Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree | Criminal & Family Law

Law Programme
(Criminal & Family Law)

Train and produce lawyers for the practice of law in Singapore particularly in the areas of Criminal Law and Family Law.

Bachelor of Laws

Applications Open: 01 October 2025

Applications Close: 15 March 2026

Next Available Intake: July 2026

Programme Type: Law

Fees: View More Details on Fees

Area of Interest: Legal

School/Department: School of Law

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Important Update: Change of Starting Semester for Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Laws Programmes

There will be a change in intake semester for Law programmes from 2026. Both Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Laws programmes will begin in the July semester, instead of the January semester as is the case currently. There will be revised application periods. The next intake will be for July 2026 and applications will open on 1 October 2025.

Find out more here: Law Programmes Admission Intake Update

Singapore University of Social Sciences is the only university in Singapore dedicated to working adults, allowing them to pursue lifelong learning and higher education while balancing career, family and social responsibilities. The primary focus of the University School of Law is to train and produce lawyers for the practice of law in Singapore particularly in the areas of Criminal Law and Family Law. This is part of the national effort to meet the need for lawyers in the areas of Criminal Law and Family Law. Currently, there is a gap in the supply in terms of well-trained lawyers for these areas of law. Traditionally, lawyers tend to gravitate to the commercial areas of law thus leaving a gap in Criminal Law and Family Law areas. From the perspective of our society, this is a concern we need to address. Singapore University of Social Sciences School of Law seeks to address this shortfall.

However, even when this shortfall of practitioners is overcome, it remains a fact that Criminal Law and Family Law affects families, communities and the society in Singapore: the practitioners are involved in more than just legal issues. The School of Law will offer more training and exposure to cross-disciplinary areas like sociology, social work and forensics, to prepare students for family and criminal legal work that have become increasingly specialised over time. In time, the School of Law will be a focal point for the broader eco-system of practitioners, students, government bodies and non-governmental organisations working in these fields, generating relevant and cross-cutting research in collaboration with similar institutes in Singapore and overseas jurisdictions.

In view of Singapore University of Social Sciences School of Law's emphasis on the practice of law, the focus will be on applied learning to prepare our graduates for the practice of law in Singapore.

As the emphasis is on applied learning, the University law programmes will concentrate on core areas of law including Criminal Law and Family Law as well as related non-law subjects rather than the academic areas such as jurisprudence. To better prime and prepare our graduates for practice in the community, students will be offered relevant non-law subjects as part of their core curriculum. These subjects will include compulsory courses in Social Services and Forensic Sciences.

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Refer to the general admission criteria for undergraduate programmes.

Some applicants will be shortlisted for interview to assess their suitability and ability to complete the programme.

Students under the Bachelor of Laws programme will need to fulfil 180 credit units.

The LLB degree programme is meant for students with 'A' Level or Diploma qualifications. Students in the LLB programme will take about 4.5 to 5 years to complete their studies. LLB candidates will have the opportunity to take up electives. An indicative range of electives is available for reference below. Please note that the School of Law will update the LLB candidates on the electives that are available for every presentation.

All School of Law students expected to complete their degree within 6 years.

Graduates of the LLB programme are required to complete 180 credit units comprising:

10 credit units of Introductory Courses
100 credit units of Legal Knowledge Courses
10 credit units of Allied Knowledge (relevant non-law) Courses
15 credit units of Professional Courses
15 credit units under the Legal Clerkship Programme
30 credit units of Electives drawn from Legal or Allied Knowledge subjects

Graduates are also required to complete as a condition of graduation, the following:

20 hours of pro bono services as required under the rules of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education.

SUSS Core
In light of the content of the Introductory Courses, and the compulsory Allied Knowledge courses, students of the law programmes will not have to take any SUSS Core courses.

Introductory Courses
The Introductory Courses introduce the students to the nuts and bolts of the study of law and reinforces the importance of being able to read and write well.

Legal Knowledge
Students take 100 credit units of legal knowledge courses covering the foundations of legal knowledge, and other subject areas commonly encountered by the legal practitioner.

Throughout these courses, the students will also be developing their skills of reading, listening, legal research, analysis, and advocacy.

The students will spend the entire second year of their studies on criminal and family law, procedure and evidence, a feature designed to produce law graduates with skills focused on community legal practice. This is one of the distinguishing features of this programme.

Electives
All law students will take at least 10 credit units of Allied Knowledge courses introducing them to social services in Singapore, and also to forensics, the science behind crime scene investigations. Students preparing for the Bachelor of Laws degree will take a further 30 credit units of courses which they can draw from the areas of law, psychology and social work. This allows the School of Law to train lawyers who approach issues of crime or family from a more holistic approach, looking beyond just the legal problems to the wider issues.

Professional Courses
The professional training section echoes the requirements of the report of the 4th Committee for there to be elements of practical/vocational training in this degree. In this, the students will be given training in trial advocacy, ethical legal practice and client care, as well as in mediation. For our students, exposure to practical professional issues this early ensures that these skills will be firmly reinforced when encountered again at Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations.

Legal Clerkship Programme
Practical training within the law degree programmes is a unique feature of the School of Law. The Legal Clerkship Programme will provide students with structured training in the application of their legal and professional knowledge. This clinical training would be the most appropriate platform for authentic practical training in real-life situations. The training would be arranged through institutions that work with criminal and family law, such as the Legal Aid Bureau, the Law Society's Pro Bono Services Office, or the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and relevant state agencies such as the Attorney-General's Chambers.

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Module Types
COMPULSORY	LAW201 Critical Thinking and Legal Interpretation LAW203 Legal Writing and IT Essentials LAW205 Introduction to Forensics LAW301 Legal Methods and the Singapore Legal System LAW303 Law of Business Organisations LAW305 Contract and Civil Litigation LAW307 Torts, Litigation and Evidence LAW309 Criminal Law, Procedure and Evidence - 1 LAW311 Criminal Law, Procedure and Evidence - 2 LAW317 Law of Property LAW319 Equity and Trusts LAW321 Constitutional and Administrative Law LAW323 Wills, Probate and Administration LAW325 Family Law and the Family Justice Courts - 1 LAW327 Family Law and the Family Justice Courts - 2 LAW351 Islamic Family Law in Singapore LAW401 Ethical Legal Practice and Client Care LAW403 Mediation Advocacy LAW405 Trial Advocacy LAW499 Legal Clerkship Programme SWK100 Development of Social Work and Social Services in Singapore SWK107 Introduction to Social Services	155 cu
LAW ELECTIVE	CET315 The Law and Practice of Arbitration in Singapore LAW251 Introduction to Financial Reporting for Lawyers LAW353 Specialist Family Law: Adoption, Mental Capacity and Cross-border issues LAW355 Practical Family Lawyering, Ethics and Collaborative Law LAW357 Emerging Technologies and the Law	5 to 10 cu (Students need to complete 25 cu of electives, 5 to 10 cu from Law electives.)
PSYCHOLOGY ELECTIVE	ABS103 Everyday Psychology PSY205 Social Psychology PSY213 Mental Health and Well-being in Singapore PSY372 Criminal Psychology PSY373 Psychology of Nonverbal Behaviours PSY378 Forensic Psychology in Singapore	5 to 15 cu (Students need to complete 25 cu of electives, 5 to 15 cu from Psychology electives.)
SOCIAL WORK ELECTIVES	SWK352 Children and their Issues SWK354 Families and their Issues SWK358 Eldercare	5 to 15 cu (Students need to complete 25 cu of electives, 5 to 15 cu from Social Work electives.)

One of the mandates of the Singapore University of Social Sciences School of Law is to train lawyers with a heart for and who will eventually practise as lawyers within the community primarily in Criminal Law practice and Family Law practice. our student recruitment will focus on and give preference to applicants who have a fair amount of work experience. Preference will be given to applicants who have worked for some time in related fields such as social work, law enforcement, and the prison service.

Other applicants who can show current involvement in community work connected with Criminal Law and Family Law will also be given preferred consideration.

The LLB will be recognised degrees under the Legal Profession Act, and provided the student graduates with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.5, he/she will be a 'qualified person' under the Legal Profession Act and will be eligible to sit for Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations.

The graduate is qualified to practise law in any area, but he/she will have particular knowledge and skills to excel in the fields of criminal law and family law.

Bachelor of Laws

Bachelor of Laws

Overview

Admission Requirements

Programme Structure

Curriculum