Master of Laws Professional Legal Practice (SQE1) LLM
1 Year Full Time | September Start
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Master of Laws Professional Legal Practice (SQE1) LLM
Are you a law graduate, or have you done a GDL or CPE, and want to train for SQE1? This course is designed to help you prepare for your SQE1 assessment; the first step in your journey to qualifying as a solicitor.
Our LLM Professional Legal Practice course aims to develop the academic and legal knowledge required for the SQE1 assessment and professional practice.
This course has been designed to build and develop your legal knowledge. It will give you the best opportunity to prepare for the external assessment methods used in the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) introduced the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) in September 2021. The SQE is a two-part national assessment for anyone who wants to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. This course is designed to equip you with the necessary knowledge to sit stage 1 of the SQE assessment (SQE1) through integrated preparation modules. It also lays the foundations to help you achieve your employment goals.
You can also progress to studying our SQE2 short course and go on to sit the second stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE2) alongside undertaking work experience.
You can see the SQE Website for more information on the exams, including the costs and fees involved to sit the exam. You will be responsible for booking and arranging the timing and location of your SQE1 assessment.
We are delighted to partner with Barbri to provide students on our LLM Professional Legal Practice (SQE) with SQE1 online resources consisting of nearly 2000 practice SQE1 style multiple choice questions. The package is the result of an exciting new collaboration between Northumbria Law School and Barbri, which has significant experience in assisting candidates with preparing for centralised assessments in the legal sector, such as the SQE.
You will have access to over 1200 Barbri practice questions for you to use throughout the year as you prepare for your SQE1 assessments. The remaining 720 questions take the form of two mock SQE1 examinations. This package will help you to prepare for the SQE1 assessments and will complement the face-to-face teaching delivered by our experienced lecturers and other resources which Northumbria will provide as part of your studies
The programme will provide knowledge of how the law is applied in practice, as well as enabling you to track your progress throughout the programme. In addition to this, it will also provide you with a critical understanding of how to respond professionally to different legal scenarios. You will be expected to think creatively and understand how to interpret and use legal rules to support arguments.
The final dissertation module will allow you to focus your interests through your chosen topic area. You will further develop techniques used in academic research and the professional skills needed for practice. It will improve your ability to undertake effective legal research and further your analytical and reflection skills in practice and policy. You will be encouraged to reflect on your progress and application of legal professional values and ethics throughout the programme.
In addition to achieving a Masters in Law degree, you will also have the opportunity to enhance your profile and experience by gaining an internationally recognised LLM qualification. In an increasingly competitive market, this offers you the means to set yourself apart from other graduates and enhance your future employability.
Dr Victoria Roper, Associate Professor at Northumbria University, answers crucial questions about the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination in the BBC's podcast series; Not All Lawyers Have Law Degrees.
Why Study Law at Northumbria?
- Top School: Law at Northumbria is ranked 6th in the UK (Daily Mail University Guide, 2026)
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Learn with the best minds - Law at Northumbria is ranked 7th in the UK for research power out of 69 submissions (REF 2021)
Course Information
Level of Study
Postgraduate
Mode of Study
1 year Full Time
Location
City Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2026
Fees
Fee Information
Funding and Scholarships
Discover the funding options available to you.
Facilities / Northumbria Law School
Discover what our facilities at the Northumbria Law School have to offer.
Careers / Develop
We have a fantastic service for students' to use to gain advice and tips on furthering careers and enhancing their employability.
Careers and Employment Services
Book a Virtual Open Day / Experience Professional Legal Practice
Visit an Open Day to find out about life in Newcastle, tour our facilities and chat to staff and students.
Entry Requirements 2026/27
Standard Entry
Applicants should normally have:
A Qualifying Law Degree awarded at a minimum of a 2:2 honours, or a GDL qualification, both awarded less than 7 years ago. Relevant professional qualifications or suitable experience will also be considered.
Please note that whilst you may not need a law degree to sit the SQE examinations to qualify as a Solicitor, we still require a QLD for entry onto this course. Northumbria do not accept non law degrees/overseas law degrees in lieu of a QLD as they do not cover the foundations of law which we require, as the LLM Professional Legal Practice only delivers 5 modules out of the 13 subject areas that candidates are expected to know in depth for SQE1.
International qualifications:
If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English language requirements:
International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
Fees and Funding 2026/27 Entry
Full UK Fee: £9,700
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050 (subject to Parliamentary approval, along with 2026/27 fees) Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
*if your course is longer than one year
Full International Fee: £9,700
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
1. Optional professional accreditation/fee – Solicitors Qualifying Examination 1 (SQE1) exam fee, cost of SQE1 - £1,934 (£967 for FLK1 and £967 for FLK2). This is not an additional cost that students or employers will have to pay to obtain our Northumbria award. Students/employers will have to pay it if the student wishes to sit the Solicitors Regulation Authorities external SQE 1 exam, which does not contribute to our award, but for which our programme does prepare them. 2. Whilst books are made available via the University library, students may be advised to purchase books for their modules at an approximate cost of £200 per annum. 3. Travel expenses for optional work experience with agencies - approximately £100.
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
Students will cover core SQE1 Focused modules, and also have a range of optional modules to choose from to complete their credits.
Any Questions?
Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
Accessibility and Student Inclusion
Northumbria University is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse and accessible campus and wider University community and are determined to ensure that opportunities we provide are open to all.
We are proud to work in partnership with AccessAble to provide Detailed Access Guides to our buildings and facilities across our City, Coach Lane and London Campuses. A Detailed Access Guide lets you know what access will be like when you visit somewhere. It looks at the route you will use getting in and what is available inside. All guides have Accessibility Symbols that give you a quick overview of what is available, and photographs to show you what to expect. The guides are produced by trained surveyors who visit our campuses annually to ensure you have trusted and accurate information.
You can use Northumbria’s AccessAble Guides anytime to check the accessibility of a building or facility and to plan your routes and journeys. Search by location, building or accessibility feature to find the information you need.
We are dedicated to helping students who may require additional support during their student journey and offer 1-1 advice and guidance appropriate to individual requirements. If you feel you may need additional support you can find out more about what we offer here where you can also contact us with any questions you may have:
