The National University of Ireland, Maynooth
BCL Law and Arts
Maynooth, Ireland
Bachelor's degree
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 17,000 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
About: BCL Law and Arts is a three-year joint degree combining law with one arts subject. Accredited by King's Inns, it covers core law modules while allowing customization in languages, humanities and social sciences. Students may apply for a work placement or year abroad at Maynooth; after year one you may transfer into year two of the LLB (MH501).
Career Outcomes: Graduates can sit Law Society FE‑1 and King's Inns barrister‑at‑law exams for solicitor or barrister training. It also supports careers in journalism; policy; business and finance; management consulting; NGOs; national and international public administration and leads to postgraduate study.
- This law degree is accredited by the Honorable Society of King's Inns. Students receive an excellent grounding in core law subjects, while also retaining the flexibility to customise their own academic path.
- Law is taken jointly with one Arts subject for the final two years of the programme. Students can choose from a wide range of Arts subjects including languages and other areas within the humanities and social sciences.
- The BCL is a three-year degree in law combined with one other subject. While the BCL covers all the core modules of law, you cover less law than on the LLB (MH501), giving you more time to develop expertise in another subject. The main advantage is that it allows you to combine the study of law with the study of another discipline.
- Students may apply to complete a work placement year in a law firm (subject to availability) or a year studying abroad at one of our international partner institutions (subject to availability).
- BCL students who successfully complete the first year of the programme have the option of transferring into the second year of the LLB programme (MH501).
Duration: 3 years (4 years with optional placement or Erasmus/Study Abroad)
Law is taken jointly with one subject for the final two years of the programme. Students can choose from a wide range of subjects including languages and other areas within the humanities and social sciences.
1st year
30 credits of Law with 2 subjects chosen from the BA subject groups which do not include Law.
2nd and final year
- Continue in 2nd and 3rd year with at least 30 credits of Law and 30 credits of one of your chosen subjects from 1st year (Critical Skills is only available in 1st year and cannot be taken in 2nd year)
- You may apply to complete a work placement year, or a study abroad year, after 2nd year, and graduate after 4 years. Students who successfully complete the 1st year of the programme have the option of transferring into the 2nd year of the LLB programme. The University will support you in the search for a placement job; however, the process is competitive.
- Students who opt to spend a year studying abroad are awarded a BCL (International) degree
- Graduates of the BCL will be eligible to take the Law Societys FE-1 entrance examinations (necessary to access training as a solicitor) and the entrance examinations for the Kings Inns Barrister-at-law degree programme (necessary to access training as a barrister).
- Studying law also opens up a whole range of career options in addition to being a lawyer such as careers in: journalism; policy development; business and finance; management consulting; the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) sector; and national and international public administration (such as at the EU or UN).
- The School of Law and Criminology offers a wide range of postgraduate study options.