GDL or Post Graduate Diploma Law (PGDL) and MA (conversion): What's the difference?
I'm looking into courses for converting to law and am somewhat overwhelmed by the options. What is the difference between the courses listed above, in terms of how employers might regard them? Would people consider a PGDL as being lesser than a GDL for instance?
Original post by gblanchflower
I'm looking into courses for converting to law and am somewhat overwhelmed by the options. What is the difference between the courses listed above, in terms of how employers might regard them? Would people consider a PGDL as being lesser than a GDL for instance?
Hi gblanchflower,
I have completed my GDL and recently completed my LLM LPC. And really it all depends on what you want to do.
The GDL is a diploma and you can't get government funding for it. However, the MA law as it is a Master's level degree and allows you to apply for the postagraduate funding.
In terms of PGDL and GDL in all depends on the university to whom you apply for as to what the name is. But they are generally the same just name differs from Uni to uni. However I do knw of some Uni's calling the new GDL that focuses on the SQE route the PGDL.
Hope that is helpful,
Tam
ULaw Student Ambassador
I’m sure they are pretty much all the same but you have a dissertation on the end to be able to get masters funding. But if they are all bpp or uni of law, they will be pretty similar.
Do any other universities do these courses?
Do any other universities do these courses?
Actually I see Bristol uni does it (ma law) and it seems to be identical to the 2 year senior status law degree I did last year at Queen Mary. Not sure what makes it masters level there!
Original post by gblanchflower
I'm looking into courses for converting to law and am somewhat overwhelmed by the options. What is the difference between the courses listed above, in terms of how employers might regard them? Would people consider a PGDL as being lesser than a GDL for instance?
No, the pgdip in law might be graded at a higher level than the gdl but otherwise not much different - it’s the first 2 years of an llb in one yea. The pgdip is the newer name for gdl because of the new sqe pathway, for example at kcl.
the pgdip at kcl is different from the llb because there are only problem questions and no essay questions on the exam, so some of the more academic and theory is sacrificed in favor of practical knowledge.
the MA in law at Bristol is just the first two years of an llb, but graded at a post graduate level with separate seminars, it’s the same at the Swansea llm, at least when I looked into studying there last year that’s what they told me.
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