Bachelor of Laws

Overview

• Be in demand – the majority of our Law graduates are in full time work or further study within 4 months of graduation.
• Meets academic requirements for admission to legal practice in Australia.
• Flexible learning options such as downloadable lectures, 24 hour computer labs, electronic moot court.
• External education is available for Australian students outside Brisbane. If you are a distance (external) student, at the start of your first semester you will undertake a compulsory orientation attendance school dedicated to preparing you for legal study. Subsequently, you may be required to be present at up to two attendance
  schools per year, depending upon the units studied. The attendance schools are an integral component of the distance education course and are compulsory
  in units where, for example, skills such as advocacy are taught. The law course
  makes extensive use of online resources and access to the internet is essential.

QTAC course code	417601 internal; 417605 external
QUT course code	LW34
Attendance	Part-time or Full-time
Course duration	4 years full-time 6 years part-time
Start month	2013 February, July
Deferment	You can defer your offer and postpone the start of your course for one year.
Delivery	On campus Gardens Point External Correspondence Online
Faculty	Faculty of Law
Course contact	Student Business Services (SBS) Admissions: Email: askqut@qut.edu.au Telephone: +61 7 3138 2000
CRICOS code	003486D
Careers	Barrister Commercialisation Officer Contract Administrator Corporate Secretary Crown Law Officer Government Officer In-House Lawyer Lawyer Patent Lawyer Policy Officer Public Servant Solicitor Trademark Lawyer

Details

Why choose this course?

QUT’s four-year law degree will provide you with a balance of theory and practice. Through your study you will acquire an understanding of the key areas of law and will develop a broad range of knowledge, skills and values in areas such as legal research, problem solving and oral and written communication. Our course will also assist you to understand and promote the ethical standards of the legal profession and to appreciate international and Indigenous perspectives. You may like to visit the Faculty of Law's home page to find out more about what the faculty has to offer in scholarships, work placements, research and international exchanges.

Alignment with career interests

As you progress through your degree you will complete the 18 compulsory units required for admission as a legal practitioner. You will also choose elective units that align with your career interests. The law course provides many opportunities for study in elective areas. Although many of our graduates become practising lawyers, we recognise that a law degree may also provide the foundation for a career in government, a community organisation or business.

We offer elective study relevant to the following career paths:

• general legal practice – work as a lawyer across a wide range of different legal areas
• specialist legal practice – work as a lawyer specialising in a particular area of the law, such as property, family or media law
• advocacy and dispute resolution – act for clients in court or resolve disputes through negotiation and mediation processes
• public sector – work in policy, research or administration in a government department
• private enterprise – work in management or administration in a business.

QUT law graduates have an excellent track record of securing exciting positions. Over the past five years more than 90 per cent of graduates have been in full-time work or further full-time study within four months of their graduation.

Up-to-date study areas

We constantly review and update our range of elective offerings to ensure that they are in step with the real world. We currently offer elective study in the following areas:

• technology and intellectual property
• human rights
• property and environment
• commercial and consumer
• international
• legal skills
• research and theory
• work placements.

Admission to practice

At the end of your law degree you will have completed the necessary units for admission to legal practice in Australia. If you want to become a practising lawyer you will need to complete further practical legal training (PLT) and then apply for admission.

QUT’s PLT, the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, provides the knowledge, skills, understanding and values required to become a competent entry-level legal practitioner. The course is available in full-time, internal mode and part-time, online mode. The course complies with the Law Admissions Consultative Council’s Competency Standards for entry-level lawyers and is approved by the Queensland Legal Practitioners Admissions Board.

 

Units

Your course

You will complete 18 compulsory law units that cover the areas of knowledge required for admission as a legal practitioner. You will also choose 14 elective units that align with your desired career path and areas of interest.

Year 1

You will initially undertake a two-week intensive program followed by a suite of units introducing you to foundation legal concepts. You will learn about the Australian legal system and legal principles that you will build upon in later years. You will develop important legal knowledge and skills, such as research, problem solving, legal interviewing and negotiation. You also undertake contextual units that will enhance your understanding of how the law operates in practice and provide foundation knowledge in the areas of human rights and international law. You will be introduced to ethical, international and Indigenous legal perspectives.

Year 2

You will study key legal areas such as criminal, property and constitutional law. You will build upon the knowledge gained from your first year of study and extend the range of your legal skills by practising court advocacy and document drafting. You may develop an interest in a particular area of law and will start choosing elective units that align with your areas of interest.

Years 3 and 4

In the final years of your degree you will learn about principles relevant to legal practice, such as court procedure, the rules of evidence and how to act for clients in an ethical and professional manner. You will further develop legal skills, such as negotiation and advocacy, and will have a better understanding of the work of lawyers as professionals and officers of the court. You may also participate in workplace learning where you can apply what you have studied in legal settings, such as in law firms, government departments or community organisations.

Entry requirements

Prerequisite: External Studies (only)

Entry to the distance education (external) mode of the course is restricted to applicants who reside in Australia and live outside the Brisbane City Council boundaries.

If you reside within the Brisbane City Council your application may be considered under exceptional circumstances. A covering letter outlining your exceptional circumstances claim with supporting documentation must accompany your QTAC application.

Course fees

Your actual fees may vary depending on which units you choose. All fees are based on current fixed fee prices. We review fees annually.

HECS-HELP: loans to help you pay your course fees

You may not have to pay anything upfront if you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan.

Find out if you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan

Scholarships and financial support

You can apply for scholarships to help you with study and living costs.

These scholarships are available for this course:

View all scholarships

You may also be eligible for Centrelink payments