Bachelor of Civil Law - Definition and Overview

Bachelor of Civil Law or B.C.L. is the name of the degree given in civil law jurisdictions to graduates of a faculty of law in a university. It is considered to be a bachelor's degree and it is often not necessary for the candidate to have another degree before obtaining the B.C.L. In some jurisdictions it qualifies the holder to continue her legal education to enter the profession of civil law notary, lawyer or to receive training to become a judge.

In the University of Oxford, the B.C.L. is a taught postgraduate degree in English law (the undergraduate law degrees are in the faculty of Arts). The Faculty of Civil Law in Oxford is so named to distinguish it from the faculty of canon law which was suspended by King Henry VIII in 1535.