Since you are reading this, I assume you are on the verge of making a huge career decision. Law is an amazing career choice. But before you go any further, have you decided on which law degree you want to opt for? Surely, you must have researched well and be aware of the career that lies ahead. With so many institutions and universities offering a law degree under different names and structures it can be confusing to decide which one you should opt for.
Well, worry not! Today we will be discussing the options for a law degree available in Indian universities and how they differentiate themselves. Hopefully, by the end of this post you will know which is the best option for a law degree for you.
Managed by the Bar Council of India, the law education system in our country currently has two academic models. Let’s look at each law degree one after the other.
Bachelor of Law Degree
This is the traditional law degree which is offered at all law universities and institutes since the establishment of the education model. Being age old, this degree is preferred by the majority of students. But a large proportion of students preferring this type of study model aim to become court lawyers, government officials, academicians or enter the judiciary.
This is a prominent degree which offers three years of law education and provides the student with an LLB degree. This law degree includes a number of subjects which offer them in-detail information about the law system of our country.
These 3-year law degree are industry specific and focus more on the government sector, although students from either of the degrees also prepare for the Civil Services Examination. Some of the best institutions for law in the country offer the three-year law degree.
5-Year Integrated Law Degree
This variant of the law degree was introduced by the National School of Law University a few years ago and has been gaining popularity ever since. The most important feature about this degree is that despite it being a five-year law degree, it actually saves the aspirant an extra year of studies.
A five-year law degree also offers another advantage to the student. Since they are dual degree courses, not only do they provide a degree in law but also in an additional field. So for example, a student pursuing a law degree in commerce will be awarded the degree for B.Com LLB, hence, a dual-degree. Similarly, an Arts major would get a degree in BA LLB and a Computer Science student will be recognized as BCA LLB. It offers more value to the graduates and opens up a lot of career options.
The academic structure for this law degree is designed in a way to integrate the subjects and cover the whole curriculum in a span of five years rather than the traditional six years. The streams that it opens up include Law, an additional stream of Arts, Commerce, Science amongst others. The programs include subjects from the specialization along with subjects of law and are now considered as a better and more efficient decision.
Now that you have an insight into the two types of courses offered, let us discuss which one is better and should you opt for that or not.
How to pick the one
Well, both the degrees come with their own set of advantages. While a five-year integrated course saves you one year of education, a student will with a three-year degree will have deeper knowledge about certain concepts and probably, find it easier to take the government exams. The five-year degree comes with specializations in various fields and will help you adapt better to Law in cohesion with your interests.
To conclude, I’d like to make it clear that both the courses have their own importance and advantages. It only depends on your personal preference which you find better and more rewarding. While students looking for a career as a lawyer should prefer the three-year degree, a five-year degree is suitable for those planning to explore other industries alongside.
Which one do you prefer? Are you still confused which one suits you best? You may connect with an LST Law Mentor here. Let us know in the comments below.
