The double degree program permits students to examine and analyse the historical development of relations among nation states and contemporary political, social and cultural issues, such as globalisation, transnationalism and migration. The Bachelor of Laws provides students with professional legal skills including the ability to analyse legal material and understand fundamental legal principles; an understanding of the relationship between law and society; the skills to analyse and solve non-legal problems and specialised study into the Australian legal system.
Students in this double degree also have the opportunity to complete a semester of study overseas and receive advanced standing towards their majors, minors or Bachelor of Laws alternate subjects. They are encouraged to do so but must discuss this with a program advisor.
Five years full-time or ten years part-time. International Studies subjects are offered at Bankstown and Parramatta campuses and Law subjects are offered at Campbelltown and Parramatta campuses. Students may be required to travel between campuses in order to complete their subjects.
Graduates from this program are eligible to apply to the Legal Profession Admission Board for admission to legal practice in NSW after undertaking prescribed practical legal training.
Inherent Requirements
There are inherent requirements for this program that you must meet in order to complete your program and graduate. Make sure you read and understand the requirements for this program online.
Western Sydney University seeks to enhance student learning experiences by enabling students to engage in the culture, expectations and practices of their profession or discipline. This program includes a placement or other community-based unpaid practical experience.
There is an optional work component available in this program. Please contact the Program Advisor listed above for information.
International students should be aware that if an elective is a requirement of the program but the work itself was not registered with CRICOS, students can still complete these electives but it would be counted towards the work limitation. For more details, refer to the 'Work Integrated Learning (WIL) for international students' website.
Eligibility for admission to the Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Laws is based on the following requirements:
Assumed knowledge: any 2 units of HSC English
Recommended studies: HSC English standard or equivalent
Applications from Australian and New Zealand citizens and holders of permanent resident visas may be made via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) or directly through the Western Portal. Use the links below to apply via UAC or Western Sydney University. Applications made directly to Western Sydney do not have an application fee.
Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Local applicants who are applying through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) will find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on the UAC website. Local applicants applying directly to the University should also use the information provided on the UAC website.
International students currently completing an Australian Year 12 in or outside Australia, an International Baccalaureate in Australia or a New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 3 must apply via UAC International.
All other International applicants must apply directly to the University via the International Office.
International students applying to the University through the International Office can find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on their website.
Overseas qualifications must be deemed by the Australian Education International - National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) to be equivalent to Australian qualifications in order to be considered by UAC and Western Sydney University.
Special Requirements Prerequisites
Students enrolling in these subjects may need to have a National Police Check and consent or prohibited employment declarations as they may be conducting their placement in circumstances where they work with minors. This would be managed on an as needs basis:
LAWS 3078 Legal, Economic and Social Transformation in Taiwan
Program Structure
Qualification for a double degree in law requires the successful completion of 400 credit points including the subjects listed in the recommended sequences for the relevant double degree programs.
Students are eligible to graduate in the associated degree at the end of three years of full-time study, only when they have completed all non-law subjects plus the eight law subjects specified in the study sequence as being in the first three years of the relevant double degree.
Students enrolled in the Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Laws will only be eligible to graduate from their Bachelor of Laws degree upon completion of the entire 400 credit point program. Students enrolled in this program who wish to graduate with a standalone law degree prior to completion of the entire Bachelor of International Studies component must transfer to program 2502 Bachelor of Laws (Non Graduate Entry) which requires the completion of 320 credit points (inclusive of 80 credit points of non-LLB study).
Students may early exit with the Diploma in Laws on completion of 80 credit points, comprising 20 credit points of specified Law core subjects and 60 credit points of Law core or alternate subjects, as provided in the program structure. Please refer to the link above for details.
It may be possible to vary the sequence of subjects so that students study a greater concentration of either law or their second discipline of study each semester, to minimise travel between campuses and to overcome timetabling problems. Students should speak to their academic advisor as needed. However, students who enrol in LAWS 1003 Fundamentals of Australian Law must also be enrolled in LAWS 2004 Criminal Law and students who enrol in LAWS 1009 Legal Analysis and Critique must also be enrolled in LAWS 2013 Torts Law.
For details of International Studies subjects required please see program Bachelor of International Studies.
Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Laws students are required to complete the four level 1 Arts core subjects plus the eight-subject International Relations and Asian Studies major and one of the four-subject language minors; together with the LLB key program (24 subjects). The double degree combination, therefore, consists of 40 subjects with no additional electives or choices beyond that already included within the separate Bachelor of International Studies and Law programs.
Note that instead of the minimum of 80 credit points of elective subjects required to be completed by Bachelor of International Studies students enrolled in program 1658, students in this Bachelor of International Studies /Bachelor of Laws program are required to complete the eight law subjects listed in the first three years of the recommended sequence.
Core Subjects
Students must complete the four Level 1 Bachelor of Arts (BA) core subjects
The core subjects listed below count towards completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2019 or earlier.
HUMN 1002 - Analytical Reading and Writing, replaced by LANG 1029 Foundations of Academic English
HUMN 1005 - Australia and the World, replaced by HUMN 1052 Australian Politics and Active Citizenship
HUMN 1009 - Contemporary Society, replaced by HUMN 1053 Diversity, Language and Culture
LANG 1026 - Texts and Traditions, replaced by LANG 1030 Thinking Critically About Texts and Society
Students must also complete subjects in the following, as per the chosen program structure
Students may complete the Immersion Language minor which covers languages that are not taught at Western Sydney University. Details of this minor are available via the link below:
The equivalent subjects listed below count toward completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2019 or earlier.
JUST 2002 - Bioethics, replaced by LAWS 2014 Bioethics
The equivalent subjects listed below count toward completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2021 or earlier.
LAWS 3008 - Civil Procedure and Arbitration (200813), replaced by LAWS 4013 Civil Procedure and Arbitration
LAWS 3064 - Remedies (200756), replaced by LAWS 4014 Remedies
LAWS 2002 - Constitutional Law (200009), replaced by LAWS 4015 Constitutional Law
LAWS 4001 - Administrative Law (200013), replaced by LAWS 3081 Administrative Law
LAWS 2011 - Property Law (200012), replaced by LAWS 3082 Property Law
LAWS 3059 - Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics (200020), replaced by LAWS 2015 Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics
The subjects listed below count towards completion of the program for students who may have passed subjects in the list in 2022 or earlier.
JUST 4001 Clinical Legal Placement, replaced by LAWS 4017 Access to Justice Clinic
Replaced Subjects
The subjects listed below count towards completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2021 or earlier.
LAWS 3043 - Land Transactions Law (200021)
LAWS 3035 - International Moot Court (200663)
LAWS 4002 - Advanced Constitutional Law (200755)
LAWS 4009 - Transaction Law (200758)
LAWS 3066 - Revenue Law Industry Placement (201007)
LAWS 3073 - Elder Law Industry Placement (201020)
JUST 2009 - Law Economics and Business Ethics (200296)
LAWS 4011 - Law Honours Dissertation (200700)
Please note that the availability of Bachelor of Laws Alternate Subjects may vary from session to session. New subjects may become available and some discontinued. The School of Law will publish information on which subjects are available in a session.
