Whatever your profession, gain an understanding of the legal principles of the UK legal system.

Study the legal aspects of dispute resolution.

As a professional in any field, you’re likely to become involved in resolving disputes, mediating or simply handling disagreements among staff.

In this online course, you’ll gain the skills and legal knowledge needed to tackle these challenges with confidence.

  • Cover contract law, compensation law and the law of evidence.
  • Learn from lawyers and academics at a top UK law school.
  • Study with us anywhere, with part-time hours that fit around full-time work.

Who can join this online legal course?

This distance-learning course is designed for non-lawyers and those without a UK legal qualification.

It’s ideal for professionals in any field whose work includes resolving disputes, arbitration, or mediation.

Build credits towards a Masters degree

This online course is part of:

You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards either of these postgraduate qualifications.

What you’ll study

This course provides a thorough grounding in the UK legal system, contract law, compensation law and the law of evidence.

You’ll cover:

  • the main principles and mechanics of contract law – important in underpinning negotiation, arbitration and mediation contracts
  • the law of tort (delict in Scottish law) – ie, compensation law, which deals with potential liability, negligence or breach of duty of care
  • rules of civil evidence – which apply to how a case is proved in court and, in certain circumstances, arbitral tribunals.

Choose the University of Aberdeen for online law courses

Study at a university with one of the largest and most internationally experienced teams of legal experts in any European law school.

Top 5 in Scotland for Law

We’re ranked Top 5 in Scotland for Law in two league tables (Guardian University Guide 2025 and Complete University Guide 2025).

Fits around full-time work

This degree fits around full-time work, with flexible hours and 24/7 study access.

20% alumni discount

University of Aberdeen alumni get 20% off this online course.

How you’ll study

Online learning

This distance-learning Legal Principles course is delivered flexibly, 100% online.

You can learn with us anywhere, no student visa required, and manage your study hours to suit you.

Your teaching

This course is taught at LLM level.

Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.

You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources available, including:

  • lecture podcasts
  • online tutorials
  • case studies
  • reading materials
  • discussion boards with your tutors and peers
  • the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library and the Taylor Law Library.

Your tutors

This course is delivered by our School of Law.

You’ll learn from highly qualified lawyers and academics with extensive international experience.

The portal was fantastic. I think a lot of places could take a leaf out of Aberdeen’s book with respect to how they present courses online.

Simon Cook, online Legal Principles student.

You’ll be assessed entirely online via:

  • online interaction (20% of your total course grade)
  • written submissions (80%).

This course totals approximately 300 hours of study and assessment time.

That’s around 15 – 20 hours per week in regular topic work and independent study, with more time required around assessments.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes. This includes time for independent study, as well as teaching and assessments.

You can largely set your own study hours to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.

Activities at fixed times

There may be some activities scheduled at fixed times, such as online meetings with your tutor or assessments with deadlines. But otherwise, you can access and work through the course at your convenience.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your course coordinator throughout your course. This could be by email, MyAberdeen, online call, or phone. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Your course coordinator

Soibi Bob-Manuel

Soibi is a Teaching Fellow in the Law School, and a professional lawyer. Her practice areas included corporate, commercial, energy, and intellectual property law, as well as dispute resolution and regulatory compliance. Soibi’s research focuses on the legal application of clean energy technology and the intersection of climate change law, intellectual property rights, and public goods theory.

View Soibi’s profile

Online learning in the School of Law

Advocates share their experiences of working while studying online Law courses with us.

Where this will take you

Towards an LLM

You’ll earn 30 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards:

LLM in Dispute Resolution

Enhance your non-court dispute resolution skills with this online LLM that has been accredited by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

View LLM Dispute Resolution

LLM in International Trade Law

Develop the knowledge to practise trade law or work for governments, international businesses and NGOs. Join this flexible online LLM you can study part-time, with the option to attend Professional Skills training.

View LLM International Trade Law

Move into a career in law, one short course at a time

Meet Simon, an IT manager. Using our online short courses, Simon’s now on a new career path – and fulfilling his teenage dream of attaining a law degree.

Build your learning with more short courses

We offer a wide range of specialist online Law short courses you can use to build your skills.

Many are part of existing Masters degrees and can be used to build up credits towards postgraduate qualifications.

Careers

The course will give you significant career benefit as a professional in any field whose work includes resolving disputes, arbitration, or mediation.

Continuing professional development (CPD)

Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for CPD hours. Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.

Free career support

Access our free careers service while you study.

  • 1:1 appointments
  • CV checks
  • Interview prep
  • Job opportunities

See how our careers service can help you.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world.

This course has no formal entry requirements. You do not need to provide proof of your qualifications.

But you do need to check the entry guidance above to understand the level of teaching delivered, to decide if this course is right for you.

If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check the equivalent teaching level for your country.

Visa requirements

You do not need a student visa to study online with us.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

You do not have to provide proof of your English language skills to join this course. But we want to make sure that you can use English well enough to study successfully.

Recommended level of English

This course uses our Postgraduate Higher level of English language proficiency.

These are our Postgraduate Higher requirements, and these are minimum scores.

IELTS Academic, IELTS UKVI Academic, and IELTS Online (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training)

  • 6.5 overall
  • 5.5 for listening and speaking
  • 6.0 for reading and writing

TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition

  • 90 overall
  • 17 for listening
  • 21 for reading
  • 20 for speaking
  • 21 for writing
  • TOEFL DI code is 0818

Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency

  • 176 overall
  • 162 for listening and speaking
  • 169 for reading and writing

LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT

  • 70 overall
  • 60 for listening and speaking
  • 65 for reading and writing

LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken) – Online / In-centre

  • Overall High Pass
  • 33 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 38 for writing

Oxford ELLT Digital – English Language Level Test Online

  • 7.0 overall
  • 5.0 for listening and speaking
  • 6.0 for reading and writing

PTE Academic (online test not accepted)

  • 62 overall
  • 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

Duolingo tests taken from 1 July 2024 onward

  • 120 overall
  • 95 for listening and speaking
  • 105 for reading and writing

University of Aberdeen English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE)

  • Pass
  • Valid for one year. Refresher can be offered if out of date

Pre-sessional academic English preparation programmes undertaken at other UK universities

  • Pass at an equivalent of 6.5 (C1)
  • B2 in all four skills
  • Certification must be within one year prior to the start of your course

For more information about language qualifications see our English Language Requirements page.

You will need access to:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:

  • Windows 10 or later
  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.

Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.

Reliable internet access

We recommend:

  • a wired connection
  • a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.

Speakers or headphones

  • We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
  • A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one for some interactive sessions.

Software

We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your studies each week:

  • Be realistic
  • Create a weekly schedule as a guide

If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.

Fee payment

Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.

We accept payment via Visa Debit, Visa Credit and Mastercard.

Ways to save

You may be able to get help funding this course via:

  • discounts – if any discounts are available for this course, they’ll appear in the section below
  • employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors.

Find out more about funding options.

Student card

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.

This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.

The course is delivered at Masters level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:

  • a 2:1 UK honours degree, or
  • alternative qualifications and an appropriate level of relevant experience.

Apply for this course

Cost
£2,580
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