Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

1 Year On Campus Bachelors Program

Deakin University

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Deakin University is an advanced legal program designed for high-achieving law students who want to deepen their research skills and strengthen their academic and professional legal expertise. It is ideal for students aiming for careers in legal practice, academia, or specialised areas of law where strong analytical and research capability is essential.
Campus Location: Burwood (Melbourne), Geelong Waurn Ponds, and Geelong Waterfront (Victoria, Australia)

Curriculum Structure:

Year 1 (Honours Year): In this final advanced year, students focus on developing independent legal research and high-level analytical thinking. Core study typically includes Honours Legal Research Methods, where students learn advanced legal inquiry techniques and academic writing, alongside Honours Research Thesis (Law), where they complete a supervised dissertation on a specialised legal topic of their choice. Students also engage in advanced seminars that deepen their understanding of contemporary legal issues and strengthen critical evaluation of legal systems.

Focus Areas: Advanced legal research, constitutional and public law analysis, specialised legal writing, independent thesis development, jurisprudence and legal theory.

Learning Outcomes: Graduates will demonstrate advanced legal research capability, high-level critical thinking, and the ability to produce scholarly legal work; they will be able to analyse complex legal problems and contribute to legal scholarship or professional legal practice.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation): This honours qualification builds on the accredited Bachelor of Laws pathway and strengthens eligibility for legal practice progression in Australia (subject to completion of Practical Legal Training).

Reputation (Employability & Rankings): Deakin University is recognised in the QS World University Rankings and is known for strong performance in Law and Legal Studies subject areas, with a strong reputation for graduate employability and practical legal education.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Deakin University, the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) is designed to strengthen advanced legal research, analytical thinking, and professional legal writing through intensive, practice-oriented learning. You won’t just refine theory—you’ll actively apply law in structured academic and simulated professional environments, developing the skills expected in higher-level legal practice and postgraduate study pathways. A strong emphasis is placed on independent research, critical evaluation of legal issues, and applying legal principles to complex real-world scenarios: supported by dedicated law learning environments and digital legal resources.

Law Moot Court Training: students develop advocacy and oral argument skills through simulated court proceedings and structured legal debate exercises
Advanced Legal Research Tools: access to key legal databases and research platforms such as Westlaw AU and LexisNexis AU for case law, legislation, and academic legal research
Deakin Law School Learning Environment: structured honours-level research supervision and academic mentoring focused on producing high-level legal research outputs
CloudDeakin Online Learning Platform: digital access to course materials, interactive learning tasks, submissions, and academic collaboration tools
Deakin Library Legal Collections: extensive legal texts, journals, case law archives, and research databases supporting advanced legal inquiry
Research-Focused Honours Project: independent supervised legal research project that develops specialist expertise in a chosen area of law
Collaborative Academic Workshops: peer discussion sessions and group-based critical analysis of complex legal problems and jurisprudence

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Deakin University develop advanced legal research, critical analysis, and advocacy skills that prepare them for high-level entry into the legal profession and policy environments. The honours component further strengthens your ability to work with complex legal problems and positions you competitively for graduate law programs, clerkships, and specialist legal roles. Many graduates progress into roles such as solicitor, legal analyst, policy advisor, or compliance specialist: building careers across courts, government, and corporate legal environments.

Career pathways (typical roles): Solicitor, Legal Analyst, Policy Advisor, Compliance Officer
University services that support employment: Deakin University DeakinTALENT provides career coaching, internship and clerkship support, resume and interview preparation, and direct connections to employers and graduate opportunities
Employment outcomes & salary figures: law graduates in Australia typically earn in the approximate range of AUD $70,000–$120,000+ per year, with progression to significantly higher salaries following admission to practice and experience in private or corporate law
University–industry partnerships: strong engagement with law firms, courts, government legal departments, and community legal centres supports practical experience through internships, clerkships, and work-integrated learning opportunities
Long-term accreditation value: the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) meets the academic requirements for admission to legal practice in Australia (subject to completion of Practical Legal Training), and the honours qualification enhances competitiveness for graduate law programs and legal careers
Graduation outcomes: graduates are well-prepared for professional pathways in legal practice, government advisory roles, corporate compliance, and policy development, with strong demand for graduates who can handle complex legal reasoning and research

Further Academic Progression:

After completing this honours degree, graduates can progress into the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice to qualify for admission as a lawyer, or pursue postgraduate study such as a Master of Laws (LLM) to specialise in areas like commercial law, international law, or criminal law. High-achieving graduates may also pursue doctoral research (PhD in Law) for careers in academia, advanced policy research, or judicial and legislative advisory roles.

Additional Information & Requirements

Overall IELTS score of 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component, or an equivalent TOEFL iBT score of 94 with a minimum Writing score of 27.
For Deakin students currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws degree (M312), or a combined Bachelor of Laws degree, to be considered for admission to this degree you will need to have completed a minimum number of credit points of MLL/MLP/MLT units, (or equivalent, as determined by the LLB (Hons) Course Director), as outlined in the following criteria:
for students currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws degree (M312), 21 credit points of MLL/MLP/MLT coded units, with a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 65% across these units
for students currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Laws combined degree, 16 credit points of MLL/MLP/MLT coded units, with a WAM of at least 65% across these units
For all other applicants (not a current Deakin University student), to be considered for admission to this degree you will need to meet the following criteria:
completion of an accredited 4 -year Bachelor of Laws at an Australian institution with a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) (or equivalent average grade indicator) of at least 65% in all law units successfully completed
All applicants:
Applications must be accompanied by a personal statement (600 words in total), which includes an overview of their proposed Honours research (300 words) and their motivation(s) for undertaking Honours (300 words).