Program Requirements

The Master of Laws requires the completion of 48 units, which must consist of:

6 units from completion of compulsory course:

LAWS8586 Law and Legal Institutions*

And:

A minimum of 30 units from completion of 8000-level courses in the subject area LAWS Law;

And:

A maximum of 12 units from completion of any 8000-level courses on offer at the ANU

*Students who have completed an Australian undergraduate law degree or Juris Doctor or equivalent are exempted from LAWS8586 Law and Legal Institutions and are required to complete an additional 6 units from the course list.

Specialisations

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. 

A Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Juris Doctor, Graduate Certificate of Law or Bachelor Degree in any cognate discipline with a minimum GPA of 5.0

Or

Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Juris Doctor, Graduate Certificate of Law or Bachelor Degree in any cognate discipline with a minimum GPA of 4.0 plus 3 years of relevant professional experience.

Cognate disciplines

For the purposes of admission ‘cognate’ is to be defined as any of the following:

i.   Accounting, Business And Management, Sales And Marketing, Tourism, Office Studies, Banking, Finance And Related Fields, Management And Commerce, Political Science And Policy Studies, Studies In Human Society, Human Welfare Studies And Services, Behavioural Science, Law, Justice And Law Enforcement, Librarianship, Information Management And Curatorial Studies, Language And Literature, Philosophy And Religious Studies, Economics And Econometrics, Sport And Recreation, Society And Culture.

ii.   For more information please refer to the Management and Commerce or Society and Culture Fields of Education or contact the ANU College of Law.

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.

Credit Granted

Applicants who have completed a degree in a cognate discipline from a recognised university may be eligible to receive coursework credit towards this degree, in line with the ANU Coursework Award Rules.

Further information can be located on the ANU College of Law Credit Guidelines.

Fee Information

All students are required to pay the Services and amenities fee (SA Fee)

The annual indicative fee provides an estimate of the program tuition fees for international students and domestic students (where applicable). The annual indicative fee for a program is based on the standard full-time enrolment load of 48 units per year (unless the program duration is less than 48 units). Fees for courses vary by discipline meaning that the fees for a program can vary depending on the courses selected. Course fees are reviewed on an annual basis and typically will increase from year to year. The tuition fees payable are dependent on the year of commencement and the courses selected and are subject to increase during the period of study.

For further information on Fees and Payment please see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments

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. develop and apply specialist knowledge within the areas of law studied.
   
2. evaluate case law, legislation and scholarly writings on the specialist areas of law studied.
   
3. synthesise legal materials into a concise and cohesive argument that addresses a legal question.
   
4. incorporate social, comparative or interdisciplinary approaches into legal analysis.
   
5. undertake legal research and present findings using a variety of materials and sources.
   
6. engage in original and critical reflection on the law.
   
7. contribute to debates on theoretical, policy and practical issues in the areas of law studied.

Inherent Requirements

Information on inherent requirements is currently not available for this program.

Further Information

Courses in this program are offered either on campus in Canberra as an intensive or as an online offering. 

Students who have completed an Australian undergraduate law degree or Juris Doctor or equivalent are exempted from LAWS8586 Law and Legal Institutions and are required to complete an additional 6 units from the course list.

For a list of courses on offer please refer to the LLM course timetable.

For more information on the program please visit the ANU College of Law. To APPLY via UAC please go to LLM Masters Program website.