Course summary
The Bar Practice Course (BPC) is the qualifying postgraduate course allowing graduates to prepare for practise as barristers in England and Wales. It is the vocational stage of training which you’re required to pass before you can go on to complete the final, practical stage of training: pupillage. Our Bar Practice Course provides an ideal environment for developing confidence and the advocacy, communication and leadership skills you’ll need to thrive at the Bar. With our experienced academic team and advanced learning technology, you will gain the expertise needed to start your career as a barrister. We pride ourselves in offering the best legal training, and our Bar Practice Course (BPC) is no exception. It is designed to help you secure pupillage and prepare you for life as a barrister. You'll receive dedicated support from our specialist careers service from the moment you accept your place, giving you the best chance of securing pupillage and acquiring as much varied experience as possible. When you study the Bar Practice Course with us you will receive:
- Tuition in small classes alongside the brightest students: we require all students to undergo a live selection process before being offered a place.
- Access to an engaging and innovative online learning environment, plus face-to-face lecturer and peer support when you need it most.
- Taught by qualified lawyers, with lectures and practical workshops to develop your legal skills, so you’ll know what to expect in a real-life work environment.
- Flexible study options to suit you: choose to study with us full-time or part-time at a number of locations across the UK.
- Success in pupillage applications and beyond with our Future Pupil Programme, part of our award-winning Careers and Employability Service, available from the moment you accept your place.
- A choice of three pathways to success with our Bar Practice Course LLM: complete real-life legal work experience via our Pro Bono clinics, write a dissertation or study additional modules and sit the exams after you finish your Bar Practice Course.
- Exclusive access to our Synap learning and revision tool: complete multiple-choice questions to monitor and review your progress.
- All of the course materials you need: hard copies of the White Book (Civil Procedure) and Blackstone’s (Criminal Practice) are included in your course fee.
- Gain confidence in knowing whether a career at the Bar is right for you
- Practise your advocacy skills in a 5-minute "plea in mitigation"
- Take the opportunity to compete for Advocacy Scholarships
- Get vital practice for pupillage interviews
Modules
Knowledge areas: Civil litigation, evidence and resolution out of court; criminal litigation, evidence and sentencing. Core skills: Advocacy, including examination-in-chief, cross-examination and civil applications; conferencing; drafting; opinion writing; professional ethics; legal research. Mock trials: We give you as many opportunities as possible to hone your essential advocacy skills and put what you learn into practice: Participating in mock trials in real courtrooms with real judges and senior barristers; online advocacy skill demonstrations with feedback from practising barristers; visits to the High Court, Magistrate’s Court, Crown Court and County Courts. Master of Laws (LLM) You can complete your Master of Laws (LLM) qualification via three routes: Complete real-life work experience via our Pro Bono clinics; study additional modules and sit the exams once you’ve finished your Bar Practice Course; write a dissertation.
Assessment method
There are 10 assessments in total with practice assessments held for every module spread across the course. Some prizes, sponsored by chambers, are available for the highest-scoring student in each subject.
Professional bodies
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
- The Bar Council
Entry requirements
Students must possess a 2:1 or above from a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) or a 2:1 in any undergraduate degree along with a law conversion course. Applicants with a 2:2 from a non-law degree will be required to achieve a commendation or distinction from their GDL/MA Law or PgDL/MA Law (Conversion)/MA Law (SQE1) studies. Some students with a 2:2 but other qualities such as additional higher education qualifications, relevant work experience, etc. may also be considered. Students must comply with the requirements for commencing a Bar Practice Course (BPC) set out by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). Applicants meeting the eligibility criteria will be required to attend and successfully pass an online Selection Interview. English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English An English Language level of IELTS 7.5 with a minimum of 7.5 in each component, or equivalent. Please see 'Alternative English language qualifications' section below for alternatives to IELTS.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
2025/26
London: £17,100
Non London: £15,500
Deposit - £250
Please note that in all instances the fee is inclusive of the BSB fee (currently £705)
Sponsorship information
For more information on scholarships available exclusively to University of Law postgraduate students, please visit our postgraduate scholarships page: https://www.law.ac.uk/study/scholarships-bursaries/
Provider information
The University of Law
2 Bunhil Row
London
EC1Y 8HQ