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University of South Australia (UNISA)

Adelaide , South Australia ,Australia

Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Bachelor of Psychology

Gain a competitive edge by combining law with psychology, and graduate with two degrees in just five years.

A double degree expands your knowledge and opens doors to a broad range of career opportunities.

You will graduate with professional honours, an advanced understanding of legal principles of Australian law and the latest legal concepts in psychology. This legal expertise, combined with the knowledge and skills you’ll gain from your specialisation, will set you on track for a leadership career.

In your law studies you’ll gain practical real-world experience by undertaking an industry or clinic placement, a law reform project or high-level research in your final year. You’ll also be involved in mock-trials in our moot court, learning what it’s like to be act as an advocate and argue a case before a judge. You can also gain valuable experience at our Legal Advice Clinic, solving legal problems of clients under the guidance of a managing solicitor.

In your psychology studies you will develop an in-depth understanding of human behaviour, social interactions and why people think the way they do. Courses are taught by world-class researchers1 in the field of psychology – in fact, the curriculum is informed by the research of our academics.

If you wish to practise law, you should also familiarise yourself with the requirements for admission as a legal practitioner in South Australia. 

Campus Information

Adelaide- City West

On the edge of Adelaide’s central business district, City West houses studies in business, law, art, architecture, design, Indigenous cultures and Australian society.

Intakes

  • Feb
  • July

Application Processing Time in Days: 14

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

You will hold a desirable skillset for a diverse range of careers including:

  • Arbitrator/Mediator: facilitating negotiation and settlement between disputing parties by providing direction and encouragement; working collaboratively with the parties and finding creative ways to reach a mutual solution.
  • Crime prevention specialist: working closely with/within government departments and agencies to reduce crime, enforce the law and maintain criminal justice.
  • Forensic psychologist (with further study): collecting and reporting evidence of a psychological nature for use in legal and criminal justice proceedings; undertaking psychological assessments, diagnoses and interventions; evaluating programs and conducting interviews.
  • Human resources manager: designing, organising and implementing human resources strategies, policies and programs; overseeing recruitment, performance management, and learning and development.
  • Learning and development officer: liaising with managers and interviewing employees to identify and assess training and development needs; delivering and overseeing training; monitoring progress made through training programs; designing training programs.
  • Policy analyst: analysing policies and their effects to provide advice and guidance to governments and organisations; offering strategic policy and planning advice on programs and operations; reviewing, developing, and implementing policies and strategies.
  • Project manager: ensuring projects are delivered on time and according to project plans; managing project team resources; scheduling, preparation and resource forecasting; managing vendors and suppliers; managing budgets.
  • Solicitor:
  • Commercial Solicitor: focusing on business-specific legal practice such as: corporate, contract, competition, communications, commercial property, finance, employment, intellectual property, transport, sports and media law.
  • Personal Solicitor: focusing on areas such as personal injury, family and tort law, criminal litigation, succession and inheritance, residential property, taxation and trusts.
  • Barrister: advocacy, litigation and dispute resolution, preparing matters for trial.

PSW Opportunity

Bachelor Degree or Masters by Coursework Degree - 2 years - 3 years (Adelaide)

Masters by Research - 3 years - 4 years (Adelaide)

PhD qualification - 4 years - 5 years (Adelaide)

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

The admission criteria have been grouped to assist you to easily find the information most relevant to your circumstances. However, you may fit into more than one and the university will consider applicants against each of the relevant criteria.

Certain conditions apply. For more information refer to Appendix 4 of the University's Selection and Entry policy.

Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:

Recent secondary education

  • Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent
    AND
  • Qualify for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), and achieved a competitive Selection Rank (ATAR), or
  • Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE,
    or
  • Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points

Applicants who have not achieved the Selection Rank required for automatic selection may be selected for any remaining places based on the grades of their year 12 subjects.

OR
Higher education study

  • Complete or partly complete a recognised higher education program at a recognised higher education institution, or
  • Complete at least four Open Universities Australia (OUA) courses at undergraduate level or above
    OR

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

  • Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Diploma level or above
    OR

Work and life experience

  • Qualify for Special Entry, or
  • Complete a 12-month UniSA Foundation Studies program or equivalent, or
  • Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past.