| AQF Level |
Level 7 Bachelor Degree |
| CRICOS Code |
080288E |
| Overview and Aims of the Program |
The Bachelor of Laws is a program that allows students to focus on law and major in one of seven interdisciplinary areas: Corporate and Commercial Law, Criminology, Environmental Law and Management, International Law and Governance, Media Technology and the Law, Public Policy Law and Governance, and Social Justice.
A hallmark of the Macquarie Law Degree is a commitment to the interdisciplinary study of law, which fosters a sound understanding of legal doctrine as well as an awareness of the role of law in society and a developed sense of social responsibility. |
| Graduate Capabilities |
The Graduate Capabilities Framework articulates the fundamentals that underpin all of Macquarie’s academic programs. It expresses these as follows:
Cognitive capabilities
(K) discipline specific knowledge and skills
(T) critical, analytical and integrative thinking
(P) problem solving and research capability
(I) creative and innovative
Interpersonal or social capabilities
(C) effective communication
(E) engaged and ethical local and global citizens
(A) socially and environmentally active and responsible
Personal capabilities
(J) capable of professional and personal judgement and initiative
(L) commitment to continuous learning |
| Program Learning Outcomes |
This program is structured on Majors and will add the PLOs of the selected major. (PLOs for the LLB on its own are included here as they will be required for the various double degrees with Law)
By the end of this program it is anticipated you should be able to:
1. explain fundamental areas of legal knowledge prescribed for accreditation as a legal practitioner in Australia (K)
2. apply and integrate fundamental areas of legal knowledge and skills to analyse and critique complex socio-legal problems and policy challenges in diverse contexts, including from broader international, comparative and interdisciplinary contexts within which socio-legal issues arise (T)
3. identify, research, evaluate and synthesise relevant factual, legal and policy issues to solve legal problems, and apply reasoning and research skills to generate appropriate responses to complex issues in diverse professional contexts (P)
4. advocate alternative strategies and approaches to solving problems, resolving disputes and pursuing remedies that are responsive to the interdisciplinary and global realities of professional life (I)
5. communicate in oral and written form in ways that are professional, effective, appropriate and persuasive for legal and non-legal audiences (C)
6. recognise, reflect upon and apply approaches to ethical decision-making to addressing issues of disadvantage and social justice, and the impact of globalisation on legal and professional practice in Australia (E)
7. collaborate and exercise leadership effectively, including the ability to recognise and reflect upon their professional responsibilities in service to the community and in promoting a just and a sustainable global society through participation in advocacy, social innovation and socio-legal reform (A)
8. exercise sound judgement and to respond proactively to challenges they will face in professional and personal life, work independently, take initiative and be adaptable to diverse and changing environments (J)
9. reflect on and assess their capabilities and performance and work independently to support ongoing personal and professional development (L). |
| Learning and Teaching Methods |
Successful completion of the LLB degree enables a student to progress towards admission as a lawyer in New South Wales. Being a qualification accredited as meeting the academic requirements of admission, the degree’s program is built around a series of compulsory units which together cover the substantial body of doctrinal content prescribed by the profession. In addition to these core units, all students must complete one of seven qualifying majors, each of which examines law in the context of various policy challenges. Students also choose from a selection of elective units, enabling them to pursue their particular interests.
Besides equipping students with the doctrinal knowledge needed to practise law, the LLB seeks to develop skills and personal attributes required to succeed not only in legal practice but in other areas of professional life, as well as further academic study. These include communication and problem-solving skills, as well as analytical and critical thinking, plus qualities such as empathy and integrity. Macquarie Law School approaches the study of law as more than mere vocational training, viewing it as a rigorous intellectual endeavour in its own right. Hallmarks of the Macquarie LLB include its interdisciplinary nature and global focus, thus enabling students to appraise law and seek out innovative solutions in the broadest possible contexts.
Most units are taught by a combination of live or recorded lectures, set readings and various assessments designed to test and advance your learning. Increasingly, teaching is supported by innovative online technologies which deliver not only lecture content but an array of material, activities and potentials for interaction intended to develop your skills and understanding. While online learning permits students some flexibility in relation to when they study, internal students are generally expected to also attend a weekly tutorial for each unit, while external students normally come to the campus for a compulsory two-day intensive session, usually held during the mid-session break. Classroom-based activities provide you with the opportunity to consolidate your learning through interaction with teaching staff and fellow students.
In designing the program care has been taken to ensure that each stage of the student’s learning is adequately supported by what the student has already covered. As you advance through your degree you will be expected to become increasingly self-reliant in your studies. In order to succeed you will need to look far beyond lectures and set readings. You should be proactive in developing your own pathways to learning, suitably supported by the research skills you will be taught. Besides independent study you will at times be required to work collaboratively with other students, engaging in such activities as group discussions, projects and presentations. The emphasis is on learning through doing, as opposed to passively absorbing material. An important feature of the program is the PACE (Professional and Community Engagement), during which students learn through a combination of practical experience and personal reflection. |
| Assessment |
Each student graduating with the degree will receive a Grade Point Average calculated on the basis of that student’s performance across all core units, as well as those other units undertaken by the student to meet the program requirements. A student’s success in an individual unit is measured on the basis of at least three assessment tasks undertaken during the course of the academic session. Assessment tasks are designed to test students’ acquirement of skills, attributes and knowledge, as well as to support and promote their ongoing learning and development.
Generally, assessment is on the basis of how well a student has completed a piece of written work. These may form part of a timed take-home examination, although some units require students to attend a formal sit-down exam. Written assignments can take many different forms, ranging from an essay, a research paper, an advice to an imaginary client in relation to a hypothetical problem, a reflective journal, a contribution to a discussion blog and so on. Through a combination of collective and individual feedback, as well as the mark awarded to the student’s work, these assignments enable students to gauge their academic progress in individual units and in the degree program as a whole. At times students will be marked on how well they are proceeding with a piece of work, thus enabling them to complete it to a higher standard. In some units a student’s grade will partly reflect that student’s participation in classroom discussions or the quality of an oral presentation.
Students are assessed in relation to a unit on the basis of how well they meet its learning outcomes, which are set out in the unit guide at the beginning of each academic session. Rubrics are also provided to students in order to indicate what level of performance is needed in order to achieve each grade band. Students do not compete with each other for good marks. Indeed, marks may be awarded on the basis of group work. Mostly, however, a student’s grade will be determined on the basis of that student’s individual work or individual contribution to a collaborative project.
While it is vital that all students graduating with an LLB degree demonstrate a broad and coherent knowledge of legal doctrine as required by the profession, the units of study that they undertake will cumulatively assess the student’s performance in relation to the entire range of skills and attributes referred to in the program’s learning outcomes. For instance, in the early years of the program emphasis is placed on basic skills such as finding relevant sources of knowledge, while in later years the focus shifts more to the student’s competence in evaluating those sources and employing them to generate appropriate responses to real-world problems. |
| Recognition of Prior Learning |
Macquarie University may recognise prior formal, informal and non-formal learning for the purpose of granting credit towards, or admission into, a program. The recognition of these forms of learning is enabled by the University’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy and its associated Procedures and Guidelines. For recognition of prior informal and non-formal learning, please refer to the relevant RPL Plan, which describes the evidential requirements and approval processes for recognising prior learning for entry or credit in this program.
For undergraduate RPL plans visit www.goto.mq.edu.au/nonschoolrpl
For postgraduate RPL plans visit www.goto.mq.edu.au/pgrpl |
| Support for Learning |
Macquarie University aspires to be an inclusive and supportive community of learners where all students are given the opportunity to meet their academic and personal goals. The University offers a comprehensive range of free and accessible student support services which include academic advice, counselling and psychological services, advocacy services and welfare advice, careers and employment, disability services and academic skills workshops amongst others. There is also a bulk billing medical service located on campus.
Further information can be found at www.students.mq.edu.au/support/
Campus Wellbeing contact details:
Phone: +61 2 9850 7497
Email: campuswellbeing@mq.edu.au
www.students.mq.edu.au/support/health_and_wellbeing/contact_us |
| Program Standards and Quality |
The program is subject to an ongoing comprehensive process of quality review in accordance with a pre-determined schedule that complies with the Higher Education Standards Framework. The review is overseen by Macquarie University's peak academic governance body, the Academic Senate and takes into account feedback received from students, staff and external stakeholders. |
| Graduate Destinations and Employability |
Many graduates will pursue careers as either barristers or solicitors. However, a broad range of rewarding careers are open to Macquarie Law School graduates. Employment can be found in a wide variety of organisations, including:
• community legal centres
• diplomatic service
• education
• financial institutions
• health services
• in-house counsel
• legal practice
• media organisations
• NGO advocacy bodies
• public service
• trade unions. |
| Assessment Regulations |
This program is subject to Macquarie University regulations, including but not limited to those specified in the Assessment Policy, Academic Honesty Policy, the Final Examination Policy and relevant University Rules. For all approved University policies, procedures, guidelines and schedules visit www.mq.edu.au/policy. |
| Accreditation |
This is an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) accredited qualification.
This program is accredited by the LPAB (Legal Practice Admission Board) of NSW.
The Macquarie Bachelor of Laws is accredited with professional bodies regulating the admission of law graduates to legal practice and provides appropriate qualification for admission to practice as a lawyer throughout Australia. In addition to completing a law program at an accredited institution, the profession requires all law graduates to complete a period of practical legal training including further study,continuing professional development units and supervised experience in a legal practice, before being admitted to practice as a barrister or solicitor.
To be qualified as an Australian Legal Practitioner in New South Wales, a solicitor or barrister also requires a Practising Certificate issued by the Councils of the Law Society of New South Wales or the New South Wales Bar Association respectively. |
