Program Requirements

The Juris Doctor requires the completion of 144 units, of which:

144 units must come from completion of courses from the subject area LAWS Law

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 2000-, 3000- and 4000-level courses

24 units from completion of courses from the following list:

LAWS6101 Foundations of Australian Law

LAWS6102 Lawyers, Justice and Ethics

LAWS6103 Torts

LAWS6105 Australian Public Law

66 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

LAWS6104 Contracts

LAWS6106 Criminal Law and Procedure

LAWS6201 Administrative Law

LAWS6202 Commonwealth Constitutional Law

LAWS6203 Corporations Law

LAWS6204 Property

LAWS6205 Equity and Trusts

LAWS6207 Evidence

LAWS6244 Litigation and Dispute Management

LAWS6249 Legal Theory

LAWS6250 International Law

AND

A minimum of 6 units from completion of one capstone course from the following list:

LAWS6010 Jessup Moot

LAWS6230 Law Internship

LAWS6240 Special Law Elective 4: International Social Justice Clinic

LAWS6267 Clinical Youth Law Program

LAWS6268 Community Law Clinical Program

LAWS6278 Indigenous Community Legal Clinic

LAWS6281 Environmental Law Clinical Program

LAWS6284 Public Interest Law Clinical Program

LAWS6301 Myanmar Clinical Program

LAWS6302 International Law Clinical Program

LAWS6304 Prison Legal Literacy Clinic 

LAWS6307 Legal Education for True Justice: Indigenous Perspectives and Deep Listening on Country

LAWS6700 Law Capstone Project

LAWS6310 Australian National Law Internships Program B (Graduate)

LAWS6311 Australian National Law Internships Program A (Graduate)

LAWS6313 Kimberley Aboriginal Justice Clinic

LAWS8301 Graduate Research Unit

LAWS8458 International Organisations (Geneva)

AND

A minimum of 18 units from completion of 8000-level courses in the following subject areas:

LAWS Law

LEGM Legal Practice MLP

Specialisations

Study Options

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.

Applicants must present a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0.

If applicants have more than one completed tertiary qualification, the GPA will be determined by the highest GPA of all completed qualifications

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.

Academic achievement & English language proficiency

The minimum academic requirement for full entry and enrolment is a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0.

However, applicants will first be ranked on a GPA ('GPA1') that is calculated using all but the last semester (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes.

If required, ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of:

• a GPA ('GPA2') calculated on the penultimate and antepenultimate semesters (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes; and/or

• demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency.

Prior to enrolment in this ANU program, all students who gain entry will have their Bachelor degree reassessed, to confirm minimum requirements were met.

Further information: English Language Requirements for Admission 

Diversity factors

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.

Assessment of qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met.

 Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework: www.aqf.edu.au

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities: www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

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.

Employment Opportunities

Juris Doctor (JD) 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 Law degree (JD) 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 the Juris Doctor, graduates will be able to:

1. apply an advanced body of legal knowledge in a range of contexts for professional practice in law, and as a pathway for further legal learning
2. apply a body of legal knowledge that includes an extended understanding of recent developments in the discipline and professional legal practice
3. apply knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to law and its professional practice
4. exhibit cognitive skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on theory and professional practice in law
5. exhibit cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of legal knowledge or practice
6. exhibit cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex legal ideas and concepts at an abstract level
7. exhibit communication and technical legal research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences
8. exhibit technical and communication legal skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to legal professional practice
9. demonstrate the application of knowledge and skills with creativity and initiative to new situations in legal professional practice and/or further learning
10. demonstrate application of knowledge and skills with high level personal autonomy and accountability
11. demonstrate application of knowledge and skills to plan and execute a substantial research-based legal project, capstone experience and/or professionally focussed project.

Further Information

From Semester 1 2020, the online delivery mode for all compulsory courses in the ANU college of Law Juris Doctor will be phased out. From semester one 2024, all compulsory courses in the ANU college of Law Juris Doctor will be delivered on-campus only. Information on JD Online Course Offerings