The College of Law has developed a two-year law degree that will focus on improving students’ employment prospects and practical legal skills while covering the curriculum in the same depth as a traditional three-year course, it said this week.

The new course will aim to deliver the same number of teaching hours as three-year courses, by having shorter holidays and longer terms. Students may specialise in private practice or in-house legal skills and will be helped to find a training contract. The course, expected to start in September 2012, is the college’s first venture into the LLB degree market. It is undergoing certification by the Joint Academic Stage Board, the body that validates and reviews qualifying law degrees.

College of Law chief executive Nigel Savage said: ‘The new course is unique because no other course teaches students how to solve clients’ problems. And with tuition fees going up to £9,000 a year, it will cost undergraduates just £18,000, not £27,000.’

Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson said: ‘The new shorter course must provide the theoretical basis upon which the skills and high standards of the profession are built. We also hope that space will be found for ethics.’

Junior Lawyers Division spokesman Kevin Poulter said: ‘Student debt will be cut, but will there be time for reading? Will employers see the two-year degree as equal to the three-year one? Or will they prefer a conventional degree from a more academic university?’