-
95% graduates employed
-
Top 10 Catholic universities globally
-
Top 40 young universities worldwide
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws
Course information for - 2025 entry
Domestic
- Domestic
- International
- Domestic
- International
Offered at 3 locations
- Brisbane
- Melbourne
- North Sydney
- Brisbane
- Melbourne
- North Sydney
- Duration
- 5 years full-time or equivalent part-time
- QTAC code
- 116601
- ATAR
- 75.00 for Brisbane
- Fees (first year)*
- Start dates
-
Semester 1 intake: Beginning February 2025
Applications open August 2024
Midyear (Semester 2) intake: Beginning July 2025
Applications open April 2025
Overview
Become a lawyer who stands up for people in need, and causes that matter. The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws is designed to produce well-rounded and articulate graduates ready for legal practice and a range of professional careers in an increasingly global environment. This double degree is designed to broaden your knowledge and experience across multiple disciplines while honing your communication skills, inspiring critical thinking, and perfecting your research expertise to enhance your employability.
Students who have completed 120 credit points of law units with a grade point average of 5.75 and above may apply to complete an honours degree.
Professional experience
You will complete a minimum of 80 hours pro bono experience.
Work placement
Every undergraduate law student at the Thomas More Law School undertakes a minimum of 80 hours of pro bono placement as part of their degree.
Through these placements, students have contributed many thousands of hours to the legal profession and to the community, representing the interests of those who might not otherwise have access to justice. A great example is our Refugee Law project in Sydney which assists asylum seekers in matters before the Federal Circuit Court. For most clients, English is their second language and they are unfamiliar with the Australian legal system.
Pro bono service provides you with an unrivalled opportunity to experience and reflect upon the operation of the law in a practice setting and on the benefits and challenges for those who are marginalised or disadvantaged in our community.
Professional recognition
This degree has been approved by accreditation authorities as a prerequisite for admission to legal practice in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, and is recognised for the purposes of admission in other Australian states and territories.
Careers
Our graduates have pursued careers in:
- legal profession
- government administration
- industry regulation
- media
- politics
- NGOs, both domestic and international
- academia
- diplomacy
- the evolving digital environment will open unforeseen opportunities for thinkers trained in the law
Industry partnerships
ACU works with a variety of industry partners:
- Toongabbie Legal Centre
Course details
Course structure
To complete the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws, a student must complete 400 credit points (cp).
Course map
Graduate statement
AQF framework
Additional course information
Sydney students will be required to take Arts units at the Strathfield campus.
Overseas study available
You’ll have the opportunity to study the university Core Curriculum at our Rome campus. A number of elective units in this degree are also available to study overseas.
Entry requirements
An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have completed the following prerequisites at year 12 level, or equivalent:
| State | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
New South Wales | English (Standard) (Band 3) or English as an Additional Language (EAL) (Band 4) |
Queensland | English (Units 3 & 4, C) |
Victoria | Units 3 and 4 – a study score of at least 30 in English as an Additional Language (EAL) or 25 in any other English. |
International students need to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2025 Admission. Refer to your relevant Tertiary Admission Centre website for future years' entry requirements.
View transparency admission information
Applicants with recent secondary education
You’ll need to meet the minimum entry requirements and subject prerequisites for your chosen course.
If your school result was affected by circumstances outside of your control, such as financial hardship, illness, disability or a challenging home environment, you may qualify for an access scheme. You can apply through your TAC as part of your application process.
Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study
You’ll need to meet the minimum entry requirements and subject prerequisites for your chosen course.
For current year 12 students
If you’re a current Year 12 applicant you can be given a selection rank separate from, and in addition to, your ATAR if you’ve completed a competency-based and graded AQF Certificate III or above.
For non-school leavers
If you’ve completed, or are completing a competency-based AQF Certificate IV or AQF diploma you will be assigned a selection rank by your local Tertiary Admission Centre (TAC). This is an entry score based on your individual qualifications and achievements.
ACU has partnerships with TAFE and many private education providers. If you have completed a qualification with one of these partners or with ACU College, you may be eligible for guaranteed entry and/or credit into a related ACU degree. Please apply through your local TAC and then submit a credit application for your previous study.
Applicants with higher education study
You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements and subject prerequisites for your chosen course.
If you have completed at least two units of AQF-recognised study at bachelor level or above, we’ll assign you with a new selection rank that reflects your study level, duration, and grade point average.
If your prior study or relevant work experience has provided you with knowledge, skills or experience aligned with the learning outcomes of units in your new course, you may be eligible to gain credit for study or have your prior learning recognised. This means you may be able to complete your ACU course in a shorter timeframe.
You can use our credit search tool to see what you might be eligible for. For more information about credit and recognition of prior learning at ACU, follow the link below.
Applicants with work and life experience
You’ll need to meet the minimum entry requirements and subject prerequisites for your chosen course.
If you have no formal education qualifications you may be eligible for a selection rank based on your work, life or service experience.
- If you’ve been in paid employment, relevant to the course you’re applying for, for a minimum of six months full-time (or equivalent), this work may be assessed for your selection rank.
- If you’re 21 years or older you can sit the Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) through your local TAC.
- You can apply for an ACU bridging course. Our bridging courses allow you to transition back into studying and can give you a head start on the relevant undergraduate degree.
- If you have served in the defence force, your rank and time in service may contribute to your selection rank.
English language requirements
IELTS (International English Language Testing System): Overall score of 7.0, Individual score of 6.5 for all tests.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Academic): from an Internet based total of 94, achieve a minimum of 24 in writing, 20 in speaking and listening, 19 in reading.
Adjustment factors
If you’re currently completing Year 12 you may be eligible for adjustment factors that can boost your rank and help you get into your desired course.
Adjustment factors may be applied to your TAC application if you study particular subjects, attend schools geographically close to our campuses or in certain regional areas, apply as an elite athlete or performer or meet certain other criteria.
Inherent requirement
There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of that course or unit. You will need to be able to meet these inherent requirements to complete your course.
Learn more about inherent requirements for your course and how they affect you
Pathways
Pathways into course for current or recent Year 12 students
If you can’t meet the ATAR requirement for your choice of course and you’re currently completing Year 12 or finished Year 12 in the two years previously, we have entry programs to get you where you want to be.
Alternatively, you may be able to complete a diploma or bridging course relevant to your desired course.
Pathways into course for applicants with previous study and/or life experience
Are you applying to ACU as a non-school leaver?
By that we mean, you’re not currently completing Year 12 and haven’t completed it in the two years previously. If the answer is yes and your selection rank isn’t enough to meet the requirements for your desired course you still have a number of options to help you achieve your study goals.
If you’re over 21, you can sit the Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT), or you can complete a diploma or bridging course relevant to your desired course.
Further study
A student who has completed at least 120 cp of LAWS units of the degree with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.75 may be eligible for Admission to the Bachelor (Honours degree).
An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
A student who achieves an Honours at a minimum level of Second Class Division A (Distinction average) may be eligible for Admission to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Meeting the eligibility requirements for admission is not in itself a guarantee of admission. The candidate’s potential to undertake research, the quality and feasibility of the research proposal, the availability of appropriate supervision and the referee’s reports will all be taken into consideration. Please refer to Higher Degree Research Regulations.
A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy must comply with the Higher Degree Research Regulations.
Refer to your relevant Tertiary Admission Centre website for future years' entry requirements.
Fees
Course costs
*This is an indicative first-year fee based on the tuition fee rates for a full-time student, using unit enrolment data from domestic students who studied the course in the previous year.
A student’s annual fee will vary depending on factors including:
- Number of units studied per year
- Choice of major or specialisation
- Elective units
The University reviews fees annually.
You can view current course costs and domestic tuition fee rates by unit.
Payment options
You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support.
Scholarships
You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.
How to apply
Deferment
Deferment is available for one year. Find out more about deferment: Deferment Information.
Staff Profile
Dr Sevda Clark
Lecturer, Thomas More Law School
Dr Sevda Clark is a human rights lawyer, policy analyst and Lecturer at the Thomas More Law School where she teaches International Law, Administrative Law and Constitutional Law She is admitted in the Supreme Court of NSW.
Before joining the Law School, Clark worked as a legal policy analyst at the Attorney-General’s Department. She was also a Principal Research Officer for the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights at the Department of the Senate, Parliament House Canberra.
As Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oslo, she advised governments and non-governmental organisations on the normative development and implementation of human rights law at the international and domestic levels. She acted as Expert advisor to the United Nations during the drafting of the Third Optional Protocol the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure and represented the National Institute for Human Rights in Norway at the Working Group sessions in Geneva, making oral and written submissions on the development of the treaty.
Clark serves as a Member of the Advisory Board, Human Rights Education Review and an Editorial Board Member of the Australian Feminist Law Journal.
Clark holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of International Human Rights Law from the University of Oslo, Norway. She also holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Hons English Literature) from the University of Sydney.
Dr Mark Hamilton
Lecturer, Thomas More Law School
Mark Hamilton is a lecturer in both law and criminology at ACU. He is also the course coordinator for those disciplines. Having commenced at ACU in 2022, Mark has had the opportunity to teach a variety of units including introductions to criminology and criminal justice, violence, juvenile justice, foundations of law and legal research, criminal law, evidence and environmental law. His primary interest is restorative justice in the context of environmental law. He is also interested in green criminology and environmental victims. Mark has worked as a tipstaff to a judge of the Land and Environment Court of NSW, and as a solicitor in private practice.
Mark enjoys academic pursuits and has bachelor degrees in science (psychology) and law from the University of Wollongong; masters degrees in environmental law (University of Sydney), politics and public policy (Macquarie University), and law (University of Sydney); and a PhD in law from the University of New South Wales. His PhD doctorate has been published as a monograph (Environmental Crime and Restorative Justice: Justice as Meaningful Involvement, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).
Testimonial
“When I started my law degree, I was not really sure where it would lead me. What was great about the law school was the way it gave me so many opportunities to try different types of law and to get practical legal experience as I progressed through the degree. In the end, I secured a graduate position with one of the country’s leading commercial law firms. The encouragement and support I received from the Law school was fantastic.”