Programme description for Bachelor's Programme in Law (2024–2027)

A candidate who has completed this programme should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of general competence, knowledge and skills:

GENERAL COMPETENCE (programme objectives)

The candidate must:

• have knowledge of key international dimensions of the main topics in the programme
• have knowledge of how new legal concepts and theory arise and change legal practice
• be able to identify ethical, legal and political issues that are central to private enterprises and to public administration
• reflect critically and independently
• communicate key ideas both orally and in writing
• make use of interdisciplinary forms of cooperation that are used both in private enterprises and in the public administration

KNOWLEDGE

The candidate should be able to demonstrate:

• basic knowledge of legal concepts, methods and values within national and international law
• knowledge of key areas of private law
• knowledge of the rules regulating the organisation, case processing and competence of public administration
• knowledge of individuals' rights and obligations vis-à-vis public authorities

SKILLS

The candidate should be able to:

• apply relevant regulations on general and specific issues
• make independent decisions in relevant subject areas
• acquire new knowledge in relevant subject areas

All segments of society are increasingly regulated by laws, contracts and various forms of decisions made by the public administration. These regulations are of great importance to private enterprises, central and local administration.

This three-year integrated bachelor's programme will provide students with in-depth knowledge of key legal concepts, methodology and values. In addition, it will provide students with a thorough grounding in some of the key areas of law faced by those working in both the private and public sectors. This applies, for example, to contract law, human rights, labour law and administrative law. Through lectures, seminars, group work and individual assignments, students will learn to understand and solve theoretical and practical legal issues that are relevant both for private enterprises and public administration.

The teaching is based on the principles of problem-based learning and will consist of lectures, seminars and extensive use of group work. It is mainly sequential teaching where one course is taught at a time, with a final examination before starting the next course.

In each course, students will be divided into groups of approximately ten people. In the group work, students work with both theoretical and practical issues related to the course in question. There will be 3-12 individual assignments in each course, depending on the size of the course. A minimum of 75% participation in compulsory work requirements will be required. This includes participation in group work, writing and commenting on papers, as well as participation in large groups. In addition, a mandatory group assignment must be approved before the student can take the exam.

Students who do not meet the mandatory course requirements and/or have not passed the mandatory group assignment cannot take the exam and must retake the entire course. Students must use Canvas, which is the university's learning management system.

Students are exposed to international dimensions and issues in teaching and in the syllabus. Several of the lecturers have an international background and are active in international research networks. International students also come to UiA to take part of their degree as an exchange student. This contributes to an international study environment, in which most students will meet foreign students and use English actively during their studies.

Exchange is facilitated in the fourth semester of the programme. Studying abroad provides an opportunity to take courses and subjects beyond what is offered by the School of Business and Law at UiA. Additional benefits of studying abroad are improved language skills and cross-cultural skills in a professional context.

For further information about exchange opportunities for the bachelor's programme in law, refer to this UiA website https://www.uia.no/student/utveksling .

The language of instruction is Norwegian. The course Rule of Law (30 credits) may be taught in English if exchange students are taking the course.

A bachelor's degree in law qualifies students for a number of positions in the private sector and public administration, both local and central. Businesses need legal expertise, whether they are engaged in industry, trade or service. Contract law, bond law and labour law are important areas of law for both internal company and customer-oriented tasks. The programme qualifies students for positions in municipal and county administration, and in the central government sector (e.g. the Norwegian Tax Administration, NAV, road and transport administration, and as case officer in the police and courts).

A bachelor's degree in law from the University of Agder with an average grade of C qualifies for admission to the two-year master's programmes in law at the University of Agder (UiA), and at the University of Stavanger and the University of Bergen. The programme is also preapproved as the first three years of the five-year programme in law at the University in Bergen. Contact student adviser if you need further information about this.

A completed bachelor's degree in law with grade C in average and social science method may also meet admission requirements for other master's programmes at UiA. For further details, see master programme descriptions on UiA web pages.