Laws, Commerce

Curtins Bachelor of Laws degree provides the first qualification you need to practise as a lawyer in Australia. By combining this with our Bachelor of Commerce degree and majoring in accounting, taxation, economics, finance, marketing or human resource management, youll add a business industry focus to your career.

Our law degree offers a rich and professionally relevant foundation in legal knowledge. Youll learn core skills essential to effective legal practice and build a strong commercial awareness. From early on in your studies, youll start to recognise the importance of respecting the rule of law, along with the responsibilities and ethics of legal practice.

Youll also have the opportunity to choose from optional law elective units focusing on topics such as forensic advocacy, family law, human rights law, native title law and policy or European Union law. With a wide range of optional units to choose from, you can tailor your Bachelor of Laws to suit your interests.

With a Bachelor of Commerce as your second degree, youll gain business knowledge and practical skills specific to your chosen major. This may help you if you want to work in commercial law, employment law, corporate governance, on business policies, or as a manager or director.

The first three years of this course are delivered in semesters at Curtin Perth, while the fourth year, plus one trimester, is delivered at Curtin Law School in Perth city. If you choose to study full time, you can graduate with two degrees in just four-and-a-half years.

While studying in Perth city, you can gain practical experience by undertaking simulated proceedings in our high-tech moot court and working on real cases at the John Curtin Law Clinic. Youll greatly benefit from the relationships you form with academics, practising solicitors and barristers based at Curtin Law School, as well as the proximity of the Supreme Court, the District Court and the Federal Court.

Please refer to thehandbookfor additional course overview information.

Why study

• Youll gain first-hand insight and knowledge of the legal profession from high-quality teaching staff.
• Youll develop applied business knowledge specific to your selected commerce major.
• You can undertake a legal internship in which you can gain experience working under the supervision of an employer in a professional legal environment. The internship unit puts your law studies into context and provides opportunities to develop and apply your legal practice skills, critically analyse and reflect on the law in practice, and gain an appreciation of legal ethics.
• Later in your degree, you can enrol in the Law Clinic unit to put your legal skills into practise through professional activities. Under the supervision of experienced legal practitioners, you will meet and prepare advice for eligible clients.
• You can participate in simulated court proceedings at our moot court facility. This will hone your skills in public speaking and debating, and enhance your understanding of how a real court environment operates.
• You can study at Ghent University in Belgium as part of our Ghent summer law program.
• You can choose optional units that focus on high-demand areas for law graduates.
• Youll also get to study units in other areas of business, such as strategic career design and analytics for decision making, so you gain a well-rounded business education.

How this course will make you industry ready

Curtin's courses are designed with careers in mind. You'll get to work closely with business and industry during your degree. You can really get involved in your chosen field through classes, mentoring programs, voluntary work and industry placements. You'll graduate with the knowledge and skills that are relevant to industry needs and be ready to make a difference from day one.

Student profile

View our student profile table to get an indication of the likely peer cohort for new students at Curtin University. This table provides data on students that commenced undergraduate study and passed the census date in the most relevant recent intake period for which data are available. It includes those admitted through all offer rounds and international students studying in Australia.

If English is not your first language, you must also check that you meet English language requirements for your chosen course. Australian students must also meet the English entry requirements.