20th August 1999

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For the first time, students in the North-West capital will be able to study for a law degree - without leaving their native city.

From October this year, the University of Ulster's Magee College campus will offer three year Honours Degrees in Law - the first such courses ever delivered west of the Bann.

In the past, budding legal eagles had to travel to Belfast or farther afield in order to study for their chosen career, but with 58 places now available at Magee College, those days are over.

To make the new law degree programme possible, the University of Ulster has increased its complement of law lecturers at Magee College, and has also appointed a new Professor of Law, Christine Bell, who will be based at the campus.

Professor Bell is an internationally respected human rights lawyer, and sits on Northern Ireland's Human Rights Commission, headed up by the eminent University of Ulster jurist, Professor Brice Dickson.

Course Director at Magee is Ms Angela Hegarty, who is also a leading human rights lawyer and a member of the NI Human Rights Commission.

Ms Hegarty said: ""Two courses are available, said Course Director Angela Hegarty of the School of Public Policy, Economics and Law: a LLB/BA in Law and Politics and LLB/BA in Law and Business Studies. "

She added: " As a native of Derry, I am particularly pleased that fully-fledged law degrees are now being offered at Magee. It has long been an ambition of mine to see law degrees taught here.

"I know how welcome a development this is for a campus which is regarded as so important by those in the city and the North-West generally."

"The response has been extremely favourable so far and we are delighted at the interest the courses have already generated," she continued, " Our aim is to produce law graduates of the highest standard, equipped with the key skills for employment, enabling them to contribute to the requirements of a versatile, sustainable, knowledge-based society."

The curriculum for both degrees fully meets the requirements for qualifying law degrees in Northern Ireland, England and Wales.

Welcoming the new law courses, Professor Fabian Monds, Provost of Magee College, said:

"This an excellent development which significantly broadens the spectrum of learning at Magee College.

"We've had much good news recently in our expansion of Informatics, Engineering and Business Studies, and the new law courses will complement and extend our commitment to providing the highest international standards of learning in the city and its people."

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk