Bachelor (Honours)
Rapid evolutions in science and technology mean our advancements sometimes outpace the law. Get the skills to stay ahead.
In La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws(Honours)/Bachelor of Science, you can pursue multiple interests and gain a powerful combination of legal skills and cutting-edge scientific knowledge.
From stem cell research to how personal information is collected, stored and shared, advances in science and technology have real human impacts. This double degree uniquely prepares you to address contemporary challenges from a scientific, legal and ethical perspective.
Benefit from our progressive approach to legal education with a law degree you can shape to your own career goals. You'll get a solid grounding in the basics of law and hone your expertise in advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolution - skills valued by employers across industries.
Your science degree offers you huge flexibility, with an extensive range of majors to choose from. Follow your interests in emerging areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data science or traditional fields including chemistry, botany and genetics. Bring knowledge to life in world-class facilities, including the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), and learn from academics who are leaders in their fields.
Take your skills into the real world while you study. You'll have the opportunity to do placements in a range of legal settings, including community legal centres, law firms, government agencies, and judges and magistrates (subject to availability). On the science side, you could complete a placement with one of our industry partners - previous students have worked with CSIRO, Bayer Crop Science, and various government departments.
You will graduate ready to start your career as an expert legal practitioner, with an advanced understanding of scientific concepts or a science professional with a solid understanding of regulatory environments and how they impact scientific work.
You'll learn:
The qualification awarded on graduation is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) as Level 8 - Bachelor Degree Honours.
Please note, the following course structure is indicative and subject to change depending on your course location, offer year or how you tailor your course with specialisations, majors, minors and electives. Structures for the following year are not normally finalised until October, so the sample provided is based on the most recently approved structure. For more information, please refer to the La Trobe University Handbook.
To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Science, students must complete a total of 600 credit points across 5 years.
Year 1 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 2 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 3 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 4 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 5 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Core subjects are required subjects in your course. You need to complete these subjects to attain your degree.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points ACADEMIC INTEGRITY MODULE LTU0AIM 1 0 WOMINJEKA LA TROBE: INDIGENOUS CULTURAL LITERACY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ABS0WOM 1 0 BIG IDEAS IN SCIENCE: LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING SCI1LUE 1 15 DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW1DR 1 15 LEGAL INSTITUTIONS AND METHODS LAW1LIM 1 15 MAKING SENSE OF DATA STM1001 1 15 PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW LAW1CRL 1 15 PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC LAW LAW1PPL 1 15 CAREER OPTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY SHE2001 2 15 CONTRACT LAW A LAW2CTA 2 15 CONTRACT LAW B LAW2CTB 2 15 IDEAS TO INNOVATION EMS2ITI 2 15 PRINCIPLES OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW LAW2CSL 2 15 PRINCIPLES OF TORT LAW LAW2TOT 2 15 CIVIL PROCEDURE LAW3004 3 15 FOUNDATIONS OF PROPERTY LAW LAW3002 3 15 REAL PROPERTY LAW LAW3005 3 15 STATUTORY INTERPRETATION LAW3003 3 15 EVIDENCE AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW3001 4 15 PRINCIPLES OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LAW4004 4 15 PRINCIPLES OF EQUITY AND TRUSTS LAW4003 5 15
A major is a sequence of related subjects studied in your course. To attain a major, this sequence must add up to 120 credit points. In some courses, you need to complete at least one major from your course's discipline to attain your degree. If there is room in your degree for more than one major, you may wish to complete an open access major from another discipline area.
Course majors Major code Applied cybersecurity MJR-CYB01 Artificial intelligence MJR-CSE003 Biochemistry MAJOR-BCH-1 Botany MAJOR-BOT-1 Chemistry MAJOR-CHEM Crop science MJR-AGR01 Data science MAJOR-DATA Ecology MAJOR-ECO-1 Genetics MAJOR-GEN-1 Human physiological sciences StudyFlex major
A minor is an optional sequence of related subjects studied in your course. To attain a minor, this sequence must add up to 60 credit points. A minor can be undertaken in a similar or different interest area in your course or major\'s discipline and, in some cases, taken from a different discipline. Up to two minors can be chosen in place of an optional second major or standalone elective subjects.
Course minors Minor code Applied cybersecurity MNR-CSE01 Applied statistics MINOR-STATS Artificial intelligence MNR-CSE02 Biochemistry MNR-BCH-01 Botany MNR-BOT-20 Chemistry MNR-CHE01 Cognitive and developmental psychology MNR-PSY01 Crop science MNR-AGR01 Data science MNR-MAT01 Discrete mathematics MINOR-DISMAT Ecological genetics and evolution MINOR-EGE Ecology studies MNR-ECO-20 Genetics MNR-GEN-20 Human anatomy StudyFlex minor
A range of standalone elective subjects is available in this course. Some electives are recommended for your course, but you may also be able to choose from a range of University-wide electives or electives from other interest areas or disciplines. Note these electives may have their own prerequisites and other requirements. Please refer to the La Trobe University Handbook for the subjects available.
Core choice subjects are one or more subject groups you need to select in your course. Core choice subjects may be specific to your course, major, minor, specialisation or other learning requirements.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points LAW INTERNSHIP B LAW4INB 5 15 LEGAL RESEARCH PROJECT LAW4005 5 15
Capstone subjects are required subjects in your course or major that help you integrate and apply the knowledge and skills you gain to solve real world problems. Capstone subjects are often taken towards the end of your course.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points COMPANY LAW LAW4002 5 15The Handbook contains detailed course information designed for enrolled students, including course structures, electives and options. The delivery of this course can vary between campuses.
To view other campus handbook course details, please select relevant campus in the drop down.
La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws (Honours) satisfies the academic requirements for admission to practise law in Victoria. After graduation from this double degree, you could pursue a range of roles across law and science.
With the blend of legal and scientific expertise you'll build in this degree, your potential roles include:
The Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Science course includes the subjects required by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board to meet the academic requirements for admission to the legal profession in Victoria as an Australian lawyer.
Admission to the legal profession by the Supreme Court of Victoria also requires the completion of practical legal training via either a 12-month period of supervised legal training or completion of an approved practical legal training course (for example, at the Leo Cussen Institute or The College of Law). Candidates for admission to practice must also satisfy the Admissions Board that they are a fit and proper person to be admitted to practice.
International students are advised to obtain assurance of recognition of the course by the relevant professional bodies in their preferred country of practice.
International graduates require a relevant visa to complete a practical legal traineeship and a supervised workplace traineeship in Australia. Please contact the Australian Department of Immigration for details.
Professional registration may require an application to the professional body and may have additional or ongoing requirements beyond the completion of the degree. For further details, including admission to the legal profession, please contact the professional body for details.