Entry Points (2023)
521

Course Overview

Please note this course will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

The four-year Bachelor of Civil Law and Taxation degree allows students to combine the study of a full undergraduate law degree with taxation.

Taxation is a key component of global business in today’s commercial world. Law firms are expanding their practice in the area of taxation, creating an increased demand for law graduates with a knowledge of taxation. This degree will provide students with the knowledge and skills for legal practice, taxation or both.

Students complete all the modules required to support them to undertake the entrance exams for the Law Society of Ireland, should they wish to qualify as a solicitor. Students who wish to qualify as a barrister will have the option of taking all additional modules required by the Honourable Society of King’s Inns, through the Legal Professions specialised stream in the final year. 

University Galway’s Tax Clinic

Students will have the opportunity to obtain experience as a Clinical Tax Advisor at Unversity of Galway’s Tax Clinic, Ireland’s first free tax clinic. University of Galway's Tax Clinic provides free information on personal tax matters to marginalised citizens, and through the work of the clinic, it aims to ensure the fairness and integrity of the tax system for all taxpayers. The Tax Clinic will allow students who study taxation at University of Galway to gain valuable real-world experience working alongside professional tax advisors. Students can apply to participate in the Tax Clinic after they have completed the module Taxation I.

Professional Work Placement or Study Abroad

In year three of this course students will have the opportunity to spend the academic year completing professional work placement or studying abroad. Students will have the opportunity to apply for a professional work placement in a leading law firm, a corporate organisation, a public sector organisation or other suitable legal placement. Students can take advantage of our links with leading international universities to spend a year studying abroad. We offer study abroad opportunities in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, India, Poland, The Netherlands, Spain and the United States of America.

Note: Students who choose the optional specialist stream in Legal Irish will spend year three divided between one semester studying at Unversity of Galway’s Gaeltacht campus in An Cheathrú Rua and one semester of professional work placement in an Irish-speaking legal environment.​

Specialist Streams

This distinctive degree allows students to combine the study of a full undergraduate law degree with taxation and still explore other related areas of law and commerce by choosing a specialist stream in final year. Students may choose one of the following specialist streams.

  • The Legal Professions
  • Accounting
  • Business and Commercial Law
  • Economics
  • Digital Business and Analytics
  • Management
  • Law and Innovation
  • Language: Legal French/ Legal German/ Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish)

 

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Please note this course will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate including Irish, English, Mathematics, and another language and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

Please note this course will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024.

A Level Grades (2023)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

15

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

1 (More Info)

Closing Date
NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY253

Course code

Course Outline

Please note this course will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change. 

 Year 1 (60 credits)

This year focuses on building skills with strong foundational teaching. The module ‘Understanding the Law’ builds a platform of essential skills and helps students to transition to the expectations of a university degree. In addition to the core law modules, students gain a good basic foundation of accounting by completing two introductory accounting modules. Students do not need to have previously studied accounting and the accounting modules are optional in year two.  Students also choose optional modules in Digital Business, Economics or Legal Irish.

Compulsory Core Modules (50 credits)

  • Understanding the Law (10 credits)
  • Contract Law (10 credits)
  • Constitutional Law (10 credits)
  • Tort Law (10 credits)
  • Introduction to Financial Accounting (5 credits)
  • Introduction to Management Accounting (5 credits)

 Optional Modules (10 credits)

 Digital Business

  • Information Management for Business (5 credits)
  • Business Information Systems (5 credits)

Economics

  • Principles of Microeconomics (5 credits)
  • Principles of Macroeconomics (5 credits)

Language 

 

 Year 2 (60 credits)    

In second year students develop their skills further with modules such as ‘Mooting’ which helps develop communication and advocacy skills. In addition to the core law modules, students will also complete two modules in Taxation which will give them the ability to understand and apply tax legislation in a number of different scenarios. Students also choose optional modules in Accounting, Digital Business, Economics, Management or Legal Irish.

 Compulsory Core Modules (45 credits)

  • Criminal Law I & II (10 credits)
  • European Union Law I & II (10 credits)
  • Company Law I & II (10 credits)
  • Taxation I & II (10 credits)
  • Mooting (5 credits)

Optional Modules (choose 15 credits)

Accounting

  • Management Accounting I (5 credits)
  • Business Finance I (5 credits)
  • International Financial Reporting I (5 credits)

 Economics

  • Applied Microeconomics for Business (5 credits)
  • Macroeconomics and the Business Environment (5 credits)
  • Principles of Microeconomics (5 credits)
  • Principles of Macroeconomics (5 credits)

Digital Business

  • Business Information Systems (5 credits)
  • Information Management for Business (5 credits)
  • Cybersecurity (5 credits)

Management

  • Employment Relations (5 credits)
  • Management (5 credits)

 Language

  • Legal French/ Legal German/ Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish) (10 credits)

 

Year 3 (60 credits)

Customise your experience by choosing either professional work placement or study abroad.

Caithfidh na mic léinn a dhéanann Teanga an Dlí seimeastar amháin ag staidéar ar champas Gaeltachta Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh ar an gCeathrú Rua agus seimeastar amháin eile ar shocrúchán oibre i dtimpeallacht lán-Ghaeilge. (Students who study Legal Irish will spend one semester studying at NUI Galway’s Gaeltacht campus in An Cheathrú Rua and one semester of professional work placement in an Irish-speaking environment.)

Year 4 (60 credits)

In addition to completing core law modules including ‘Revenue Law’, students will have the opportunity to shape their degree by choosing a specialist stream. Students will also complete a ‘Guided Research Essay’ on a topic of their choice and will be supported by an academic mentor who will meet with them to discuss their research essay.

 Compulsory Core Modules  (30 credits)

  • Revenue Law I & II
  • Guided Research Essay
  • Land Law
  • Equity Law

Specialist Streams (30 credits)

Students will have the opportunity to shape their degree by choosing a specialist stream. Students may choose one of the following specialist streams. Certain specialist streams have prerequisite modules which must be passed before choosing the stream in the final year.

Business and Commercial Law

  •  Banking Law
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Labour Law I
  • Labour Law II
  • Commercial Law
  • International Trade Law
  • Law and Economics
  • Industrial and Intellectual Property Law
  • Comparative Competition Law
  • Law and Innovation

 Economics

 Compulsory modules for this stream:

  •  Microeconomics and Public Policy
  • Macroeconomics and Public Policy

 Optional Modules for this stream:

  •  Econometrics
  • Health Economics
  • Money & Banking
  • Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
  • Development Economics
  • Economics and Philosophy
  • International Economics
  • Economics of Financial Markets
  • Public Economics
  • Marine Economics

 Accounting

  • Management Accounting II
  • Management Accounting III
  • International Financial Reporting II
  • International Financial Reporting III
  • Business Finance I
  • Business Finance II

The Legal Professions

  • Administrative Law I
  • Jurisprudence I
  • Evidence I & II
  • Choose a module from another stream

 Management

  • Labour Law I
  • Labour Law II Human Resource Management
  • Work in a Global Context
  • Business Strategy

 Digital Business and Analytics

  • Database Technologies
  • Decision Modelling and Analytics
  • Business Intelligence & Analytics
  • Implementing Digital Innovation
  • Advanced Research Topics in Information Systems

Law and Innovation

  •     Information Technology Law
  •     Industrial and Intellectual Property Law
  •     Law and Innovation
  •     Decision Modelling and Analytics
  •     Business Intelligence & Analytics
  •     Entrepreneurial Venture Development
  •     Implementing Digital Innovation

 

 

Language

Students who choose a language must also choose 20 credits worth of modules on other streams to meet credit requirements. Legal French/ Legal German/ Teanga an Dlí (Legal Irish

General

Define your own degree by selecting modules from the list below or from any of the other streams to meet the requirement of 25 credits. Module selection is subject to timetable clashes and availability.

  • Applied Microeconomics for Business (5 credits)
  • Macroeconomics and the Business Environment for Business (5 credits)
  • Economics of Public Policy  (5 credits)
  • Introduction to Public Policy  (5 credits)

 

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Optional EC139: Principles of Microeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EC2100: Applied Microeconomics for Business - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional AY207: Management Accounting I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional MS120: Business Information Systems - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional MG524: Management - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional GA2113: Gaeilge & Scileanna Cumarsáide 2_Teanga an Dlí - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required LW437: Moot Court - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required AY308: Taxation I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required LW301: Criminal Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required LW427: European Union Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required LW229: Company Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EC141: Principles of Macroeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EC2101: Macroeconomics and the Business Environment - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional AY208: Business Finance I - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional AY209: International Financial Reporting I - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional MS2100: Cybersecurity - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional GA2114: Teanga an Dlí - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional MS1100: Information Management for Business - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional AY3104: Clinical Taxation - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional MG3118: HRM & Decent Work - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required AY319: Taxation II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required LW304: Criminal Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required LW428: European Union Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required LW231: Company Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional MG325: Employment Relations - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Year 4 (60 Credits)

Optional EC3101: Microeconomics and Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC3105: Econometrics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC345: Health Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC369: Money And Banking - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC388: Environmental And Natural Resource Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC2100: Applied Microeconomics for Business - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional AY321: Management Accounting II - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional AY325: International Financial Reporting II - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional MG328: Human Resource Management - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional MS218: Database Technologies - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional MS414: Business Intelligence and Analytics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW337: Administrative Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW513: Evidence I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW212: Labour Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW3104: Applied Legal Theory - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW333: Comparative Competition Law - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW357: Environmental Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW3151: Equality and Law - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW339: Independent Research - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW356: Industrial And Intellectual Property Law - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW383: Information Technology Law - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW379: Legal & Business Ethics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW3150: Family and Child Law - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW3159: Lawyering, Technology and Innovation - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional LW405: Health Law & Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required LW3156: Revenue Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required LW3129: Guided Research Essay - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required LW225: Land Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required LW263: Equity I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional GR317: Legal German - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional GA4112: Gaeilge & Scileanna Cumarsáide 4: Teanga an Dlí - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional AY3104: Clinical Taxation - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC3102: Macroeconomics and Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC3100: Economics and Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC362: Economics Of Financial Markets - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC386: Public Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC429: Marine Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC3106: Behavioural Finance - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC2101: Macroeconomics and the Business Environment - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional AY322: Management Accounting III - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional AY326: International Financial Reporting III - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional AY208: Business Finance I - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional AY314: Business Finance II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MG3102: Work in a Global Context - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MG3103: Business Strategy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MG2101: Entrepreneurial Venture Development - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MS222: Decision Modelling and Analytics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MS4101: Implementing Digital Innovation - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MS3111: The Future of Technology in Work and Society II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MS3105: Philosophy, Theory and Research Methods in IS - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW420: Clinical Placement - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW3119: Jurisprudence - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW514: Evidence II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW216: Labour Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW371: Alternative Dispute Resolution - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW3153: The Protection of Prisoner Rights under International Law - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW365: Criminology - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW358: Environmental Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW419: Health and Safety Law - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW232: Housing Law & Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW364: International Trade Law - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW3152: Law and Analytics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required LW3157: Revenue Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required LW226: Land Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required LW265: Equity II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW3158: Animal Law - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional LW380: Legal French II - 10 Credits - Semester 8

Further Education

Please note this course  will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

Graduates of this course may complete further study to become a barrister or solicitor. Graduates will have completed the modules examined in the solicitor entrance exams at the Law Society of Ireland and will have the option to complete the modules required for the barrister entrance exams at The Honorable Society of King’s Inns.

Graduates may also decide to pursue further studies with the professional accountancy bodies’ to become an Accountant or study with the Irish Tax Institute to become a Chartered Tax Adviser.

Graduates may also be interested in completing a LLM (Master of Laws) or PhD programme. The School of Law offers a wide range of taught LLM programmes and LLM or PhD programmes by research.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Please note this course  will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

 

Taxation is an emerging career pathway in the area of law and business. Graduates of this programme will have many options to support a successful career in law, taxation or both.

Commercial law firms are expanding their expertise in taxation to respond to international markets and the growing demand for legal expertise in this area. Leading multinationals and companies are now hiring in-house legal counsel with taxation expertise to support global operations.

A lawyer working in a tax team would provide expert advice on topics such as commercial transactions, capital markets, financial transactions, investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, tax planning and litigation.

Graduates of this degree will be ready to sit the professional entrance exams for the Law Society of Ireland (solicitor). Graduates who completed the Legal Professions specialised stream will be eligible to sit the professional entrance exams for the Honourable Society of King’s Inns (barrister).

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Please note this course  will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

Our students will have the opportunity to gain a professional focus and real world experience through professional work placement. Students gain invaluable experience by putting theory into practice and developing new skills which can support and influence career direction. Students will have the opportunity to work in law firms that specialise in taxation or firms with a tax department. Students will have a range of CV and interview preparation supports available in advance of their work placement. Some of our work placement partners include: Eversheds Sutherland, KPMG and Ernst & Young.

Study Abroad

Please note this course  will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

 

Students can study abroad at partner institutions around the world, giving them the opportunity to experience legal education in an international setting and to gain a different perspective on the law. Students will have the opportunity to take law, taxation and business modules taught through English.

Access to World Class Academics

Our academic staff are nationally and internationally recognised experts in their fields and many are also industry experienced. Our students have access to academics who lead research projects and influence national and international policy making.

National and International Internships

In addition to professional work placement opportunities in third year, students in their final year will have the opportunity to apply for a limited number of national and international summer internships which are offered on a competitive basis.

Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholarship

Students on this course may be eligible to apply for the Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholarship. The Scholarship will support the successful Scholar throughout their degree to a minimum value of €7,500. The scholarship is awarded on the financial need and academic merit of the successful applicants. View full scholarship details.

Mooting

All students will complete the Mooting module and will have access to the NEW state-of-the-art on-campus Moot Court. Mooting is a simulated courtroom experience. The module is delivered through a taught component made up of lectures and an active component where students will participate in practical seminars and a mock trial. Past students described participating in mooting as ‘transformative’.

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€6,593 p.a. (€6,733 p.a. including levy) 2024/25

Fees: Tuition

€3,593 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€18,500 p.a. (€18,640 p.a. including levy) 2024/25

Please note this course will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 


EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy** €140.  **Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.  Further detail here.

Find out More

Please note this course  will not be available in September 2024 and has been withdrawn from the CAO in 2024. 

Phone: +353 (0)91 492389
Email: law@ universityofgalway.ie

School of Law webpage

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FAQs 

Trevor

Trevor Glavey |   Associate and Chartered Tax Advisor with Matheson

I am an associate and chartered tax advisor with the law firm Matheson, which is the law firm of choice for internationally focused companies and financial institutions doing business in and from Ireland. Since graduating from University of Galway’s School of Law in 2011 I now advise some of the world’s leading organisations with respect to their inward investment into Ireland, international tax and cross-border planning, corporate reorganisations, restructurings, transfer pricing and M&A. A career in law and taxation appealed to me because not only do I get to engage in high profile, challenging and interesting work but the significant international element also allows me to collaborate with colleagues from other jurisdictions in delivering client focused solutions and see the world. Given Ireland’s leading role in the international taxation landscape, if you pursue a career in law and taxation you can expect to be at the forefront of a dynamic and engaging industry with excellent opportunities.

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