Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

Australian National University

About

A Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree provides candidates with a law degree that opens doors to a diverse range of professional careers in Australia and around the world.In addition to equipping you with an understanding of law and the contexts in which it operates, the LLB (Hons) places a significant emphasis on building your high-level research skills through opportunities to conduct independent legal research.Through the LLB (Hons), you will graduate with an honours-degree, giving you additional advantages in establishing your career or providing a strong foundation for postgraduate study.

The program satisfies the academic component to be admitted as a legal practitioner in Australia.

Structure

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Laws (Honours) requires completion of 192 units, of which:

A maximum of 60 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 192 units must include:

90 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

LAWS1201 Foundations of Australian Law

LAWS1202 Lawyers, Justice and Ethics

LAWS1203 Torts

LAWS1204 Contracts

LAWS1205 Australian Public Law

LAWS1206 Criminal Law and Procedure

LAWS2201 Administrative Law

LAWS2202 Commonwealth Constitutional Law

LAWS2203 Corporations Law

LAWS2204 Property

LAWS2205 Equity and Trusts

LAWS2207 Evidence

LAWS2244 Litigation and Dispute Management

LAWS2249 Legal Theory

LAWS2250 International Law

48 units from completion of 4000-level courses in the subject area LAWS Law

6 units from completion of 2000, 3000 or 4000-level courses in the subject area LAWS Law.

48 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

HONS4300 Final Honours Grade will be used to record the class of honours (determined by Table 2 of the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy.

Marks will be calculated using the formula S (mark x units) / S units, giving NCN and WN a nominal mark of zero, from the following Honours courses:

54 units of 4000-level [elective] courses in the subject area LAWS, which may include LAWS4300 Supervised Research Paper (12 units), and,

90 units of compulsory courses, which are:

LAWS1201 Foundations of Australian Law

LAWS1202 Lawyers Justice and Ethics

LAWS1203 Torts

LAWS1204 Contracts

LAWS1205 Australian Public Law

LAWS1206 Criminal Law and Procedure

LAWS2201 Administrative Law

LAWS2202 Commonwealth Constitutional Law

LAWS2203 Corporations Law

LAWS2204 Property

LAWS2205 Equity and Trusts

LAWS2207 Evidence

LAWS2244 Litigation and Dispute Management

LAWS2249 Legal Theory

LAWS2250 International Law

Elective Study

Once you have met the program requirements of your degree, you may have enough electives to complete an additional elective major, minor or specialisation.

Study Options

Year 1 - 48 units

Code Name Units
LAWS1201 Foundations of Australian Law 6 units
LAWS1203 Torts 6 units
Non-Law first year elective 6 units
Non-Law first year elective 6 units
LAWS1202 Lawyers Justice and Ethics 6 units
LAWS1204 Contracts 6 units
Non-Law first year elective 6 units
Non-Law first year elective 6 units

Year 2 - 48 units

Code Name Units
LAWS1205 Australian Public Law 6 units
LAWS1206 Criminal Law and Procedure 6 units
LAWS2203 Corporations Law 6 units
Non-Law later-year elective 6 units
LAWS2250 International Law 6 units
LAWS2249 Legal Theory 6 units
LAWS2202 Commonwealth Constitutional Law 6 units
Non-Law later-year elective 6 units

Year 3 - 48 units

Code Name Units
LAWS2201 Administrative Law 6 units
LAWS2204 Property 6 units
Law elective or non-Law later year elective 6 units
Law elective 6 units
LAWS2205 Equity and Trusts 6 units
Law elective or non-Law later-year elective 6 units
Law elective 6 units
Law elective 6 units

Year 4 - 48 units

Code Name Units
LAWS2244 Litigation and Dispute Management 6 units
Law elective 6 units
Law elective 6 units
Law elective 6 units
LAWS2207 Evidence 6 units
Law elective 6 units
Law elective 6 units
Law elective 6 units

Entry requirements

Admission Requirements

At a minimum, all applicants must meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. Admission to most ANU programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry.

In line with the university's admissions policy and strategic plan, an assessment for admission may include competitively ranking applicants on the basis of specific academic achievement, English language proficiency and diversity factors.

Applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree are not eligible to apply for the Bachelor of Laws (Honours). Admission into the ANU Bachelor of Laws (Honours) is highly competitive with entry reserved for undergraduate applicants only.

Graduate applicants are advised to apply for the Juris Doctor. This program is specifically tailored to graduate students and satisfies the academic component for admission as a legal practitioner in Australia.

Domestic applicants

School leavers will be assessed on:

• the minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) requirement or equivalent for this program,

• the co-curricular or service requirement, and

• any program specific requirements that are listed below.

Non school leavers:

a) will be assessed on:

• the minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) requirement or equivalent for this program,

b) Non school leavers who:

• complete a recognised Australian (or equivalent) post-secondary qualification, or

• complete one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) of an Australian (or equivalent) degree qualification, or

• complete an approved tertiary preparation course/program without undertaking any further study, will be assessed on the basis of an equivalent selection rank that is calculated upon application. Non school leavers must also meet any program specific requirements that are listed below.

International applicants

Applicants who complete a recognised secondary/senior secondary/post-secondary/tertiary sequence of study will be assessed on the basis of an equivalent selection rank that is calculated upon application. A list of commonly observed international qualifications and corresponding admission requirements can be found here. Applicants must also meet any program specific requirements that are listed below.

Diversity factors & English language proficiency

As Australia's national university, ANU is global representative of Australian research and education. ANU endeavours to recruit and maintain a diverse and deliberate student cohort representative not only of Australia, but the world. In order to achieve these outcomes, competitive ranking of applicants may be adjusted to ensure access to ANU is a reality for brilliant students from countries across the globe. If required, competitive ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency.

Adjustment Factors

ANU offers rank adjustments for a number of adjustment factors, including for high achievement in nationally strategic senior secondary subjects and for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies. Rank adjustments are applied to Bachelor degree applicants with an ATAR at or above 70. Points are awarded in accordance with the approved schedules, and no more than 15 points (maximum 5 subject/performance-based adjustments, maximum 10 equity-based adjustments and maximum 5 Elite Athlete adjustments) will be awarded. Please note that Adjustment Factors vary and do not apply to a select few programs, please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are. Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Learning outcomes

  1. review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge from primary and secondary legal sources to identify and provide solutions to complex legal and justice problems with some intellectual independence;
  2. demonstrate a broad understanding of law and theoretical understandings of law with advanced understanding of caselaw, legislation and extrinsic legislative material, government documents and academic commentary on law;
  3. exercise critical thinking and judgment in developing new understandings about the nature of law and the impact of law in society;
  4. use technical legal research skills, and interdisciplinary research skills, to access a range of legal materials and other research materials in literature databases and other online sources;
  5. use those technical skills to conduct research with some independence; and
  6. communicate research to a variety of legal and non-legal audiences and in a range of presentation and writing formats.

Institution