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.

The Bachelor of Political Science is the only dedicated Political Science degree in Australia. The ANU has some of the world’s finest political scientists, and was the only Australian university to receive a 5 (“well above world class”) in both of the Excellence in Research for Australia’s reports. Located in the national capital, the ANU is the only university with a right to place interns in Australian Parliament House. The Bachelor of Political Science will give you the knowledge, theoretical understandings, and practical skills that underpin a successful career that engages with politics.

Employment Opportunities

Law graduates may find work either in areas where a law degree is a professional requirement or more general fields in which law is especially useful. A Bachelor of Laws would normally be a requirement for the following occupations: a Barrister or Solicitor in professional practice; a Legal Officer in government departments or private enterprise; a Corporate Legal Officer in private industry, commerce and finance; community legal work; law teaching and academic research; a Judge's Associate, and legal journalism. To practice as a Barrister or Solicitor graduates must complete professional training such as the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at ANU. More general fields of employment include: the Australian Foreign Service; industrial relations; social welfare; government administration; business management; lobbying; media; public relations; law librarianship; court reporting; environmental agencies; technology and communications; and Federal and State police forces. Law graduates may find work either in areas where a law degree is a professional requirement or more general fields in which law is especially useful. A Bachelor of Laws would normally be a requirement for the following occupations: a Barrister or Solicitor in professional practice; a Legal Officer in government departments or private enterprise; a Corporate Legal Officer in private industry, commerce and finance; community legal work; law teaching and academic research; a Judge's Associate, and legal journalism. To practice as a Barrister or Solicitor graduates must complete professional training such as the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at ANU. More general fields of employment include: the Australian Foreign Service; industrial relations; social welfare; government administration; business management; lobbying; media; public relations; law librarianship; court reporting; environmental agencies; technology and communications; and Federal and State police forces. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program graduates will be able to:

• 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;
• 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;
• exercise critical thinking and judgment in developing new understandings about the nature of law and the impact of law in society;
• 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;
• use those technical skills to conduct research with some independence; and
• communicate research to a variety of legal and non-legal audiences and in a range of presentation and writing formats.

Upon successful completion of a Bachelor of Political Science, graduates will be able to:

1. Apply concepts and theories used in the study of political science to the analysis of interests, ideas, institutions and behaviour and to the evaluation of political phenomena;
2. Apply a range of research methods to the investigation of political phenomena;
3. Demonstrate understanding of differences in political systems and the contexts in which they operate; and
4. Communicate and debate both orally and in writing, and work with others, using a variety of media.

Further Information

Students who have undertaken previous study that is relevant to the LLBHons at ANU, can request to receive course credit. Further information can be found on the Credit (Status) Policies and Procedures page.Students who have undertaken previous study that is relevant to the LLBHons at ANU, can request to receive course credit. Further information can be found on the Credit (Status) Policies and Procedures page.

Admission Requirements

Admission to all programs is on a competitive basis. Admission to undergraduate degrees is based on meeting the ATAR requirement or an equivalent rank derived from the following qualifications:

• An Australian year 12 qualification or international equivalent; OR
• A completed Associate Diploma, Associate Degree, AQF Diploma, Diploma, AQF Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate or international equivalent; OR
• At least one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) in a single program of degree level study at an Australian higher education institution or international equivalent; OR
• An approved tertiary preparation course unless subsequent study is undertaken.

Click HERE for further information about domestic admission.

More information about ATAR requirements for individual programs can be found HERE.

The National Register of higher education providers is an authoritative source of information that will help you confirm your institution of choice is registered to deliver higher education in Australia.

The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) website is HERE. Based on surveys done by thousands of students across Australia you can find out about universities that interest you, doing side-by-side comparisons.

The table below is a guide to the entry level required for domestic applicants. Exact entry level will be set at time of offer.

Domestic applicant entry requirements

Queensland Band equivalents are a guide only - selection is made on an ATAR equivalent that is not available to students.

International applicant entry requirements

International applicants may view further information on admissions requirements at Entry Requirements for International Undergraduate Applicants

The University reserves the right to alter or discontinue its programs as required.

Adjustment Factors

A maximum of 5 equity adjustments apply to programs with a minimum selection rank of 98 or higher. 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.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Laws (Honours) flexible double degree component requires completion of 144 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

 

The 144 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.

 

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 Σ (mark x units) / Σ 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 

The Bachelor of Political Science flexible double degree component requires the completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must consist of:

24 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

POLS1002 Introduction to Politics
POLS1009 Research and Writing in Political Science
POLS2044 Contemporary Political Analysis
POLS2119 Ideas in Politics

A minimum of 6 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:

POLS3029 Sharing Power: Federalism in Comparative Perspective
POLS3022 Washington DC Internship
POLS3034 Comparative Political Parties and Party Systems
POLS3030 Contemporary Politics of Brazil
POLS3033 Environment, Human Security and Conflict
POLS3036 International Terrorism
POLS3038 Media and Politics
POLS3039 Political Leadership and Executive Government
EURO3002 Comparative European Politics

A minimum of 12 units from completion of political theory and political philosophy courses from the following list:

PHIL1004 Fundamental Ideas in Philosophy: An Introduction
PHIL2020 Theories of Social Justice
PHIL2113 Global Justice
PHIL2115 Political Philosophy from Hobbes to Mill
POLS2063 Contemporary Political Theory
POLS2102 The Political Philosophy of Deception
POLS2120 Foundations of Political Theory

A minimum of 12 units from completion of methodology courses from the following list:

ECON2141 Strategic Thinking: An Introduction to Game Theory
POLS2125 Game Theory and Social Sciences
POLS2130 Public Choice and Politics
SOCY2043 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods

A minimum of 12 units from completion of Australian politics courses from the following list:

POLS2009 Bureaucracy and Public Policy
POLS2111 Elections, Political Behaviour and Public Opinion in Australia
POLS2114 Australian Political Institutions
POLS2121 Ideas in Australian Politics

A maximum of 6 units from completion of Australian political history courses from the following list:

HIST2227 Australian Political History
HIST2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History
 
A minimum of 12 units from completion of comparative politics courses from the following list:

ASIA2065 Asian Politics: From Concepts to Causes
POLS2043 Pressure Groups and Political Lobbying
POLS2126 Democracy: Its Causes and Consequences
POLS2134 Gender and Politics
POLS2135 Race, Ethnicity and Representation
POLS3037 Globalization: Communications, Culture and Democracy

A maximum of 6 units from completion of area studies courses from the following list:

ASIA2026 The Politics of China
ASIA2031 Japanese Politics
ASIA2049 Politics and Society in Contemporary Korea
ASIA2070 Democracy in Southeast Asia
ASIA2109 Violence, Poverty, and Politics in India
ASIA2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development
EURO2012 Uniting Europe: history, politics, theory
MEAS2001 New States of Eurasia: Emerging Issues in Politics and Security
POLS2025 Politics in Britain
POLS2031 Politics in the Middle East
POLS2055 Pacific Politics
POLS2069 Politics in Russia
POLS2070 Politics in Central Asia
POLS2095 Politics in Latin America
POLS2127 U.S. Politics

A minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 units from completion of political economy courses from the following list:

ASIA2090 Study Tour: The Political Economy of Myanmar
ECON2013 Behavioural Economics
MEAS2105 The Political Economy of the Middle East
POLS2011 Development and Change
POLS2094 Issues in International Political Economy

A maximum of 12 units from completion of internship/Vice-Chancellors courses from the following list:

ANIP3003 Australian National Internships Program Internship A
ANIP3005 Australian National Internships Program Internship B
VCUG2001 Creating Knowledge
VCUG2002 Leadership and Influence in a Complex World
VCUG3001 Unravelling Complexity
VCUG3002 Mobilising Research

Study Options

Honours

For information about honours, please see Bachelor of Political Science (Honours)