Juris Doctor

at Australian National University

Program Structure:

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

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
• LAWS6267 Youth Law Clinic
• LAWS6268 Community Law Clinic
• LAWS6278 Indigenous Community Legal Clinic
• LAWS6281 Environmental Law Clinic
• LAWS6284 Public Interest Law Clinic
• LAWS6301 Law and Development Clinic
• LAWS6302 International Law Clinic
• LAWS6304 Prison Legal Literacy Clinic 
• LAWS6307 Legal Education for True Justice: Indigenous Perspectives and Deep Listening on Country
• LAWS6700 Law Capstone Project
• LAWS6313 Kimberley Aboriginal Justice Clinic
• LAWS8301 Graduate Research Unit
• LAWS8458 International Organisations (Geneva)

AND

• A minimum of 18 units from completion of LAWS 8000-level courses.

AND

• A maximum of 30 units may come from completion of 4000-level courses from the subject area LAWS Law
   

Specialisations

• Corporate and Commercial Law
• Human Security Law
• International and Comparative Law
• International Law
• Law Reform, Environmental and Social Justice
• New Technologies Law
• Private Commercial Law
• Public Law
• Public Law
   

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.
 

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.

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.
 

Annual indicative fee for international students

$54,290.00

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.