LL.B vs BS Criminology, Political Science, IR or BBA After Intermediate: Which Fits You?
After intermediate, many students in Faisalabad find themselves choosing between five degrees that look closely related: LL.B, BS Criminology, BS Political Science, BS International Relations (IR) and BBA. All five deal with people, rules and institutions, and all five are four-year programs. The real difference is where each one leads. Only the LL.B, followed by the Law Graduate Assessment Test (Law-GAT) and enrollment with a bar council, opens the path to practicing as an advocate. The other four are good degrees with their own strengths, but none of them is a route to court practice on its own.
So the honest answer is this: choose LL.B after intermediate in Faisalabad if you want to become a lawyer or want a career built on legal reasoning, and choose one of the BS degrees if your interest is in crime and society, government, world affairs or business. This guide compares what each degree teaches, how admission usually works, where each one leads, and how to tell which fits you. If you are still deciding whether law is right for you at all, start with our family decision guide on studying law after intermediate. This article is for the next question: law or one of its close neighbors?
What each degree actually teaches
LL.B
The LL.B teaches the law itself: constitutional law, contract, criminal law, family law, property, procedure, evidence, jurisprudence and more. You learn to read statutes and judgments, find the rule that applies to a set of facts, and argue a position in writing and speech. The University of the Punjab's current LL.B curriculum, aligned with the Higher Education Commission's (HEC) 2025 LL.B curriculum, is a four-year degree over eight semesters.
BS Criminology
Criminology studies crime as a social problem: why offenses happen, how police, prosecution, courts and prisons work, how victims are treated, and what prevents crime. It draws on sociology, psychology and research methods. You will read some criminal law, but from the outside, as a subject of study rather than as a professional tool.
BS Political Science
Political science studies power and government: constitutions, political systems, elections, parties, public policy and political theory. It suits students who enjoy debating how a state should be run and why governments make the choices they do.
BS International Relations
IR looks outward: diplomacy, foreign policy, international organizations, security, conflict and the global economy. Pakistan's foreign relations usually feature prominently. Some international law is usually included, but again as background rather than practice.
BBA
The Bachelor of Business Administration teaches how organizations run: accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, management and business communication. Many programs include a basic business law course, which gives a first look at contracts and company rules but does not train you as a lawyer.
How admission usually works for each
The routes differ in one important way: the LL.B has a national entry test, and the BS degrees generally do not.
For the LL.B, every applicant to a program at an HEC- or Pakistan Bar Council-recognized institution must pass HEC's Law Admission Test (LAT), with at least 50 out of 100. In 2026, HEC scheduled five LAT rounds through the year, and students who had completed intermediate or were awaiting results could sit it. At Pasban Law College, which is affiliated with the University of the Punjab, the current criteria ask for at least 45 percent in intermediate or an equivalent qualification and at least 50 percent in the LAT, subject to the university's regulations. FA, FSc, ICS, ICom, A-Level and equivalent backgrounds are accepted.
For BS Criminology, Political Science, IR and BBA, admission at Punjab universities is usually based mainly on intermediate marks, with some universities or departments adding their own entry test or interview. Each university sets its own rules. For example, the University of the Punjab's 2026–27 instructions for first-semester BS programs set an age limit of 24 for regular programs, allowed provisional admission on the Part-I result for students awaiting Part-II, and deducted marks for each session gap. Rules like these change from year to year and from one university to another, so read the current admission notice of every university on your list.
If you are leaning toward law, start LAT preparation alongside your other applications rather than after them, because each round's registration closes weeks before the test. You can apply for BS programs and the LL.B in the same year, so trying one does not close the other.
Where each degree leads
All five degrees are four-year programs, so time is not the deciding factor. The destination is.
LL.B: court practice as an advocate (after passing Law-GAT and completing the bar council's enrollment requirements), corporate and in-house legal work, legal departments of banks and companies, judicial service through competitive exams, legal research, drafting and compliance roles.
BS Criminology: research and policy work on crime and justice, roles in non-governmental organizations, private security and investigation, corrections and probation-related work, and competitive exams for police and civil service. A criminology degree is not a requirement for joining the police; recruitment follows the rules of the relevant commission or department.
BS Political Science: civil service exams, policy and governance research, journalism, development sector work, staff roles with legislators and political parties, and teaching after further study.
BS IR: civil service exams (including the foreign service group), think tanks, journalism, international organizations and development agencies, usually after further study or experience.
BBA: business roles in banking, marketing, sales, human resources and operations, family business, entrepreneurship, and a route to an MBA or professional qualifications.
Notice the overlap with the Central Superior Services (CSS). The Federal Public Service Commission's notice for CSS 2027 requires at least a bachelor's degree in second division and an age of 21 to 30, with no particular discipline required. A political science or IR graduate may find some CSS subjects familiar, and an LL.B graduate may find the law-related papers familiar, but none of these degrees is a shortcut. If CSS is your main goal, pick the degree you will do best in, because your marks and your habits will matter more than the title.
The one door that only the LL.B opens is advocacy. To practice in court, you need a recognized LL.B, a pass in HEC's Law-GAT (the 2026 pass mark was 50 out of 100), and enrollment through the bar council process, including the required training. Our honest look at the pros and cons of a law career in Pakistan explains what the first years of practice are really like.
Which personality and interests fit which degree
No degree belongs to one kind of person, but some patterns are worth noticing.
LL.B fits you if you like reading closely, enjoy building an argument step by step, do not mind detail, and want a professional qualification that lets you act for other people.
Criminology fits you if you want to understand why crime happens and how the justice system treats people, and you enjoy research, interviews and social questions more than legal drafting.
Political Science fits you if you follow news about government, enjoy debates about policy and rights, and like theory as much as current events.
IR fits you if world events hold your attention, you enjoy history and geography, and you can picture yourself in diplomacy, research or international work.
BBA fits you if you like numbers, people and practical problem-solving, and you want skills you can use in a company or your own business.
If two of these sound equally true, look at what you read in your free time: court news, crime stories, elections, world events or business.
Can you study law later if you choose a BS first?
Yes, but plan for it carefully, because the old shortcut no longer exists. In 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan approved stopping admissions to the three-year LL.B for graduates, and law degrees in Pakistan moved to a single integrated program taken after intermediate. That program was five years for several years and has now been streamlined to four years in the University of the Punjab's current curriculum.
In practice, this means a BS graduate who later wants to become a lawyer would normally start the regular LL.B, pass the LAT, and study for four years like any other student. We could not find a current, general rule that gives BS graduates credit or a shorter route into the LL.B, so do not assume one exists. Also check age and session-gap rules: the University of the Punjab has been reported to be moving to remove the earlier limit on the gap after intermediate for LL.B admission, but you should confirm the rule in force with the university or the college before you apply. If law is a serious possibility for you, starting the LL.B now is the most direct way to become a lawyer after intermediate, and it usually saves several years.
Questions to ask yourself before you choose
Write your answers down. If you can, ask a parent or teacher to answer the same questions about you, and compare.
Do I want to represent people in court one day? If yes, only the LL.B leads there.
Which do I enjoy more: reading rules and cases, studying society and crime, debating government, following world affairs, or running things and working with numbers?
When I read a news story about a dispute, do I want to know who is legally right, why it happened, what the government should do, or what it means for business?
Am I ready to prepare for the LAT and score at least 50 out of 100? Have I looked at the next round's registration date?
Is my main goal CSS or another competitive exam? If so, which degree will I genuinely study well for four years?
If I choose a BS now and want law later, am I prepared to start a four-year LL.B after graduating?
What can my family support in terms of cost and travel for four years, and which colleges or universities on my list meet that?
Have I spoken to at least one person working in each field I am considering, not just to people who chose one of them?
If your answers keep returning to argument, rules and helping people with legal problems, the LL.B is probably your fit. Our LL.B program page sets out what the four-year program at Pasban Law College covers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I become a lawyer with a BS in Criminology or Political Science?
Not with that degree alone. To practice as an advocate in Pakistan, you need a recognized LL.B, a pass in HEC's Law-GAT and enrollment through the bar council process. A criminology or political science graduate who later wants to practice would normally need to complete the four-year LL.B after passing the LAT.
Is the LAT required for BS Criminology, IR, Political Science or BBA?
No. The LAT is the entry test for LL.B programs. Admission to these BS programs usually depends on intermediate marks, and some universities add their own entry test or interview, so check each university's current notice.
Which is better for CSS: LL.B, Political Science or IR?
CSS 2027 requires at least a bachelor's degree in second division, with no particular discipline. Political science and IR overlap with some optional subjects, and the LL.B overlaps with the law papers, but success depends far more on preparation than on the degree. Choose the degree you will study well and enjoy for four years.
All five degrees are worthwhile, and choosing one of the BS programs is not a lesser choice. The question is where you want to end up. If the destination is court, legal advice or a career built on legal reasoning, the LL.B is the only degree that gets you there directly. If your heart is in society, government, world affairs or business, one of the others may suit you better, and you can still keep law in view.
About this guide: the points in this article were checked in October 2026 against HEC's 2026 LAT and Law-GAT announcements and pass marks, the University of the Punjab's current four-year LL.B curriculum and its 2026–27 BS eligibility instructions, the Supreme Court's 2018 order on the three-year LL.B as reported by Dawn, the Federal Public Service Commission's notice for CSS 2027, and Pasban Law College's current published admission criteria. Rules for individual universities change each year, so confirm details in each institution's current notice.
