BA in Arts: Joint Honours (Law)

At Dublin City University, the BA in Arts: Joint Honours (Law) is designed to help you move beyond theory and build skills you can actually use. Alongside your academic study, you’ll gain practical experience through applied learning, research work, and real workplace exposure, supported by strong facilities and a campus culture that values employability and confidence. The programme encourages you to test ideas, debate real legal issues, and connect learning to the world outside the classroom:

• INTRA Work Placement: Students have the option to apply for a year-long INTRA internship, gaining full-time work experience in legal, public sector, policy, or organisational roles. This placement allows you to apply legal thinking in real settings and often leads to strong graduate opportunities.

• Seminars, Tutorials & Group Work: Law modules are taught through interactive seminars and small-group tutorials, where you work on case discussions, legal problem-solving, presentations, and collaborative projects rather than just listening to lectures.

• Legal Research & Writing Skills: You’ll regularly use DCU’s modern library facilities and digital legal research databases to prepare essays, case analyses, and research assignments — developing strong independent research and writing skills.

• Interdisciplinary Learning: Studying law alongside another arts subject means you learn to work across disciplines, sharpening your ability to communicate, collaborate, and adapt — skills highly valued by employers.

• International & Cultural Exposure: Many students choose to spend a year abroad, gaining international experience that broadens perspective and strengthens both academic and personal development.

Together, these experiences ensure you graduate with strong legal foundations, practical experience, and confidence in professional settings — whether you move into work, further study, or legal training.

Graduates of the BA in Arts: Joint Honours (Law) from Dublin City University move into a wide range of careers thanks to their strong legal understanding and excellent communication skills. Common paths include roles such as legal or compliance officer, policy analyst, public sector executive, and communications or corporate affairs roles, where legal thinking and critical analysis are highly valued. This flexibility is one of the programme’s biggest strengths:

• Careers Support You Can Rely On: DCU’s Careers Service supports students throughout the degree with one-to-one guidance, CV and interview preparation, careers fairs, employer talks, and continued support even after graduation.

• Strong Graduate Outcomes: The vast majority of DCU graduates progress into employment or further study shortly after finishing their degree, reflecting DCU’s strong reputation with employers in Ireland and internationally.

• Industry Experience Through INTRA: Students who complete the optional INTRA work placement gain meaningful professional experience, build networks, and often secure graduate roles through the organisations they worked with.

• Long-Term Degree Value: Studying law within a joint honours arts degree develops adaptable skills — legal reasoning, research, writing, and analysis — that remain valuable across changing industries and career paths.

• Where Graduates Go: Alumni work across the public service, NGOs, corporate compliance teams, policy bodies, communications and media organisations, as well as progressing to legal and postgraduate pathways.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing this degree, many students choose to continue their studies with postgraduate programmes in law, public policy, international relations, human rights, or related arts and social science disciplines. The law component also provides a strong academic base for those who later pursue professional legal training or research-focused master’s and doctoral degrees, depending on career goals.