Bachelor of Civil Law
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Bachelor of Civil Law or BCL is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. Historically, it originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but many universities now offer the BCL as an undergraduate degree. The reference to civil law was not originally in contradistinction to common law, but to canon law, although it is true that common law was not taught in the civil law faculties in either university until at least the second half of the 18th century. However, some universities in English-speaking countries use the degree in the former sense.
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[edit] Postgraduate degrees
In Oxford, the BCL is a taught postgraduate degree in English law - equivalent to the Master of Laws (LLM) offered by other British universities. It is the highest taught course in law at Oxford, and is indeed reputed to be the "toughest law masters programme in the Common Law world".[citation needed] At Oxford, the undergraduate law degree is a BA degree in Jurisprudence, equivalent to the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) offered by other British universities. After obtaining the BCL degree, it is possible (though rare) to proceed to the degree of Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) in recognition of published work or court judgments. It is also possible separately to carry out legal research work as part of the Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) programme.
The Faculty of Civil Law in Oxford is so named to distinguish it from the faculty of canon law which was abolished in both universities by King Henry VIII in 1535. The syllabus consisted entirely of Roman civil law until the establishment of the Vinerian Professorship of English Law in 1758. Undergraduate examinations in law were not established until 1850, with the separate BA undergraduate honour school of Jurisprudence being established in 1872.
The Faculty of Civil Law in Cambridge was renamed the Faculty of Laws after the teaching of English common law was introduced in the 19th century. The postgraduate degree in this faculty, retitled LLB, is now titled LLM. The BCL degree in Durham University is now also titled LLM.
[edit] Undergraduate degrees
[edit] India
Indian universities offer 5 year (after school leaving certificate exam) or 3 year (after graduation with a BA) LLB degrees. Universities offering this degree include the National Law School [1] located at Bangalore and National Judicial University located at Calcutta. In some southern universities (e.g., Annamalai University) some specialised undergraduate degrees in law are offered styled as BAL (Bachelor of Academic Laws) or BGL (Bachelor of General Laws).
[edit] Ireland
The B.C.L. degree is also a standard law degree in the Republic of Ireland. It is awarded by constituent universities of the National University of Ireland, such as University College Cork, University College Dublin and the National University of Ireland, Galway. Other Irish universities, including University of Limerick and Trinity College, Dublin, award the LL.B. degree. The LLB is offered at postgraduate level by NUI, Galway and the University of Limerick also.
[edit] Specifically civil law degrees
[edit] Canada (B.C.L. / LL.B. / LL.L.)
At McGill University, the bachelor's degree in Quebec civil law is called the Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.), to distinguish it from the bachelor's degree in common law offered by that same university: Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). Graduates earn both degrees concurrently after three to four years of study.
The University of Ottawa, although located in Ontario, also offers a baccalaureate degree in Quebec civil law, which it styles the LL.L. (Latin Legum Licentiatus, Licentiate of Laws), to distinguish it from the bachelor's degree in common law (LL.B.) offered by that same university.
The other universities in Quebec that offer a baccalaureate degree in Quebec civil law (Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke) call it an LL.B. (baccalauréat en droit), though in the past the degree at Université de Montréal and Université Laval was styled as the Legum Licentiatus (LL.L.).
These bachelor's degrees in Quebec civil law (LL.B., B.C.L. or LL.L. depending on the university) are a first-entry degree programme which, like other first-entry university programmes in any discipline in Quebec, require a CEGEP diploma for entry. Except in the case of McGill's programme, they are three years in length. The common law LL.B. or Quebec civil law B.C.L. are now combined at McGill University in what is called a "transystemic program" of 105 credits. Students can choose to complete the curriculum in 3, 3.5 or 4 years. Admission to the McGill programme is a first-entry programme in the case of Quebec students (as the CEGEP diploma is required) while it is a second-entry programme in the case of students from other provinces (as two years of university studies is required, effectively one extra year of studies more than for a CEGEP diploma).
While the baccalaureate degree in Quebec civil law is the terminal professional degree for entry into the bar admission programme of the Barreau du Québec (Bar of Quebec), a candidate for entry into the training programme of the Chambre des Notaires du Québec must, after that baccalaureate degree, go on to obtain a Diplôme de deuxième cycle en droit notarial (graduate studies Diploma in Notarial Law) from Université de Montréal, Université Laval, Université d'Ottawa or Université de Sherbrooke that requires two semesters of full-time study. At Université de Montréal, by doing a directed studies paper, the student can also earn an LL.M. in Notarial Law, in addition to the Diploma in Notarial Law.
[edit] Louisiana
The Paul M. Hebert Law Center on the campus of Louisiana State University in the U.S. confers on the graduates of its baccalaureate law program a combined J.D. (Juris Doctor) / B.C.L. (Bachelor of Civil Law) in view of the Louisiana civil law components in the program and the additional (i.e., 7th) semester of study.
