Juris Doctor

Make your move into Law

The Juris Doctor (JD) is a graduate-entry program for non-law graduates and for graduates who have completed a law degree overseas. You’ll study at Australia’s top clinical law school and gain in-demand professional skills that can be applied across many professions.

*To be admitted to the legal profession you also need to be “of good fame and character” and a “fit and proper person”.

This degree is not only recognised in Australia. With further study it can help qualify you to practise law in a number of other common law countries, including Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

This program is accredited by the Legal Profession Admission Board as satisfying the academic training requirements to become a lawyer in Australia. Upon completion of this program, you can qualify to become a lawyer with the addition of accredited Practical Legal Training.* If you would like to complete accredited Practical Legal Training while you complete your JD, you may be interested in our integrated Juris Doctor/ Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

We offer competitive tuition fees, and modern learning spaces. Located in Newcastle’s thriving CBD, NUspace is close to Newcastle’s court precinct, making it easy to network with local practitioners and attend court.

what you will study

In addition to the compulsory courses required by the Legal Profession Admission Board, you can choose directed courses from a range of areas including:

• Family Law
• Health Law
• Indigenous Peoples, Issues and the Law
• International Human Rights, and many others.

Find out when applications close for available intakes

Review the information below and submit your application now.

Both students and education agents can submit applications online. This is our preferred way of application. You can save your application after you have started, and come back to it later.

To ensure a smooth application process, please complete the following steps before applying:

Note: Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the University of Newcastle’s English Language Proficiency requirements.

Applicants who do not speak English as a first language must demonstrate that they meet the University's English proficiency requirement. Further information regarding English language proficiency requirements can be found at the English Language Proficiency for Admission Policy.

In the application portal, you can enter the program you wish to study and upload relevant documents needed as part of your application. It is recommended you submit your application a minimum of 12 weeks before your intended semester of trimester start date.

Possible career paths may include:

• In-House Legal Counsel
• Criminal Prosecutor
• Community Legal Centre Lawyer
• Environmental Lawyer
• Barrister
• Policy Analyst.

Graduates of this program who wish to apply for admission to practice in Australia must also complete an accredited Practical Legal Training program. This involves further study and supervised experience. You have the option to move into our Juris Doctor/ Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice which offers integrated practical training.