University Of Pretoria Law

University Of Pretoria Law

University Of Pretoria Law,The Department of Public Law focuses on those areas of the law that traditionally fall within the Public Law domain. This includes the areas of Criminal Law, Human Rights, Legal Interpretation, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and International Law. Flowing from these are a number specialised areas, including Media Law, Statutory Crimes, Land and Land Reform, Environmental Law, Medical Law, International Humanitarian Law and Municipal Law.
Members of the Department actively contribute to these areas through teaching on the undergraduate LLB course, as well as a variety of postgraduate coursework and research courses, including LLM, MPhiland LLD. These include International Law, Criminal Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law, Socio-economic Rights, Human Rights and Constitutional Practice, International Air, Space and Telecommunications Law, Extractive Industries Law in Africa and International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Military Operations.  Members of the Department are also involved in other coursework LLM degrees: the LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa and the LLM in International Trade and Investment Law (both offered by the Centre for Human Rights).
Through its academics, the Department is also involved in various certificate courses. Prof Christo Botha is the course leader of the UP Certificate in Legislative Drafting, offered through Enterprises University of Pretoria (Pty) Ltd. Prof Pieter Carstens is the Director of the Centre for Law and Medicine which offers a Certificate in Medical Law. Ms Melanie Murcott is the course leader of the UP Certificate in Environmental Law offered through Enterprises University of Pretoria (Pty) Ltd. Prof Bernard Bekink is the course leader of the UP Certificate in Municipal/Local Government Law.
 

Undergraduate programme

The Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria on undergraduate level offers the LLB programme. This programme equips students for the legal profession and various other fields. The LLB is the basic requirement for entrance to the legal profession. After secondary schooling, students who qualify may immediately enrol for an LLB, or may register for the LLB after completing a BCom (Law) or BA (Law) or any other degree.
In the first year students are given a basic introduction to the South African legal system. Emphasis is placed on the development of skills, especially language skills and computer literacy. Students also enrol for additional non-law subjects to ensure that they are exposed to a wide range of subjects.
During the following three years, all of the core aspects of the law are covered. The Faculty of Law prides itself on its thorough foundation in commercial law, which is of obvious importance to those who will work in the corporate world.
Two features distinguish the fourth year from other LLB programmes in the country. Apart from doing some compulsory courses, students are allowed to select courses in their final year that assist them in cultivating their interests, and to explore new subject fields.  There are 28 electives that cover areas that are as diverse as Law and the Community, Environmental Law, Transnational Business Law and Cyber Law. Students are also required to complete an independent research project (dissertation), which has to be presented as part of a seminar.

Postgraduate programmes

The Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria is widely recognised as a leader in the field of postgraduate programmes. The LLM/MPhil and LLD/PhD programmes presented by the Faculty enable students to specialise in their chosen fields by engaging with experts on an advanced level.