Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences / Bachelor of Laws

5 years full-time
6 years full-time with Honours

The Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences/Bachelor of Laws offers students the opportunity to combine their interest in the social and political environment in which economic activity takes place with an interest in law and the legal profession.

In the first three years of candidature, you study Political, Economic and Social Sciences components and Law components and, in this way, meet the requirements for the Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences degree before proceeding to the Bachelor of Laws in years 4 and 5.

Please note that the requirements given below refer in detail only to Years 1, 2 and 3 of the degree program. You can consult the Faculty of Law Handbook, in print or online, to find out more about the requirements for Years 4 and 5.

View a sample degree pathway or map

Requirements

Requirements for the Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences a candidate must complete 144 credit points of units comprising:

(a) 48 credit points of the Combined Law compulsory units of study for Years 1, 2 and 3;

(b) 96 credit points from Political, Economic and Social Sciences subject areas including:

• a maximum of 48 junior credit points;
• a core major listed in the Course resolution relating to the Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences;
• a minimum of 12 senior credit points from each of Government and International Relations, Political Economy and either Anthropology or Sociology (these units of study must be taken from two subject areas that are different from the core major).

Requirements for the Bachelor of Laws

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Laws, candidates must complete 144 credit points taken from the Faculty of Law Undergraduate Table, comprising:

(a) 102 credit points of compulsory units of study; and

(b) 42 credit points of elective units of study, of which a maximum of 36 credit points are taken from Part 1 and a minimum of 6 credit points are taken from Part 2.

Compulsory Law Units of Study

These units of study are worth 6 credit points unless otherwise stated. They are compulsory and so you may only take 36 junior credit points from the Arts and Social Sciences Units of Study table.

Please note, the number of compulsory Law units can be subject to change.

Pathways

						Credit Points
First Year	S1	Core Major Junior Unit (eg ECOP)	BPESS Core Junior Unit (eg GOVT)	BPESS Core Junior Unit (eg ANTH or SCLG)	LAWS1006 Foundations of Law	24
					LAWS1013 Legal Research 1
	S2	Core Major Junior Unit (eg ECOP)	BPESS Core Junior Unit (eg GOVT)	BPESS Core Junior Unit (eg ANTH or SCLG)	LAWS1012 Torts	24
Second Year	S1	Core Major Senior Unit (eg ECOP)	BPESS Core Senior Unit (eg GOVT)	LAWS1014 Civil and Criminal Procedure	LAWS1015 Contracts	24
	S2	Core Major Senior Unit (eg ECOP)	Core Major Senior Unit (eg ECOP)	BPESS Core Junior Unit (eg ANTH or SCLG)	LAWS1016 Criminal Law	24
Third Year	S1	Core Major Senior Unit (eg ECOP)	BPESS Core Senior Unit (eg GOVT)	BPESS Core Junior Unit (eg ANTH or SCLG)	LAWS1023 Public International Law	24
					LAWS1019 Legal Research 2
	S2	Core Major Senior Unit (eg ECOP)	Core Major Senior Unit (eg ECOP)	LAWS1017 Torts and Contracts II	LAWS1021 Public Law	24
					Total=	144
		Full-time Law Studies				48
		Full-time Law Studies				48
					Total=	240

Arts and Social Sciences Component Degree Director