Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Criminology

Our Bachelor of Laws / Bachelor of Criminology will give you broad knowledge of the causes and consequences of crime. You'll gain expertise in criminal investigation, sentencing, and security, at national and international levels.

You will also develop practical skills in investigating and providing strategic advice in relation to crime and crime management.

The Bachelor of Laws satisfies the academic requirements to become an Australian Lawyer, as required by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board (VLAB). In order to become an Australian Lawyer, you'll also need to complete Practical Legal Training or an equivalent.

When you graduate from a Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Criminology at Victoria University, you'll be in high demand because we'll make sure you're job-ready.

You could work as a lawyer or in legal practice in areas including criminal law, family law, commercial law and business. Many of our graduates choose to work in community legal centres providing legal access to disadvantaged groups, and in not-for-profit organisations.

Roles in the legal field include:

• solicitor
• lawyer
• policy adviser
• legal adviser
• human-rights advocate.

Your qualification will be widely recognised in areas including:

• forensic work
• police work
• community legal settings
• legal aid
• security and intelligence organisations
• paralegal work
• youth justice
• correctional services
• community services.

Use Labour Market Insights to find average salaries in Australia for various law/legal professions:

• police officer average salary (via Labour Market Insights)
• legal clerk average salary (via Labour Market Insights)
• welfare support officer salary (via Labour Market Insights)
• solicitor average salary (via Labour Market Insights).

To attain the awards of Bachelor of Law / Bachelor of Criminology students will be required to complete in total 432 credit points consisting of:

• 96 credit points of First Year Core studies
• 156 credit points of Professional Core Law study
• 120 credit points of Professional Core Criminology studies
• 60 credit points of Elective studies

To attain the award of Bachelor of Law (Honours) students will be required to transfer in Year 5 to LHLW Bachelor of Laws (Honours) based on eligibility and must complete:

• 24 credit points of Honours units in the final year of study

To be awarded a Bachelor of Laws with Honours:

Students who enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws prior to 31 Dec 2014 may apply to undertake the unit Advanced Legal Research Dissertation in their later years in this degree based on a GPA of 7 or above as calculated by the College of Law and Justice. Students will be awarded a Bachelor of Laws with Honours (Class H1, H2A, H2B or H3) dependant on their GAP score and overall mark in Advanced Legal Research Dissertation.

To be awarded a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (For students enrolled post 1 January 2015):Students in any Bachelor of Laws course may apply to transfer into any Bachelor of Laws (Honours) course. Students with only 8 or less units to complete, will be assessed on top 12 Law units completed. Where average score is 70% or above for the top 12 Law units completed, students are eligible to make an application for transfer into Honours degree, and will be further assessed on an outline of proposed thesis topic and availability of a collage based or college affiliated supervisor. Where approved, students must have at least 2 spaces of law electives available and once transferred must enrol in both Advanced Legal Research Methods and Advanced Legal Research Dissertation. In order to graduate with honours, students must successfully pass both these units.

Use our credit calculator to find out how much credit you could get towards your course, based on your previous study.

If you have completed study with another university or institution and believe you are eligible to receive credit for skills and past study, you can apply for advanced standing.

Applications for advanced standing can be made after a discussion with your course chair or academic adviser.

Before applying, you should consider whether you also want to apply for:

• Special admission programs: Depending on your life circumstances you may be eligible for special consideration of your application.
• Advanced standing: If you have significant experience or studies elsewhere you may be eligible for credit for some units of your course and not have to undertake them.

Find out more about applying for our courses.