Competition from private universities forces DU to introduce an Integrated Law course – Times of India

By Aditya Wadhawan
The Academic and Executive Council of the University of Delhi (DU) has given their approval to introduce a five-year integrated LLB programme. The decision has been taken several years after Jamia Milia Islamia, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) and Nationa Law University (NLUD) and several private universities introduced integrated law courses.
The DU will soon seek permission from the Bar Council of India (BCI) to officially introduce the course. As per the schedule, the first batch of the integrated LLB, as many as 120 students will enrol in the upcoming academic session at the Faculty of Law.
In the first three years, students would complete their BA LLB, while in the remaining two years, they will be completing theirBBA LLB. The subject in BA LLB includes Political Science, Sociology and Economics along with courses in Law. The BBA LLB would be taught subjects related to Commerce, Management and Economics. Till now, DU offered a three-year LLB, LLM (full-time as well as part-time) and a PhD in Law.
Speaking to Education Times, Megh Raj, assistant professor at Law Faculty and member of the Academic Council, University of Delhi, says, “The five-year integrated programme has been introduced to compete with the private universities, who have been offering integrated courses for quite some time. ”
By pursuing this integrated law programme, students will save one year which is not possible while taking separate under-graduation and post-graduation in Law. “The integrated course will ensure continuous learning without making them wait to enrol for Masters. There is a huge demand for the integrated course in the job market as it is customized as per the requirement in the industry.”
By pursuing the integrated law programme, students’ knowledge base would be diversified and they would get prepared for jobs in the legal as well as the business industry. “There are many companies that aim to hire qualified legal professionals with strong knowledge of business,” says Raj.
“Due to the large duration of the programme, students will get an opportunity to pursue more legal services programmes, internships and attend more moot court activities which will enhance their industry exposure in the college itself,” adds Raj.