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Applying for honours
Law
Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
Honours in the Bachelor of Laws is embedded into either the second-last or final semester of your degree. You will complete a 12 credit point research unit of study LAWS3900 Law Honours over one semester, instead of two electives.
You are required to complete a 12,000 word dissertation and attend a non-assessed research workshop as part of this unit of study.
Visit Canvas to find information on available supervisors or email Professional Law Programs at law.professional@sydney.edu.au for more information on the honours program.
Commonwealth supported students who commenced their studies before 1 January 2021
The Australian Government’s Job-ready Graduates program made changes to fees for CSP students who commence a new course of study from 1 January 2021. Under the package, some students are 'grandfathered students', meaning they continue to pay their original fee rate. If you transfer to a new course to do honours, you may not be grandfathered and may be charged the new fee rates for honours. Read our page on the Job-ready Graduates Package for more information about the changes.
Eligibility
To be eligible for honours, you need to meet the below criteria.
- Have completed at least 16 compulsory units of study (including LAWS1006 Foundations of Law, LAWS1013 Legal Research I and LAWS1019 Legal Research II) by the application closing date. This includes any law units of study completed at another institution where you have received credit (provided a minimum of 90 credit points has been completed at Sydney Law School).
- Have completed your first degree by the application closing date.
- Have a minimum weighted average mark (WAM) of 75* in all compulsory law units of study completed at the time of your application.
- This does not include results from LAWS1006 Foundations of Law, elective units, and any law units undertaken at another institution.
- You need to calculate your own WAM – this will not be provided to you. All units are weighted equally.
- Submit a research proposal (honours application form) that has been signed by you and your prospective supervisor.
* If you have a WAM greater than 74 and can demonstrate your aptitude for extended research, you may apply to the Dean for special entry to the honours program. A strong record of achievement in academic essay writing or other evidence of high level research and writing skills is required. You will need to attach a statement of up to 300 words to your application, outlining your capacity for high level research and writing.
Exchange and cross-institutional units
It is possible to complete honours and undertake an exchange, or enrol in cross-institutional units or the Oxford-Cambridge Pathways program in your final year. You should be aware that you will need to complete your honours unit, in addition to LAWS2018 Private International Law A and your Jurisprudence requirement in your final semester at Sydney University. Contact Professional Law Programs at law.professional@sydney.edu.au for more information.
Additional information to apply
You need to apply for honours in the second last year of your degree, with applications generally due after the release of Semester 2 results.
Visit Canvas to find information on the application process and deadlines. You need to find a proposed supervisor for your application to be accepted. You should do this well ahead of the application deadline as supervisor capacity is limited.
You will need to submit a thesis proposal as part of your application, including a statement on the methodology to be used and a preliminary literature review. This should be discussed with your proposed supervisor before applying.
For further information on honours, please email Professional Law Programs at law.professional@sydney.edu.au.
Combined degrees degrees (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Economics/Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Laws)
If you are undertaking a combined liberal studies bachelor degree/Bachelor of Laws, you can complete honours in your liberal studies degree by enrolling in an appended honours. After completing the requirements for the liberal studies bachelor degree, to complete your honours study you may need to pause your enrolment in the combined degree. You will then return to the combined degree to complete your Bachelor or Laws requirements.
If you are undertaking a four-year Media and Communications stream in a combined Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws, you can complete honours in the stream by enrolling the stand-alone Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications) (Honours). After completing the Bachelor of Arts requirements, to complete your honours study you will need to pause your enrolment in your combined degree. You will then return to the combined degree to complete your Bachelor or Laws requirements.
Last updated: 23 March 2023
