University of London offering qualifying law degrees recognised in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Based primarily in London, England, United Kingdom, the University of London is a federal mega university made up of 31 affiliates: 19 separate university institutions, and 12 research institutes. As such, the University of London is the largest university in the UK by number of full-time students, with 135,090 campus-based students and over 40,000 in the University of London External System (the Open University has more total students, but most of them are part-time).

The university was first established by a Royal Charter in 1836, which brought together in federation London University (now University College London) and King's College (now King's College London), to establish today's federally-structured University of London.

Graduates of the University of London may use the post-nominal letters 'Lond.' (Londiniensis) after their degree abbreviations.

University of London: home

Overview

The nine largest institutions of the federal university, usually termed the colleges, are Birkbeck, Goldsmiths, King's College London, the London Business School, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway, the School of Oriental and African Studies, and University College London (UCL). It should be noted that Imperial College London left the University of London during celebrations of its own centenary on 9 July 2007.

For most practical purposes, ranging from admission of students to negotiating funding from the government, the 19 constituent colleges are treated as individual universities. Legally speaking they are known as Recognised Bodies, with the authority to examine students and have the university award them degrees. Some colleges have recently obtained the power to award their own degrees and the University has amended its statutes to allow them to do so and yet remain in the university federation. For instance, beginning in the 2007/08 academic year, King's College London, the London School of Economics and the University College London began awarding their own degree certificates while retaining their constituent-college status within the University of London.

The twelve institutes, or Listed Bodies, within the University of London offer courses leading to degrees that are both examined and awarded by the University of London. Additionally, twelve universities in England, several in Canada and many in other Commonwealth countries (notably in East Africa) began life as associate colleges of the university offering such degrees. By the 1970s almost all of these colleges had achieved independence from the University of London. An increasing number of overseas academic institutes offer courses to support students registered for the University of London External System's diplomas and degrees although no accredidation from London for these schools exists other than the final examinations administered by the University of London which all pupils take.

Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS)

Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
School of Advanced Study, University of London

The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies was founded in 1947. It was conceived and is funded as a national academic institution, attached to the University of London, serving all universities through its national legal research library. Its function is to promote, facilitate and disseminate the results of advanced study and research in the discipline of law, for the benefit of persons and institutions in the UK and abroad.

The role of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies is to conduct research; to promote and facilitate, within London and nationally and internationally, research and scholarship at an advanced level across the whole field of law; to disseminate the results of such research and scholarship; and to provide to all those undertaking research in law a library facility with up to date technology, that is international in character and standing.

IALS is a postgraduate research institute with a core of researchers, research students and legal information professionals, but which draws its primary membership from academic researchers and postgraduate research students from other institutions throughout the UK, and which also provides services to researchers in the wider legal community. IALS is a member-institute of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London .

IALS Library is a national and international resource for legal research and has over 278,000 volumes the majority of which are housed at the Institute site on Russell Square in Bloomsbury. The collections of foreign and international law are the most extensive in the UK and contain much unique material. The collections concentrate primarily on common law, civil law and Roman-Dutch law systems throughout the world and include material in western European languages for all jurisdictions for comparative and general reference purposes. IALS Library is a member of the University of London Research Library Services .

IALS Library's primary function is to serve a national academic research community but it has other significant and diverse communities to which it provides services including the world's largest taught course master's degree programme, large numbers of subscribing practising lawyers, and a small community of researchers and PhD students at the Institute itself. The Library seeks to support law librarians in other universities and organisations to provide specialist library and information services in law, particularly in foreign, comparative and international law.

Read More:
IALS - Home Page

King’s College London: School of Law

Contacts at King's

General enquiries
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7836 5454

Postal address
King's College London
Strand
London
WC2R 2LS

Studying at King's
Request printed prospectus: Prospectus Request : About : King's College London
Make a telephone enquiry 020 7848 7070 or email: thecompass@kcl.ac.uk

College Open Days:
Web: Open days and study fairs :Open days front page :King's College London

International students
International marketing team
Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 3388
Fax: +44 (0)20 7848 4261
Email: international@kcl.ac.uk
Web: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/international

Incoming study abroad students
Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 6522
Fax: +44 (0)20 7848 6510
Email: studyabroad@kcl.ac.uk

Incoming ERASMUS/SOCRATES students
Please contact the relevant King’s department: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/about/az-acad.html

Incoming Exchange students
(from partner universities in Asia, Australia and North America)
Email: studyabroad@kcl.ac.uk

Incoming medical electives & visiting medical exchange students
Web: www.kcl.ac.uk/electives
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7848 8151, fax: +44 (0)20 7848 6969
Email: electives@kcl.ac.uk