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Bachelor of Laws

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Gain a broad perspective on the legal practice with learning aimed at satisfying academic and professional require­ments for admission to legal practice in Victoria. This course will equip you with the skills and knowledge required to obtain employment in law firms, at the Bar and elsewhere.

This course will provide you with a range of legal professional skills, such as advocacy, ethical judgement, com­munication, legal research and writing, interviewing and negotiation and relevant legal professional computing skills. You'll gain specialised education and skills in core areas of law as well as in various areas of commercial law, especially those which have a comparative dimension.

Course Essentials

How to apply

We are currently accepting applications for this course.

Methods of applying:

  • You can apply direct to VU

Please note that part-time study may not be available at all campuses.

Already a VU student?

You can transfer into this course through our internal transfer process.

For more info contact the
College of Law and Justice

Nussen Ainsworth talks about his career after studying.
Nussen Ainsworth video transcript

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Careers

There are many career opportunities available for graduates, including legal practice and employment in both the private and public sector.

Learn more about your career options on the Australian government's Career Information and Resources website.

Learning the law

Melanie Rudolphus completed a Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

Workplace learning: Sunshine Youth Legal Centre; Footscray Community Legal Centre; Victoria Legal Aid

...
Read more
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Study pathways

Transferring to VU

You can get credit in the Bachelor of Laws (BLAW) for study you have done at other universities. We have formal credit transfer arrangements for this course with the following universities

Victoria Police

  • If you studied the Graduate Certificate of Public Safety (Police Prosecution) you may get up to a year of credit.

Victoria Police

  • If you studied the Prosecutors Training Course you may get up to half a year of credit.

To find out more about the pathways available for this course, please contact the .

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

Get credit for your work, study and life experience through our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process.

Find out more about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Graduate faster

If you've done previous study related to this course, you may be awarded credit. This means you can graduate in less time.

Completing this course also gives you a head-start on other at VU courses at a higher level of study.

We also award credit for relevant work and life experience. This is called Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

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Course Objectives

The course will provide students with a broad ranging program of study and learning aimed at satisfying academic and professional require­ments for admission to legal practice in Victoria. The course will equip graduates to obtain employment in law firms, at the Bar and elsewhere. The course aims to produce intellectually well-rounded law graduates who have the professional and academic skills required to work in a variety of legal settings. To provide students with a range of legal professional skills, such as advocacy, ethical judgement, com­munication, legal research and writing, interviewing and negotiation and relevant legal professional computing skills. To provide specialised education and skills in core areas of law as well as in various areas of commercial law, especially those which have a comparative dimension. To provide graduates with such other attributes and competencies as would be expected of law graduate from an Australian Law School and to satisfy the academic requirements for admission to legal practice in Victoria.

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Units and electives

The course is offered over four years on a full-time basis. All undergraduate degree units of study carry a value of 12 credit points. Each student must obtain 384 credit points through academic study to graduate. Subject to Grade Point Average (GPA), students undertaking the Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Laws combined degrees may receive their award with honours. In calculating a specified grade of honours, the following points shall be attributed to Bachelor of Laws units - Pass = 5 points; Credit = 6 points; Distinction = 7 points; High Distinction = 8 points. In calculating the GPA, those Bachelor of Laws units successfully completed by the student will be ranked in order commencing with 8 point units and ending with 5 point units (if applicable). The aggregate of points attributed to the first two thirds of units so listed shall then be calculated and a grade point average determined (aggregated so calculated by the number of units being the first two thirds of units in the list). Bachelor of Laws with 2B Honours - GPA of 7 or more and a Credit grade in the unit of study Advanced Legal Research Dissertation; Bachelor of Laws with 2A Honours - GPA of 7 or more and a Distinction grade in the unit of study Advanced Legal Research Dissertation; Bachelor of Laws with 1st Class Honours - GPA of 7.5 or more and a Distinction or better grade in the unit of study Advanced Legal Research Dissertation.

Compulsory Law Units of Study

Electives

Minimum of eight units of study from the following:

Electives

Four unspecified unit approved by the Head of School taken from an LLB program offered by an Australian university.

What's a unit?

A unit or 'subject' is the actual class you'll attend in the process of completing a course.

Most courses have a mixture of compulsory 'core' units that you need to take, and optional 'elective' units that you can choose to take based on your area of interest, expertise or experience.

Credits

Each unit is worth a set amount of study credits based on the amount of time you study. Generally, 1 credit is equal to 1 hour of study per week.

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Admission Information

  • TAFE: Academic record including GPA (see institutional page). Applicants may be required to participate in an interview as part of the selection process.
  • Year 12: To qualify for admission to the course, an applicant must have successfully completed a course of study at year 12 or equivalent*. Year 12 Prerequisites: Units 3 and 4 - study score of at least 35 in English (ESL) or 30 in any other English. Selection Mode: Current Year 12 applicants: Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) or equivalent and two-stage process with a middle-band of approximately 20%. Non-current year 12 applicants: ATAR and/or academic record*. Applicants may be required to participate in an interview as part of the selection process. Middle-band: A study score of at least 35 in English (any), humanities (any) or legal studies= an aggregate 2 points higher per study. A study score of at least 30 in English (any), humanities (any) or legal studies=an aggregate 1 point higher per study. Consideration may also be given to the SEAS application. Overall maximum of 6 aggregate points. * Applicants who have not completed Year 12 but who possess appropriate educational qualifications, work or life experiences which would enable them to successfully undertake the course, will be considered for admission. In addition to satisfying the entry requirements for Australian resident students or demonstrating equivalence, overseas students must provide evidence of proficiency in the English language: International English Language Testing System - overall score of 6.5 and no individual band score less than 6.0.
  • International: Overseas students must provide evidence of proficiency in the English language: International English Language Testing System - overall score of 6.5 and no individual band score less than 6.0.
  • Mature: Academic record including GPA (see institutional page). Relevant work experience may be considered in the absence of an academic record. Applicants may be required to participate in an interview as part of the selection process.

Special admission requirements

There are no special admission requirements for this course.

English language requirements

IELTS (Academic Module) result with an overall score of 6.5 (no band less than 6.0).

Admission requirements in your country

Find out if you meet the minimum academic (international qualification) requirements to be eligible to apply for this course by reviewing the academic entry requirements listed by country.
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How to apply for this course

Apply online

If you have questions about your application, you can:

Get in touch

Contact us to discuss your course options:

Ring us on +61 3 9919 1164

Find answers and ask questions at GOTOVU

Information and fees listed above are for non-resident students starting the course in 2013. Fees are subject to approval and may change. In some courses students must buy equipment or clothing that they will need in the course. These equipment or clothing costs are not included in the course fees listed above and we recommend you seek advice from the relevant faculty.

VU takes care to ensure the accuracy of this course information, but reserves the right to change or withdraw courses offered at any time. Please check that course information is current with the Student Contact Centre.

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