A Scottish university will next year launch what is believed to be the first online law undergraduate degree.

The online LLB from the department of law at Robert Gordon University’s Aberdeen Business School will run from September 2011. The university already runs online law masters courses.

Applications for the degree, which has been accredited by the Law Society of Scotland, are currently being accepted from graduates or those with ‘extensive relevant work experience’.

The course can run for two, three or four years.

Derek Auchie, online LLB course leader and senior lecturer in law at the university, said: ‘This is a very exciting development for the university, and we aim to make this a premium online course. The key is that students should regularly interact online and in addition submit coursework and take examinations in the same way as the regular attendance-based LLB programme.

‘A range of steps will be taken to simulate the classroom environment online. Another key aspect of the course is its flexibility: students will be able to download materials accompanied by audio, so that they can listen to the presentations anywhere and at any time. This kind of flexible learning arrangement is a key attraction of this course, especially for those in busy jobs who want to change careers without attending university on a regular basis in the evenings.’