Course summary
Are you passionate about improving people’s lives and the societies we inhabit? This double degree boosts your grasp of processes and ideas that can make all the difference.
Graduates of this course can anticipate a wide range of careers specific to the law or social science, or as a combination of both. Spanning the public and private sectors, options include legal practice as a barrister or solicitor, social welfare, community development, social policy, social justice, research and analysis.
This degree fulfils the academic requirements for admission to the legal profession in Australia. Professional admission authorities also require law graduates of all universities to complete practical legal training or similar to be eligible to practise as a lawyer.
Applicants who do not have the required entry mark are encouraged to apply for the Bachelor of Social Science. If those students achieve the required grade point average during that course, they may then apply for transfer into the double degree.
Domestic snapshot
| Duration | Location | Session |
|---|---|---|
5F/10P | Gold Coast | 1, 2 |
| Lismore | 1, 2 | |
| Online | 1, 2, 3 |
International snapshot
| Duration | Location | Session |
|---|---|---|
5F | Gold Coast | 1, 2 |
| Lismore | 1 |
There are no majors in the Bachelor of Laws degree, however, a diverse range of law-based elective units is available.
Go to Bachelor of Social Science for details about majors and streams offered in this course.
Course Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a course. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes.
| Graduate Attribute | Course Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| Intellectual rigour | Demonstrate the intellectual and practical skills needed to identify, research, evaluate and synthesise relevant factual, legal and policy issues. |
| Creativity | Apply legal reasoning, critical analysis and research to generate appropriate responses to legal problems. |
| Ethical practice | Demonstrate an understanding of approaches to ethical decision-making and an ability to recognise, reflect upon, and respond to ethical issues likely to arise in professional contexts. Demonstrate an ability to recognise and reflect upon the professional responsibilities of lawyers in promoting justice and in service to the community. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between law and sustainability. |
| Knowledge of a discipline | Demonstrate an understanding of a broad and coherent body of knowledge that includes the fundamental areas of law, the Australian legal system, and underlying principles and concepts, including international and comparative contexts, and the broader contexts within which legal issues arise. Demonstrate an understanding of the international and comparative contexts in which legal issues arise. |
| Lifelong learning | Learn and work independently. Reflect on and assess their own capabilities and performance, and seek and make use of feedback as appropriate, to determine personal and professional development needs and achievements. Access, manage and evaluate sources of information relevant to legal research and practice. |
| Communication and social skills | Communicate in ways that are effective, appropriate and persuasive for legal and non-legal audiences. Collaborate effectively and constructively with others. |
| Cultural competence | Apply an understanding of Australian Indigenous perspectives to all aspects of legal professional practice. |
The assessment methods vary from unit to unit. They may include research proposals, research essays, reports, oral and written presentations, case studies, online and class participation, and examinations. The weighting of assessment marks between assignments and examinations also varies.
Go to Bachelor of Social Science for assessment methods in that course.
On-campus students experience a variety of teaching approaches including lectures, tutorials, online activities and video-linked or podcast virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit.
Our online study option is highly interactive and strives to promote collaboration and a sense of community. Students may receive a combination of podcast or video-linked lectures, electronic study materials, workshops, online discussion forums and virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit.
Attendance at on-campus workshops is a requirement of the Bachelor of Laws for on-campus and online students. The workshops provide students with an opportunity to network, engage in a range of learning experiences and skills required at an LLB level that cannot be taught effectively solely online, and meet key representatives of the legal profession who address issues of contemporary legal practice and professional conduct. For more information, go to law workshops.
Graduates can pursue career opportunities that combine knowledge of social science and law; and those specific to each discipline.
For social science: professional roles in social welfare, community development, or in policy-related areas of government departments and the private sector.
For law: as barristers or solicitors; or in law-related areas in private, corporate, or government organisations.
You may undertake voluntary legal experience and professional placement with legal firms or offices, to complement your practical legal skills and become familiar with the issues facing working lawyers; or within environments suited to the exploration of social science careers such as government departments or non-government community organisations.
The Bachelor of Laws fulfils the academic requirements for admission to the legal profession in Australia. Professional admission authorities also require law graduates of all universities to complete practical legal training or similar to be eligible to practise as a lawyer.
Students who intend to practise law outside Australia should check with the relevant country’s admission body to confirm their practising requirements.