Maximise your chances of securing pupillage by building your legal knowledge and skills side by side. You'll embed your understanding through regular application of your knowledge to scenarios you are likely to experience when advising clients or in court.
By undertaking and successfully completing the UWE Bristol Bar Training Course (BTC), you will develop, and be able to demonstrate, the competencies required to be called to the Bar, as set out by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
Flexible and accessible modes of study
On the BTC course, you will build your legal knowledge and skills side by side, to embed your learning and maximise your chances of doing well on the course, and securing pupillage.
To provide students with as much flexibility as possible, we offer several options for undertaking the BTC. You can study with us on a:
- PG Diploma full-time course. Over nine months, you will undertake the seven compulsory modules required to complete the vocational component of training. Your tuition will be timetabled over three to four days a week, providing opportunities to work or undertake pro bono activities alongside your studies.
- LLM full-time course: you will undertake the seven compulsory modules required for the vocational component which will take up to nine months. You then have a choice of further options, project or dissertation modules leading to the master's award. These modules are designed to reinforce your development as a reflective practitioner with responsibility for your own self-development. Depending upon your optional choices/dissertation, this could take up to an additional 12 months to complete the master's qualification. Eligible students will be able to apply for postgraduate loan funding to complete the LLM course.
- PG Diploma part-time course.Over two years, you will undertake the seven compulsory modules required to complete the vocational component. After a three day induction at the start of term, tuition takes place over 12 study weekends spread throughout the academic year, providing opportunities for you to work alongside your studies
- LLM part-time course. Over two years, you will undertake the seven compulsory modules required to complete the vocational component. Nearly all your tuition will be timetabled at weekends. You will then have a choice of further options, project or dissertation modules leading to your eventual master's award.
If you enroll on either PGDip course, you can subsequently transfer to the LLM, undertake extra modules and graduate with a master's.
Why study the Bar Training Course?
The BTC provides the foundation to your career as a barrister. Part of the vocational component of training for the Bar of England and Wales, it covers the advocacy skills, and detailed knowledge of the law, required to be able to confidently work with clients and present legal cases in court.
Why UWE Bristol?
Choosing to undertake your BTC (Combined) at UWE Bristol offers you the assurance of studying with a well-established education provider.
Taught by highly experienced tutors, who are all qualified barristers or solicitors, you will benefit from substantial face-to-face teaching, feedback and formative assessments, to embed your learning, hone your skills and give you the strongest foundation for your legal career.
Opting to study this course means that the knowledge and skills elements of your training will be taught together, in a way that is most reflective of life in Chambers, with both parts taught face to face to maximise your potential to succeed.
We place a strong emphasis on personal and academic support, giving you regular contact with your personal tutor at all stages, to support you with the rigorous demands of the course, alongside access to extensive university-wide resources.
Our well-established links to the local and national Chambers and Bar also open the door to significant career-enhancing opportunities, such as competitions, mock pupillage interviews, career talks, guest lectures and pro bono work, all designed to help you gain maximum value from your training.
Where can it take me?
The BTC prepares you for a successful career as a barrister, giving you the necessary skills, knowledge and network to maximise your chances of securing pupillage.
Many of our graduates go on to work as barristers, while others take this sought-after qualification into careers as legal associates, managers or legal advisers, or into other sectors.
