Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Bachelor of Arts (History and Global Politics)

Gain a competitive edge by combining law with history and global politics, and graduate with two degrees in five years.

A double degree expands your knowledge and opens doors to a broad range of career opportunities.

You will graduate with professional honours, an advanced understanding of legal principles of Australian law and the latest legal concepts in history and global politics.

This legal expertise, combined with the knowledge and skills you’ll gain from your specialisation, will set you on track for a rewarding career.

In your law studies you’ll gain practical real-world experience by undertaking an industry or clinic placement, a law reform project or high-level research in your final year.

You’ll be involved in mock-trials in our moot court, learning what it’s like to be act as an advocate and argue a case before a judge.

You can also gain valuable experience at our Legal Advice Clinic, solving legal problems of clients under the guidance of a managing solicitor.

In your arts studies you will explore the global contexts of politics and history which includes Australia’s role domestically, and within the broader currents, of regional and global politics.

The expertise you gain in your arts major, in addition to your law studies, will further improve your employment prospects.

Our lecturers are world-class researchers1 and under their guidance you will also develop strong skills in analysis, advanced writing, communication, and research and problem solving.

If you wish to practice law, you should also familiarise yourself with the requirements for admission as a legal practitioner in South Australia.

12018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA).

Entry requirements

Admission criteria

The admission criteria have been grouped to assist you to easily find the information most relevant to your circumstances. However, you may fit into more than one and the university will consider applicants against each of the relevant criteria.

Certain conditions apply. For more information refer to Appendix 4 of the University's Selection and Entry policy.

Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:

Recent secondary education Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent AND

• Qualify for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), and achieved a competitive Selection Rank (ATAR), or
• Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or
• Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points

Applicants who have not achieved the Selection Rank required for automatic selection may be selected for any remaining places based on the grades of their year 12 subjects.

Recent secondary education ATAR profile

OR Higher education study

• Complete or partly complete a recognised higher education program at a recognised higher education institution, or
• Complete at least four Open Universities Australia (OUA) courses at undergraduate level or above

OR Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Diploma or above

OR Work and life experience

• Qualify for Special Entry, or
• Complete a UniSA Foundation Studies program or equivalent, or
• Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past

Essential requirements for admission

Prerequisites

Assumed Knowledge

Deferment

This degree is available for deferment. This option is made available by responding to your offer during the application process via the SATAC website. Applicants who receive an offer into a midyear degree are eligible to defer for six months.

This degree is made up of 40 courses. You will do 24 courses in law and 16 courses in arts.

Laws (Honours)

From your first few weeks as a law student you'll do practical courses and see what it's like to argue a case and provide legal advice. You’ll gain valuable skills that you can apply in reasoning, reporting, analysis, negotiation, communication and advocacy to resolve complex legal problems.

Throughout your degree you will study core courses that teach you the fundamental legal concepts that underpin the Australian legal system. Courses such as torts, contracts, criminal law and constitutional law will give you a good understanding of basic legal principles.

Through practical learning experiences including mooting, negotiation and witness examination, you will be prepared for legal practice upon graduation.

You'll also be able to choose from an industry or clinic placement, a law reform project or high-level research in your final year.

Arts (History and Global Politics)

The History and Global Politics major will illuminate the patterns and processes that have shaped our societies over time and help you analyse and predict events in our contemporary world. You will study areas such as:

• framing international politics through film and documentaries
• global aid and development
• the politics of environmental change in Australia and Asia
• world history trends and transformations
• Australia in the Asian Century
• marginalisation in world affairs
• power and resistance
• the US in world affairs

Through your choice of electives you can expand your knowledge in an area of professional interest such as health law, sports law, family law and human rights law.

For each course you study, you will need to allocate time for various classes such as lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and practicals. In addition, you will need hours to study in your own time to complete assignments, readings and projects and contribute to online discussion forums (independent study). As a general rule, if you are studying full-time you would need to allocate about 12 hours per week for classes and 14 – 28 hours per week for independent study.

Your studies at UniSA will incorporate both practical, professionally-focused and research-based learning, so assessment types will vary. You can expect them to include:

Become a global citizen with our overseas exchange program. We have more than 60 partner universities worldwide, and study options that range from two weeks to one year. We collaborate with over 2,500 companies worldwide to bring you placement, project, research and work opportunities. You can also choose to incorporate local or national internships and clerkships into your degree.

Gain industry connections and valuable work experience by taking part in the Hawke Professional Experience Program.

We also host regular university-wide employee master classes and employment expos, and alumni events in Australia and overseas.

Your career

Careers in law, along with jobs in social welfare, are predicted to increase 12.9% by 20221.

Our quality teaching, focus on developing your practical skills and opportunities to connect with industry beyond the classroom will ensure you graduate career-ready.

You will hold a desired skillset for a diverse range of careers including:

• Diplomat: an official appointed by a country to conduct diplomacy with one or more other countries or international organisations
• Foreign correspondent: gathering and analysing events of international importance, and preparing reports for public release
• Foreign policy adviser: researching issues such as trade, energy and human rights, and providing the government with findings to inform decision-making
• International relations specialist: providing high level policy advice on current legislation and coordinating policy projects of national and international scale
• Solicitor: commercial solicitor: focusing on business-specific legal practice such as: corporate, contract, competition, communications, commercial property, finance, employment, intellectual property, transport, sports and media law
• personal solicitor: focusing on areas such as personal injury, family and tort law, criminal litigation, succession and inheritance, residential property, taxation and trusts

You can also consider other legal careers such as lawyer, judge's associate, mediator and more.

1Australian Government Department of Jobs and Small Business, 2017 Occupational Projections.

If you wish to seek admission to practice law in South Australia you must satisfy a number of specified course requirements in your degree, followed by the completion of Practical Legal Training.

Applying to study with us:

• go to the top of this page and make note of the SATAC code, then click Apply
• you will be redirected through to the SATAC website to continue your application

Our campuses have fantastic facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, workshops, laboratories, and areas that simulate real work environments. But you’ll also discover that your journey at UniSA is about social experiences, healthy living and getting involved. You’ll find student sports and fitness facilities, community clinics, tech zones and chill-out spaces. There are campus sport activities to keep you active, and if you are keen to explore the social side of university life, there are movies, cooking demonstrations, parties and loads more.

Adelaide has a variety of accommodation options to suit different requirements and budgets. Options include dedicated student accommodation or private rentals. See our long-term accommodation pages for plenty of options. If you need somewhere to live, our new student accommodation by urbanest is on Bank Street in Adelaide’s lively cultural precinct, an ideal perfect location for students. It is within easy reach of UniSA’s city and metropolitan campuses, Rundle Mall shopping, the Central Market, Chinatown, and the West End’s vibrant nightlife. It is also across the road from the Adelaide train station, and on bus and tram routes.

Our student support services will make your life at university easier. We want you to be successful, and if you need help, we're here to assist. We provide a full range of support services, including:

• academic counselling
• personal counselling
• social support services, including family support and nearby childcare

We have six campuses in metropolitan and regional areas, each with advanced facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, laboratories, and areas that simulate real work environments.