of the Diploma as your Adviser of Studies.  Both operate an open-door policy when in the office, or you can make an appointment via Zoom at a mutually convenient time.

Common worries affecting students might include:

Getting to grips with study

It is important to manage your time effectively and to establish a study routine that will enable you to prepare for classes, to complete coursework on time and to ensure that you understand things as you go along. This is especially the case on the Diploma, where we teach practical skills that may be new to you in ways that may be new to you, and where we require active participation from all students on all courses. If you are experiencing difficulty with study habits, you may find it helpful to consult one of our advisers in the Student Learning Service. Information about the other student support services may be seen on the Current Students web page.

Finance

There is Postgraduate funding available from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), in the form of a tuition fee loan and “living costs” loan.

However, managing on a student loan is never easy and many students have to consider carefully how to balance their budget. If you find yourself with serious financial problems, please consult your Adviser of Studies who may be able to direct you towards possible sources of help in the university such as the HEI hardship fund or the University’s hardship fund. Details of these are available from Student Services.

Please also see the section on the Diploma programme webpage on Fees and Funding. 

Part-time employment

The Diploma is a professional qualification, and the programme is challenging. Attendance at tutorials is compulsory, with an element of your final grade linked to attendance. However, many students have successfully combined employment with the Diploma. If you have good time management skills, and are well-organised and hardworking, it is possible to combine paid employment with the preparation and attendance required for tutorials, lectures and assessments.

As a student at the University of Glasgow, you come under the authority of the University and must respect its rules. As you progress through your studies, you will gradually become aware of the more important University policies that apply to academic and disciplinary matters. What follows is a brief overview of some key things you should be aware of at the outset of your studies. 

Email Communication

The address for email communication with all members of the Diploma team is law-dip-legal-practice@glasgow.ac.uk. Staff will respond to your email as soon as possible, so please be patient and remember that we are dealing with a high volume of correspondence from students and tutors every day. When you email, please ensure you always use your University allocated email address rather than your personal account. 

Moodle

Moodle is the University’s virtual learning environment. It is a key means of communicating with students for Diploma team members and tutors who wish to pass on notices and other information about Diploma courses as well as useful events going on within the School of Law and beyond.

Moodle is a public forum, which is monitored by staff, including tutors who are legal practitioners, so please bear this in mind when posting. 

Diploma Homepage

The Diploma Homepage on Moodle contains a variety of useful information. If you have a query for the Diploma team, please consult the Diploma Homepage before emailing us, as the answer may well be there! 

Course Documents

Every Diploma course has its own course page on Moodle. This identifies the course convenor (the member of staff responsible for course organisation) and sets out details of the course, including information about assessments and reading lists. You are strongly advised to read all course documents and, if you have any questions, to consult the course documents before contacting the course convenor as they may already deal with your question. 

Disability

If you have or develop a disability and may need adjustments put in place, please contact the University's Disability Service as soon as possible. This is the case even if you have studied previously at the University of Glasgow, as any information the Disability Service had in relation to another course (even the LLB) will not be passed to the Diploma team and adjustments will not be implemented.

You are also welcome to contact the School of Law’s Disability Officer, to help us support you in the best way possible. Please email them at: law-disability-coordinator@glasgow.ac.uk  

Absence Policy

If you are absent with Good Cause (see above) from a scheduled class, you must email the Diploma team at law-dip-legal-practice@glasgow.ac.uk as soon as possible.  Specific information on the consequences of absence from Diploma tutorials can be found on the Diploma Homepage.   

If you are unable to submit coursework on time due to Good Cause, please contact the Diploma team as soon as possible. 

Appeals

Students who have grounds to do so may appeal against an academic decision. The University has a published procedure for dealing with appeals. Without prejudice to this procedure, generally the grounds of appeal must relate to unfair procedure or the failure to take into account circumstances which, for good reason, were not raised timeously by the student. It is not possible to appeal against a grade awarded simply because you disagree with it as this is a matter of academic judgement.

The Students' Representative Council has produced guidance on appeals for students. 

Unacceptable Behaviour

We expect students to treat each other, and the Diploma team and tutors, with courtesy, consideration and fairness at all times and to avoid all forms of abusive behaviour. There is a University Code of Practice on unacceptable behaviour, which is binding on staff and students alike, and action is taken to enforce it. Students may be disciplined for misconduct or inappropriate behaviour, whether or not that conduct or behaviour takes place on campus.

There is an extra dimension for Diploma students here, since anyone who aspires to join the legal profession must be regarded as a fit and proper person to do so. You are therefore subject to the LSS requirements on professional conduct and fitness to practice.

In addition, and in accordance with the terms of our accreditation by the LSS, the University is required to share your personal data with the LSS and disclose all and any incidents of academic or non-academic misconduct and/or professional lapses by you occurring while enrolled on or graduating with the Diploma. 

Plagiarism

We cannot emphasise enough the importance of avoiding plagiarism and inappropriate collaboration at all stages of University study, particularly in light of the LSS requirements on professional conduct and fitness to practice outlined above. You are deemed to have read and understood the University’s statement on plagiarism.