Five Years Integrated vs. Three-Years LLB: Which One to Choose?
One of the most difficult challenges in a law applicant’s career is deciding on the right career path as well as the course. Questions like which is the best law course, should I go for a five-year integrated course or a three-year LLB after graduation, which is the better of the two, and so on are common in the field of legal education.
The Five Years Integrated vs. Three-Years LLB is a never ending debate. Many students ask questions regarding the pros and cons of five-year LLB programs and three-year LLB programs.
If you are still in 12th or have just passed 12th class, then the choice is pretty easy for you – just go for a 5-year integrated LLB program. Such programs will not only provide you a graduation degree (such as BA, BSc, B. Com, BBA, etc.), but will also give you a LLB degree.
Similarly, if you are already a graduate, then you should go for 3-year LLB course. However, if you have already enrolled in a graduate course and are in the first year, and now are thinking of switching to a LLB course, then this article may be useful to you.
Here we will compare the advantages and disadvantages of 3-year and 5-year LLB courses. We hope that the information provided in this article will help you in making the right decision on what is best for you.
Eligibility criteria for Five Year and Three Year LLB
If you have cleared your 12th class, you are eligible to join any 5-year integrated LLB course. In most law colleges, there is a minimum 45% or 50% board marks criteria.
However, you can only go for a 3-year LLB program if you are already a graduate. In most law colleges, there is a minimum 45% or 50% graduation marks criteria. You can do LLB irrespective of whether you did your graduation as a regular student or you were enrolled in distance learning program.
Five Years Integrated and Three-Years LLB: Which is better?
You should go for 5-year integrated course if:
- The Integrated LLB curriculum is a five-year comprehensive programme. Along with the main disciplines listed in the LLB degree, this course includes a graduate programme such as BA, BBA, B. Com, and so on. The sole distinction is that, in addition to fundamental legal education, this curriculum also concentrates on basic graduate-level disciplines.
- Scholars who enrol in this 5-year integrated course have early access to courtroom practice in college. Their curriculum also includes Moot Courts, research submissions, and Mock Trial courts.
- You are clear in your life goals that you want to pursue a career in law. So, you have the WILL. But make sure that you also have the required SKILLS, i.e. you are socially aware, read newspapers and knows about what’s going on in India and other countries of the world, you have good communication skills, and are a good debater, and maybe you want to bring change in Indian system and society through law, and help people.
- you don’t want to do a simple graduation degree like BA, B.Sc, B.Comm, BBA. Such courses may not help you much in getting a job, as there are hardly any campus placements. You will either have to go for higher studies and/or sit for various entrance examinations. However, doing a BA LLB, B.Sc LLB, etc. will provide you an added advantage. The law career options will also open in front of you.
You should go for 3-year integrated course if:
- A three-year LLB degree is a graduate programme. Only after graduating from high school may students enrol in a three-year LLB programme. The course will last three years. The course’s objective is to concentrate on different elements of legal education and to educate students to practise law or serve as legal advisors in the business sector.
- Within months of starting the course, students master the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and other disciplines, while five-year students are normally in their third or fifth year of law school.
- You want to get into a more conventional job like engineer, or doctor, and are looking for a law degree only as an added point in your resume. There’s no MBBS LLB course in India. So, if you want to become an engineer, and then do law, you cannot do it via any integrated course. You will have to do them separately – 4 years for B. Tech and then 3 years for LLB. Though it will take much more time, but many career options will open in front of you.
- You already are well-settled in your job, but you want to go into politics or social work. An LLB degree will help you a lot in this regard. It will definitely improve your social status, and capacity to help people. You may also file Public Interest Litigation (PILs) for various social and political issues.
Conclusion
You can do LLB no matter what your stream was in 12th or in graduation. One other added advantage of 3-year LLB program is that, it is solely focussed on law subjects. You will not have to study arts, commerce, or management subjects.
The best entrance exams and colleges for 5-year integrated LLB course are:
- CLAT – for National Law Universities (NLUs). NLUs only provide 5-year integrated LLB courses.
- AILET – for National Law University, Delhi
- LSAT
- MHCET
The best entrance exams and colleges for 3-year LLB course are:
- DU LLB – for Faculty of Law, Delhi University. Faculty of Law, DU only provides 3-year LLB course.
- BHU UET – for Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University
- LSAT
Now you know all the pros and cons of the two methods available to you to get a LLB degree. However, remember that the college you get into is as important as the course you pursue.
The better the college, the better friends you will get (intellect wise), the better faculty you will get, and later on you will have a better chance to get a job. Even more important than the college you join is the law knowledge and practical knowledge you acquire.
Just having a good degree is not enough in this world. You need to have knowledge of your field, and that is possible only if you really like what you do.
The aspirant’s priorities will determine his or her legal professional route. If an aspirant want to pursue a profession in law with distinction, a five-year law degree is the finest option.
In comparison to three-year LLB programmes, the integrated five-year degree saves one year of schooling while providing the same educational value to candidates. If an aspirant wishes to get experience in a variety of fields of education, he or she should choose three graduation courses in various fields of education, such as BA, BBA, B.Sc., B. Com, and so on, and then apply for or enrol in a three-year LLB programme.
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Indrasish Majumder
Contributing author
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