The Undergraduate Degree in Law offered by the Porto Faculty of Law, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, is a four-year university programme providing students with a solid legal foundation while developing transversal competences that enable active and meaningful engagement in society, both as responsible citizens and as competent, ethical, and principled professionals.

This degree continues the student’s intellectual, ethical, and cultural development. It does so not only through its core legal curricular units and a wide range of non-legal subjects, but also through skills-development initiatives (ADN do Jurista) and social engagement programmes delivered within UDIP – Unidade para o Desenvolvimento Integral da Pessoa [Unit for the Integral Development of the Person], both unique within the Portuguese academic landscape.

A further distinguishing feature is the personalised teaching model characteristic of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, where each student benefits from individual academic attention, supported by continuous assessment and small-group teaching that fosters critical participation and structured legal dialogue.

The Undergraduate Degree in Law is the natural path for those intending to pursue one of the legal professions, such as advocacy, the judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, legal solicitorship, registries and notarial careers, or corporate consultancy roles. Beyond these traditional legal professions, it is increasingly common to find graduates in law contributing across a broad range of professional sectors.

The Undergraduate Degree in Law at the Porto Faculty of Law, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, responds to the demands placed upon legal professionals in the twenty-first century by combining tradition and innovation to support student success:

Technical Excellence

Achieved through rigorous and demanding training across all legal disciplines, led by a highly qualified academic staff of recognised scientific and pedagogical merit, and through a consistent emphasis on academic excellence throughout the programme.

Communication Competences

The ability to articulate legal reasoning, both orally and in writing, is fostered across all curricular units and, in particular, within the ADN do Jurista programme, which includes modules in Dramatic Expression, Public Speaking, and Legal Writing.

Practical Forensic Competences

Professional practice is partially anticipated through specialised curricular units - Practicum in Civil Procedure, Practicum in Criminal Procedure, and the Interdisciplinary Practicum - through the completion of curricular internships, and through the involvement of practising lawyers, judges, registrars, and notaries in the teaching of various elective subjects.

Internationalisation

Law graduates are prepared for international practice, whether in Portugal or abroad, through the International Law Programme, in which several International and European Law curricular units are taught entirely in English, allowing up to one quarter of the degree to be completed in that language. International mobility is strongly encouraged, with students able to study for one or two semesters at one of more than seventy partner universities worldwide.

Specialisation

The School believes it should support young legal professionals in distinguishing themselves within the job market. This begins with the opportunity to undertake a broad initial specialisation in Private Law, Public Law, or Criminal Law during the final year of the degree, and continues primarily through progression into one of the eight Master’s specialisation areas in Law.

Interdisciplinarity

A sound understanding of the law requires an appreciation of the social domains to which it applies. The programme therefore offers a diverse range of non-legal subjects, from economics to psychology, political science to mediation, which broaden the student’s knowledge of the societal contexts in which legal norms operate.

Digital Transformation of Society

In contemporary society, both civic engagement and professional practice demand proficiency with digital tools and an understanding of the intersections between law and technology. The programme embraces these emerging realities, promoting a blended-learning approach that combines the best of in-person and digital teaching methods.

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