Overview
The JD is a postgraduate level law degree that is recognised for the purpose of admission to practise law. A 144 unit of credit program, it may be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. It is made up of 96 units of credit of compulsory courses, 6 units of credit of prescribed electives and 42 units of credit of free electives. The compulsory courses and prescribed electives cover the areas of study prescribed by the Legal Profession Admission Board (NSW) for recognition of the degree for professional practice.
Students will acquire a sound knowledge base in the discipline of Law due to their completion of a sequence of core courses and a wide range of elective courses.
The JD is a flexible program and can be studied on a full-time or part-time basis. Students can choose their rate of study within program rules (ie. can move between full-time and part-time study). The maximum duration is 8 years.
Learning Outcomes
Collapse All Learning OutcomesProgram Structure
Students must complete 144 UOC as a standalone program.
1. Law compulsory courses - 96 UOC
2. Prescribed elective course - 6 UOC
3. Free elective courses - 42 UOC
Prescribed Electives
Capstone Experience
All students must complete a capstone experience that provides a synthesis of their prior learning and experience in subject areas required for practice as a lawyer and prepares them for ongoing growth as professionals and further intellectual development. This requirement will be met by completion of a Prescribed Elective in legal theory or by completion of internships, clinics or other experiential learning activities for which JD UOC are awarded
Electives Maturity Requirements
Students must complete 72 UOC in the program before enrolling in Elective courses, except in cases where the enrolment rules of individual Elective courses waive this requirement.
Admission Requirements
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For Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens, applications for the UNSW JD are online through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). Go to www.uac.edu.au and click on “UAC Postgraduate”.
Pathways
Recognition of Achievement
Award with Excellence
The Award with Excellence is awarded in coursework masters programs, including Masters (Extension) but with the exception of Masters (Extended) such as JD and MD, when a Weighted Average Mean (WAM) of at least 80% has been achieved and at least 50% of the requirements of the award are completed at UNSW. All eligible programs will award 'with Excellence' except in special circumstances where approval of Academic Board has been given for a program to opt out.
For more information, please visit:
Current Students Award with ExcellenceAdditional Information
Juris Doctor with Distinction Policy
Students who complete the Juris Doctor Program from 2015 onwards (from Summer 2015) will be eligible for the Juris Doctor with Distinction.
To be awarded the Juris Doctor with Distinction, students:
- must achieve a Distinction WAM of 75%. The Distinction WAM will be calculated using the WAM from core courses as 60% and the WAM from elective courses as 40 %, of which courses completed at UNSW ONLY will count towards the Distinction WAM calculation.
- NOT been found guilty of plagiarism nor serious misconduct.
- NOT have more than one failure in the JD program.
For more information on the Juris Doctor with Distinction, please visit Juris Doctor with Distinction
Program Fees
At UNSW fees are generally charged at course level and therefore dependent upon individual enrolment and other factors such as student's residency status. For generic information on fees and additional expenses of UNSW programs, click on one of the following:
Pre-2019 Handbook Editions
Access past handbook editions (2018 and prior)