Bachelor of Laws
Swinburne Online - online delivery only
The Bachelor of Laws focuses on commercial law with emphasis on intellectual property law. As the only degree in Victoria with this specialisation, you'll learn about trademarks, patents and designs, copyright, the prohibition of misleading or deceptive conduct and competition law. You'll learn how to protect the rights of those who innovate or create.
All our bachelor degrees include a guaranteed Work Integrated Learning opportunity, which could be a placement, internship or industry-linked project. In this degree, you'll complete a law-related professional experience placement at an organisation in Australia or overseas. You'll also be introduced to the practical aspects of legal practice through moot court scenarios and advocacy exercises.
Graduates will be equipped with the skills to work in commercial and general legal practice and in a range of industries, including media and entertainment, design, branding and advertising.
All our bachelor degrees include a guaranteed Work Integrated Learning opportunity, which could be a placement, internship or industry-linked project. In this degree, you'll complete a law-related professional experience placement at an organisation in Australia or overseas. You'll also be introduced to the practical aspects of legal practice through moot court scenarios and advocacy exercises.
Graduates will be equipped with the skills to work in commercial and general legal practice and in a range of industries, including media and entertainment, design, branding and advertising.
Duration
4 years full-time or equivalent part-time
Intakes
Online (March, July, November) - View application and start dates
Study mode
- Online
Course information in detail
- Course detail, course structure and units of study.
Course description
The Bachelor of Laws provides an accredited qualification in law and educates students to meet the challenges of a profession and society that are increasingly diverse, complex and technologically sophisticated. It provides a rigorous and intellectually challenging legal education that develops and enhances legal knowledge and a broad range of skills necessary for legal practice; promoting respect for the Rule of Law and adherence to ethical conduct and professional responsibility. It has a distinctive orientation towards commercial law with a unique specialisation in intellectual property law. Through this specialisation, students will learn how to protect the rights of those who innovate or create.
As part of this course, students are required to undertake law-related professional experience placements and participate in a practical legal skills program. Professional experience placements may be found in law firms, law-related organisations or legal departments of companies or organisations within Australia or overseas, among a range of possibilities. The skills program introduces students to the practical aspects of legal practice through participating in tasks that mimic legal practice, including moots and advocacy exercises.
As part of this course, students are required to undertake law-related professional experience placements and participate in a practical legal skills program. Professional experience placements may be found in law firms, law-related organisations or legal departments of companies or organisations within Australia or overseas, among a range of possibilities. The skills program introduces students to the practical aspects of legal practice through participating in tasks that mimic legal practice, including moots and advocacy exercises.
Course structure
To qualify for the Bachelor of Laws, students must complete 400 credit points comprising:
- 20 Core Law Units (250 credit points)
- 1 online core unit of study (SOL only) (12.5 credit points)
- 4 Law Electives (50 credit points)
- 7-8 units of Secondary Studies, comprising a co-major, minors and/ or electives (87.5 - 100 credit points)
- 3 Professional Experiences in Law (0 credit points)
Students complete no more than 150 credit points (12 units) at Introductory Level (i.e. Stage 1 - eg: LAW1XXXX). A unit of study can only be counted once. Where units are shared between majors and/or minors, students must choose an approved alternative unit.
Professional Placements
Professional Placements are subject to a competitive selection process. International students may be eligible for a Professional Placement where a relevant Professional degree exists. International students who successfully gain a placement through the selection process will be required to change courses to the relevant Professional degree, in order to complete a placement and should consider any visa and extended study duration implications prior to applying.
Students who undertake a 12-month professional placement are subject to the following course rules and must complete 475 credit points comprising:
- 20 Core Law Units (250 credit points)
- 1 online core unit of study (SOL only) (12.5 credit points)
- 4 Law Electives (50 credit points)
- 5-6 units of Secondary Studies, comprising a minor and/or electives (62.5 – 75 credit points)
- 4 units of study from the Professional Placement Co-Major (100 credit points);
Students who elect to undertake a 6-month professional placement are subject to the following course rules and must complete 437.5 credit points comprising:
- 20 Core Law Units (250 credit points)
- 1 online core unit of study (SOL only) (12.5 credit points)
- 4 Law Electives (50 credit points)
- 6-7 units of Secondary Studies, comprising a minor and/or electives (75-87.5 credit points)
- 2 units of study from the Professional Placement Minor (50 credit points);
If students select the Law Professional Placement units, the Professional Experience in Law units are waived
Maximum Academic Credit
The maximum level of credit that can be granted for the Bachelor of Laws is 200 credit points (normally 16 units)
Units of study
Core - 250 cps
Students must complete the following (20) twenty core units
LAW10010 Introduction to Australian Law & Statutory Interpretation
LAW10011 Contract Law
LAW10013 Commercial Law
LAW10014 Torts 1
LAW10015 Criminal Law and Procedure
LAW10025 Torts 2
LAW10026 Legal Writing
LAW20009 Evidence
LAW20010 Administrative Law
LAW20011 Trade Marks and Related Rights*
LAW20012 Federal and State Constitutional Law
LAW20013 Property Law
LAW20014 Land Law
LAW20040 Legal Technology and Innovation
LAW20043 Copyright *
LAW30011 Patents and Designs *
LAW30012 Equity and Trusts *
LAW30013 Company Law *
LAW30015 Legal Practice and Professional Conduct *
LAW30029 Civil Procedure and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Core - SOL unit 12.5 cp
COM10011 Learning and Communicating for Innovative Business Practice
Law Electives- 50 cp
Students must complete 4 Law Electives from the list below
LAW20007 International Commercial Law
LAW20024 Law and the Media
LAW20033 Taxation Law
LAW20035 Public and Private International Law
LAW20036 Competition Law & Policy
LAW20037 Asian Commercial Law
LAW20038 Privacy in Law and Society
LAW20039 Indonesia Law, Governance and Culture Study Tour
LAW20041 Advanced Criminal Law and Sentencing
LAW20042 US Intellectual Property Law
LAW30026 Legal Research Project
LAW30027 Advanced Legal Research Project 1
LAW30028 Advanced Legal Research Project 2
Professional Experience Law units - 0 cp
Students must complete the following three units
LAW10016 Professional Experience in Law 1
LAW20018 Professional Experience in Law 2
LAW30016 Professional Experience in Law 3
Optional Professional Placement - 0 - 100cp
If students choose to complete Professional Placement they will choose two or all four units depending on whether the placement is of 6 months or 12 months duration.
LAW20021 Integrated Professional Placement A - Law
LAW20022 Integrated Professional Placement B – Law
WEI20001 Work Experience in Industry A
WEI20002 Work Experience in Industry B
* Outcome units - matched exemptions are generally not granted for higher education outcome units.
Careers and graduate outcomes
- Career opportunities, course aims and objectives, graduate skills and professional recognition.
Career opportunities
Graduates will have the theoretical and practical knowledge required to operate effectively in diverse settings such as law firms and barristers’ chambers, not-for-profit organisations, government, small businesses and corporate organisations. In particular, the specialisation in intellectual property law equips graduates for careers in the new knowledge economy, giving them the skills to work in media and entertainment, design, branding and advertising, and in internet companies and firms advising information-dependent industries.
Aims and objectives
The Bachelor of Laws provides an accredited qualification in law and educates students to meet the challenges of a profession and society that are increasingly diverse, complex and technologically sophisticated. It provides a rigorous and intellectually challenging legal education that develops and enhances legal knowledge and a broad range of skills necessary for legal practice; promoting respect for the Rule of Law and adherence to ethical conduct and professional responsibility.
Upon successfully completing the Bachelor of Laws, students will be able to:
- describe and demonstrate the application of the fundamental areas of Australian law and the Australian legal system and of the principles and doctrines that underpin them
- describe and demonstrate the application of ethical and professional responsibility in the practice of the law and a commitment to the pursuit of justice
- analyse and evaluate the interdisciplinary contexts in which legal issues arise and the disciplines and policy considerations that influence the content and operation of the law
- describe and compare the international legal order and the law and legal systems of Australia’s major trading partners
- critically evaluate events or factual situations, identify the legal issues to which they give rise and develop and articulate appropriate and creative responses
- undertake and critically evaluate research from a variety of sources to make judgements to solve complex legal problems with intellectual independence
- demonstrate effective and persuasive communication capabilities with legal and non-legal audiences
- communicate proficiently in professional practice to a variety of audiences, function as an effective member or leader of a diverse team and critically reflect on individual performance and professional development.
Graduate skills
The intent of the course is for graduates to have well-developed attributes, which will equip them for their early career and life. Specifically graduates will be:
- capable in their chosen professional, vocational or study areas
- entrepreneurial in contributing to innovation and development within their business, workplace, or community
- effective and ethical in work and community situations
- adaptable and able to manage change
- aware of the local and international environments to which they will be contributing (e.g. socio-cultural, economic, natural).
Professional recognition
This course is still awaiting accreditation from the Victorian Legal Admissions Board VLAB.
Please be advised that non-academic requirements must also be satisfied for admission to practice and that no law degree allows graduates to practice straight away.
- Students must be informed before enrolment and on their application forms that their admission is subject to final VLAB approval.
- We will have to defer their start dates if approval has not yet come through by the first teaching period.
- They will have to be withdrawn if approval is refused. We cannot teach an unaccredited law degree.
Pathways and scholarships
- Pathways, credit transfer, recognition of prior learning and scholarships.
Course fees and requirements
- Entry requirements and non-year 12 entry.
Course fees
Students who participate in a six- or 12-month professional placement will be subject to an increase in total course fees.
| 2023 rate* | Estimated total cost of the course | Estimated cost of the course per year if studying full-time* | Amenities fee per year if studying full-time* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) |
$60,568 | $15,142 | See how your SSAF is calculated |
Fees are estimates only: The student tuition fees as published are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment. These fees apply for units studied in 2023 only and may change for units studied in future years. If part-time study is permitted, annual fees will be proportionally lower based on the number of units taken per semester. Students who participate in a six or 12-month professional placement will be subject to an increase in total course fees.
How do I pay my fees?
HECS-HELP is a loan and discount scheme available to eligible students enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place. A HECS-HELP loan can cover all or part of the student contribution amount.
Find out more about fees.
Entry requirements
Successful completion of:
VCE Units 3 and 4 – a minimum study score of 25 in any English (except EAL) or 30 in English as Alternate Language (EAL) or equivalent
- the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or its equivalent, such as an interstate or international Year 12 qualification.
- completion or partial completion of a degree.
VCE Units 3 and 4 – a minimum study score of 25 in any English (except EAL) or 30 in English as Alternate Language (EAL) or equivalent
Meeting the minimum entry requirements for the course does not guarantee offer of a place. See Admissions at Swinburne for general information about the admission process.
Next Available Intake for Swinburne Online Teaching Period 3 - 2022
How to apply
Find out more about how to apply.
Find out more
Submit an online enquiry
Tel: 1300 069 765
Email: enquiries@swinburneonline.com