Double Law Degrees: Could you be the right fit?

Written by Antonia James-Cameron

Are you fluent in two languages? Are you interested in pursuing a law degree? Look no further: you may be the perfect candidate for a double law degree!

What are double law degrees?

At King’s College London, five different dual degrees are on offer: English law combined with French Law, Spanish Law, German Law, Hong Kong Law, and, for the first time this year, Australian Law.

These differ from a typical law degree: instead of studying for three years at KCL, you study only two at KCL and a further two years in a partner university. You then get a valid law degree in each country! Seems like an undeniable deal, right?

Perhaps, like me, you are feeling overwhelmed, confused and overall unsure whether you’re the right fit to study such an intense course. Many prospective students have valid concerns about the implications of studying a double law degree. You may be asking yourself: How bad is the workload? How difficult is the transition to the partner university? How good do your language skills have to be?

Fear not! I asked over 25 students in different dual degrees about their experiences studying a dual degree and have garnered both the bad and good that comes with a dual law degree at KCL.

Language proficiency

One big concern is whether to study for a double degree, you must be fully bilingual. Actually, only about 60% of people taking the survey reported being of bilingual / native fluency. This number is particularly surprising considering the degree seems to be built specifically for bilingual students -- classes in your extra module at King’s are conducted as if you’re attending the partner university. Despite this, having around 40% of students not being perfectly bilingual is reassuring in that such a degree course is not barred to students who did not have the privilege to grow up in a bilingual environment.

Indeed, over 70% believe that a native mastery of the language is not necessary. However, a high proficiency is still a must. Students do not recommend having a level below extensive proficiency.

What do you do if you are extremely passionate and motivated to study a double degree, but you just don’t feel confident in your language skills? Well, if your application is successful and the directors of the double degree have seen your motivation, King’s offers free language courses to students who do not feel their skills are as proficient as required to be successful during the degree. Each week, classes (which are 1.5 hours long), in addition to independent work, are provided to boost your language skills and confidence in writing, comprehension and oral proficiency! Although you would still need a high level of proficiency, this extra protection should be seen as a way for you to not feel at an overwhelming disadvantage as compared to perfectly bilingual students.

Workload

Let’s now talk about the workload. Tackling a double degree will, of course, require much more work than a usual degree as you are essentially adding a core module to your timetable. When asked about the negatives of their dual degree studies, 15 of the 27 students responded with the heavy workload. However, a reassuring point is when asked to rate their workload on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being very light and 5 very heavy, the results did not suggest the workload was insurmountable.

It's true that this honest reflection of the workload seems daunting. This is further amplified by the fear of the actual difficulty of a dual law degree being such a step up from a straight law LLB. In law, some parts of what is learnt overlaps with other subjects; principles can be applied in different areas of law. Yet studying a dual law degree, you are studying two vastly different legal systems. It is undeniable that the intensity of the academic level has a large disparity with a straight law degree. But, in fact, on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being very easy and 5 being very difficult, students did not report the difficulty of the contents of the degree to be totally overwhelming.

Of course you could see the average score of a 4/5 difficulty even more discouraging. Those feelings are completely understandable and I often experience them myself, as a second year student. However, one factor which is highly reassuring to me is this: despite each student feeling the same pressure, they deal with it completely differently. Students reported varying degrees of weekly study hours, ranging from 7 hours a week to over 30 hours.

If anything, this shows us that the way in which each person deals with the heavy workload

varies greatly per student. There is no set “right” or “wrong” way to go about studying for your dual degree, as everyone does it differently. The workload is a lot, but it is possible to balance it; especially as many students at King’s take on further responsibilities such as working with the King’s Legal Clinic, participating in clubs and societies or practicing high level sports. A healthy balance can be achieved!

Perhaps you feel as though you would fall into the category of students who would study for an extreme length of time each week. Many of us dual degree students are very hardworking and often fall into stressful periods in which we study for hours on end to feel as though we aren’t falling behind. Perhaps you did so during your last year of A levels or IB, and you are feeling the stress and dread of not having the ability to withstand such deep studying.

Well, when asked what students would tell their younger selves when applying for university, 19 out of the 27 said to “Go for it!” Not one student expressed regret of picking their degree of study. Many mentioned how interesting the degree is and that it was worth working hard in high school to get where they are now. This general consensus makes sense with how these dual degrees are laid out: studying two different legal systems simultaneously allows for a constant comparison between the two, fostering curiosity, creativity and open-mindedness.

Furthermore, you may be curious about the transition between King’s and the partner university. Indeed, this is a common struggle that is felt within students at the partner university and a fear of all second year KCL students before leaving King’s. The extra module you will have at King’s should prepare you relatively well for your time at the partner university; your tutors will provide you with a good overview of what to expect and will give you valuable insights into how to maximise your success. There is also a trip offered to the partner university by King’s in your second year of study, during which you’ll be able to attend classes for an afternoon and experience how your next two years will play out.

Benefits

Beyond initial academic curiosity, which, of course, is required when picking a university subject, students had many other positives that their degree has provided them with. One recurring positive aspect of the dual degree programs was the ability to network and make friends so easily. It is a common experience at university that when you integrate a large cohort of hundreds of other students, it is much more difficult to make friends and build a community. With the dual degree programmes, the class only includes around 20 to 25 students at most. Although we all share lectures and tutorial groups in common subjects, having a small class during the extra lectures and tutorials relating to your degree allows students to integrate much more easily. This compensates partially for the extra stress that studying for a double degree incurs; you have a higher chance of gaining a secure support system and a like-minded group of friends.

Another benefit frequently cited was the acquisition of valuable career opportunities. As the

legal field is an exceptionally competitive market, a double degree gives you an edge, making your CV and applications to firms or Chambers more attractive to prospective employers who often deal with international clients. Furthermore, by being immersed in a class of dual degree students, you will develop contacts for life and will be able to connect with Alumni of your programme, opening up many doors and possibilities.

My advice to prospective students:

Firstly, I would like to remind you that each student is unique. There may be a stereotypical

image of a law student and even more so of a double degree law student. If you don’t feel you fit the perceived mould of a typical law student, you should not let that dictate your choice of degree to study. Double degrees are full of all types of people; procrastinators, hard workers, volunteers, athletes, competitors… Although everyone is bound by their passion for the law and their love for languages, we are all individuals and none of us fit in the “perfect student” box! If you are considering applying for, or accepting an offer to study a double law degree and are sure of your language skills, don’t let anything else stop you!