In order to practise law, you will need to have at least an LLB degree. The LLB is one of the most common law jurisdictions and is the equivalent of a Juris Doctor (JD) in America.
The LLB degree is your gateway to a wide range of global careers in maritime law, environmental law, trademark and patent law, constitutional law, labour law, international trade law, criminal law, human rights law, family law, and many others.
Many universities in South Africa have made this qualification available but for the purpose of this article, we will focus on Unisa's Bachelor of law qualification.
In 2018 Unisa's Bachelor of law programme received full accreditation following a Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) review. This made Unisa the only distance learning university to offer the qualification with full accreditation in South Africa.
The LLB just like all qualifications offered by Unisa is structured in such a way that you need to pass a certain number of NQF level credits within a certain amount of time in order to graduate.
The Bachelor of Laws degree comprises of 40 modules, 37 compulsory modules and 3 optional modules over 4 years minimum.
Here are the LLB Modules offered by Unisa
Compulsory:
- AFL1501 - Language Through an African Lens
- FAC1503 - Financial Accounting Principles for Law Practitioners
- HFL1501 - Historical Foundations of South African Law
- ILW1501 - Introduction to Law
- IRM1501 - Introduction to Research Methodology for Law and Criminal Justice
- PLS1502 - Introduction to African Philosophy
- PVL1501 - Law of Persons
- SCL1501 - Skills Course for Law Students
- SJD1501 - Social Dimensions of Justice
Choose ONE of the following non-law modules:
- CMY1501 - Introduction to Criminology: Crime, Offenders and Criminal Behaviour
- CMY1502 - Introduction to Criminology: Victims and Reduction of Crime
- LIN1502 - Multilingualism: the Role of Language in the South African Context
Second Level - NQF Level 6
- ADL2601 - Administrative Law
- CRW2601 - General Principles of Criminal Law
- CRW2602 - Criminal Law: Specific Crimes
- CSL2601 - Constitutional Law
- FUR2601 - Fundamental Rights
- IND2601 - African Customary Law
- IOS2601 - Interpretation of Statutes
- MRL2601 - Entrepreneurial Law
- PVL2601 - Family Law
- PVL2602 - Law of Succession
Third Level - NQF Level 7
- CIV3701 - Civil Procedure
- CPR3701 - Criminal Procedure
- LEV3701 - Law of Evidence
- LME3701 - Legal Research Methodology
- MRL3701 - Insolvency Law
- MRL3702 - Labour Law
- PVL3701 - Law of Property
- PVL3702 - Law of Contract
- PVL3703 - Law of Delict
- PVL3704 - Enrichment Liability and Estoppel
Fourth Level - NQF Level 8
Compulsory:
- LCP4801 - International Law
- LCP4804 - Advanced Indigenous Law
- LJU4801 - Legal Philosophy
- LJU4802 - Professional Ethics
- LML4806 - Company Law
- LPL4802 - Law of Damages
- RRLLB81 - LLB Research Report
- TLI4801 - Techniques in Trial and Litigation
Choose TWO of the following modules at NQF level 8:
- LCP4805 - Environmental Law
- LCP4807 - International Human Rights Law
- LCP4809 - Education Law
- LCR4802 - Medical Law
- LCR4803 - Media Law
- LCR4805 - Selected Private and Criminal Law Principles of the Internet
- LJU4804 - Private International Law
- LML4801 - Patent and Copyright Law
- LML4802 - The Law of Competition and Trademarks
- LML4804 - Tax Law
- LML4805 - Insurance Law
- LML4807 - Banking Law and Usage
- LML4810 - Legal Aspects of Electronic Commerce
- LPL4801 - Law of Sale and Lease
- LPL4804 - Conveyancing
- LPL4805 - Notarial Practice
All modules are 12 credits and the allocation of the total credits is 120 credits
