Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

Highlights

• QUT’s law degree prepares you to think ahead and take advantage of employment opportunities in growth areas or newly emerging sectors, such as intellectual property and technology.
• Benefit from meaningful connections with high profile industry employers and classes with leading law experts.
• Learn to develop practical solutions that impact the real world.
• Beat the cutting edge of international science education with access to QUT’s new multimillion-dollar research and teaching facilities, including our $230 million Science and Engineering Precinct.
• Enhance your career prospects with skills like analytical and writing skills that can be applied in both a science and/or legal profession.
• Complete 2 separate degrees in 5.5 years full-time.

Why choose this course?

This double degree covers all major areas of the law, as well as allowing students to choose one of the following majors offered in the Bachelor of Science course: biological sciences, chemistry, earth science, environmental science, and physics. You will be educated in the content and processes of science to prepare you for the complexities of legal issues with a range of scientific and technological dimensions.

Whether you choose biological sciences, chemistry, earth science, environmental science or physics, your major within the science component of this double degree will provide you with in-depth knowledge and expertise, preparing you for entry into the workforce or further study.

You will explore real-world problems from multiple science perspectives and learn the tools of the trade. Depending on your choices you may find yourself out in the field, working in the laboratory or learning about the impact of scientific theory on people, policy, industry and the planet.  Working with data you have collected, you’ll study how to apply fundamental methods of scientific practice, perform scientific analysis, and learn the tools to present your findings.

The law component of this double degree will provide you with the knowledge and confidence you need to apply the law in an array of careers. Through your study, you will understand key areas of law and develop advanced knowledge in areas that interest you. Your study will also develop necessary legal skills such as legal research, problem-solving, dispute resolution, and oral and written communication. Our course will also help you understand and promote the ethical standards of the legal profession and to appreciate international and Indigenous perspectives.

QUT’s contemporary law degree prepares you to think ahead and allows you to take advantage of employment opportunities in growth areas or newly emerging sectors, such as mining and resources, intellectual property and technology.

As a QUT student, you will benefit immediately and into the future from:

• a course that has been designed in consultation with industry to have a strong foundation in contemporary law knowledge, understanding, and experience
• meaningful connections with high profile industry employers
• practical and effective hands-on learning experiences during your studies
• classes with leading and expert teachers
• international study and placement opportunities
• our high-quality law library, expert librarians and Law Moot Court facilities
• the convenience of a city-based campus.

Real-world learning

You will study a combination of science and law units in the first four years, with law units only in the final three semesters.

From the beginning of your science component, you can expect to spend time in QUT's state-of-the-art laboratories, learning the latest scientific techniques and using equipment found in the industry.  You will learn at QUT and in the workplace. Our work integrated learning program gives you the opportunity to combine workplace activities with academic study, assessment and support.

In the law degree, you will complete core units and a mixture of introductory, general and advanced electives.

In your first year, you will study four science units and be introduced to law, the law of torts (negligence, damages and no-fault compensation schemes), legal problem solving and criminal law.

In your second year, you can choose an introductory law elective unit and two units from your science major. You will gain advanced understanding and skills in legal research, dispute resolution and the variety of contexts in which Australian law operates.

Your third year of study will further develop your chosen science area of specialization, with four units in your selected major. You will also expand your knowledge and skills in the law by studying contract law, constitutional law, equity and trusts, and commercial and personal property law.

In the fourth year, you can pick a general law elective to study alongside real property law, administrative law and evidence, as you advance your chosen science major.

In your final three semesters, you will study law units only and the course allows you to choose general and advanced elective units that interest you. You will also study civil procedure, ethics, commercial remedies, and corporate law, before undertaking a legal research capstone project.