The Department of Law currently offers an undergraduate law degree, namely the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree. The duration of the LL.B. degree is 4 years.
TFor information about the Department of Law, please visit http://arts.pdn.ac.lk//law/ . For information about the LL.B. curriculum and the courses offered, please visit http://arts.pdn.ac.lk/law/prog/under.php .
Students from each district are required to obtain an Z-score set by the University Grants Commission (UGC). This Z-score could vary annually, and is dependent on the policy of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the requirements of the respective University. Please refer the latest University Admission Handbook (which can be accessed via www.ugc.ac.lk) for details. Applications need to be forwarded via the UGC: for more information, please visit http://www.ugc.ac.lk/downloads/admissions/FAQ/English.pdf .
The academic year is comprised of two semesters, each of which lasts 15 weeks, and runs from late January/early February to late November/early December.
Generally, we admit 50 students to the Department every year. This number could vary, depending on the annual quota which is set by the UGC.
The LL.B. degree is offered only in the English-medium.
All students who register for a degree at the Faculty of Arts, including the Department of Law, are provided English-language training by the English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) of the Faculty of Arts. Students need to follow the ‘English as a Second Language’ (ESL) courses offered by the ELTU. These courses are designed to help students develop the key skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Under the current curriculum, students are offered 8 credits for ESL courses. However, under the proposed new curriculum of the LL.B. degree (which will come into effect from 2019), law students will get an opportunity to follow a new course titled ‘English for Law’. It is a core-course that all students need to follow (in the 3rd, 4th and 6th semesters of their study). It is specifically designed to address the English-language needs of law students. In addition to the above, to be qualified to obtain the degree, the students should follow the ESL-courses offered by the ELTU and obtain the Intermediate Certificate for English.
For information about the staff members of the Department of Law, please visit http://arts.pdn.ac.lk/law/staff.php
Yes. All law students in their final (4th) year are required to write a well-researched dissertation, under the supervision of a lecturer. This is a mandatory requirement.
Yes. Generally, students are free to take up internship placements and gain work experience; and there are currently a number of law students who do internships at various institutions. However, this needs to happen during holidays or in a way that does not make the internship clash with your lectures at the University. This is because students need to meet the 80% attendance requirement to qualify to sit the exams in each semester.
Under the new curriculum of the LL.B. degree which will be introduced in 2019, it will be mandatory for students to gain internship-placements during the 2nd semester of the final (4th) year of their degree. Thus, from 2019, internship will be a core part of the law curriculum.
Students of the Department of Law can obtain membership in such associations as the Law Students’ Association (LSA), the Mooting Society and the Environmental Society, which are administered by students of the Department. In addition, there are numerous societies (e.g. Rotaract, Drama, Explorers’ Club, etc.) that students can join and competitive sports activities (e.g. cricket, tennis, athletics, etc.) that all students of the University can engage in. The Department of Law actively encourages students to engage in such extra-curricular activities and considers such engagement to be an essential part of student-life.
Please obtain the ‘University Handbook’ of the relevant Faculty for more information.