2020 Undergraduate Courses
  • Students are to follow the requirements of the Handbook for the year they commenced the course.

    However, the subject links below do not contain the subject information for the current year. You can view current subject information through the new Course Handbook.

Bachelor of Journalism - Bachelor of Laws | 2020

Testamur Title of Degree:

Bachelor of Journalism - Bachelor of Laws

Abbreviation:

BJrnl-LLB

UOW Course Code:

1890

CRICOS Code:

094214G

Total Credit Points:

240

Duration:

5 years full-time or *part-time equivalent

Home Faculty:

Faculty of Business and Law

Intake Session(s):

Autumn

Delivery Mode:

On-campus

Delivery Campus / UAC Code:

Wollongong / 751211

*Students interested in studying this degree part-time should consult with the Law Head of Students.

Overview

A Bachelor of Journalism - Bachelor of Laws from UOW equips you with a comprehensive legal education: a world-class degree that provides a thorough grounding in the law, as well as a real-world focus on the essential practical skills and the social and ethical context in which the law operates.

Combining Law with Journalism prepares you to operate professionally in the changing media world, while understanding the legal implications of a global industry. It opens up a wide range of career options through specialist knowledge in media law, intellectual property law and ethics, and strong production skills in print, online and broadcast journalism.

We believe that practical experience is a vital part of your legal training. We are the only law school in New South Wales that requires you to complete a legal internship, providing highly valued industry experience.

We are committed to social justice and providing a legal education that engages with the complexities of law's intersection with society.

This double degree delivers a practical and contextual legal education that prepares graduates not only for traditional careers in the legal profession but also for a wide range of careers in government, business and community organisations – as leaders, innovators and problem solvers.

Entry Requirements & Credit Arrangements

Information on academic and English language requirements, as well as eligibility for credit for prior learning, is available from the Course Finder.

Course Learning Outcomes

A number of the course learning outcomes in each of these degrees complement and consolidate outcomes in the partner degree. Applied across two discipline areas, the outcomes are achieved at a broader and more comprehensive level.

The outcomes, which are common and consolidated in this double degree, ensure that on successful completion of the course students will be able to:

CLO Description
1 Apply ethical principles to a range of contexts;
2 Investigate, evaluate and interpret research sources;
3 Communicate effectively to a range of audiences through a range of media.

Please refer to the Course Handbook page of each individual degree for a comprehensive list of degree course learning outcomes.

Course Structure

To qualify for the award of the degree, the Bachelor of Journalism - Bachelor of Laws, a candidate must successfully complete at least 240 credit points comprised of:

  1. All compulsory Law subjects as set out in the Course Program below (114 credit points);
  2. 30 credit points of electives from the Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry) elective list;
  3. 84 credit points of core subjects for the Bachelor of Journalism.
  4. 12 credit points of general schedule elective subjects to bring the total credit points completed to 240.
Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points
Year 1
LLB1100 Foundations of Law 6
LLB1115 Legal Skills 6
LLB1120 Law of Contract A 6
LLB1130 Criminal Law and Procedure A 6
LLB1160 Interpreting the Law 6
LLB1170 Law of Contract B 6
LLB1180 Criminal Law and Procedure B 6
LLB1197 Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility 6
Year 2
LLB2220 Property Law 6
LLB2230 Administrative Law 6
LLB2270 Equity and Trusts 6
LLB2280 Constitutional Law 6
Plus subjects from the Journalism schedule
Year 3
LLB2225 Advanced Legal Skills 6
LLB2240 Law of Torts 6
LLB2290 Jurisprudence 6
LLB3397 Legal Internship 3
1 LLB Elective
Plus subjects from the Journalism schedule
Year 4
LLB3300 Remedies and Civil Procedure 6
LLB3302 Law of Business Organisations 6
LLB3301 Evidence 6
2 LLB Electives
Plus subjects from the Journalism schedule
Year 5
3 LLB Electives
LLB3399 Law, Justice and Professional Practice 3
Plus subjects from the Journalism schedule

Part-time Study
A student is considered part-time when they are enrolled in less than 75% of the standard load for a session. If you are seeking to complete your undergraduate law degree part-time, you are required to complete a minimum of 12 credit points (2 subjects) per session. Please refer to the Recommended Study Sequence for information.

Click on subject codes in the above course structure for information on sessions of offer for each subject. To find out specific information on timetables, tutorials, and classes, visit the Timetable page.

Compulsory Work Placement / Online Component

Undertaking a work integrated learning (WIL) experience during your university education is now a significant contributor to being competitive in securing employment in your field of choice when you graduate from UOW.

Law students will complete a Legal Internship subject (LLB3397). This subject is the vehicle for a practical placement designed to expose students to the application of the law in practice; enable students to understand the importance of developing the skills of legal research; communication, drafting, practice management and problem solving; and enable students to observe and reflect upon the values, ethical standards and conduct of the legal profession in practice. This compulsory requirement involves 140 hours of work-based placement over 4 weeks.

Students in this double degree, students must complete a minimum of 70 hours of compulsory work-based placements. Students will complete this placement in the Journalism Internship subject, JRNL304, in their final year. This subject provides students with the opportunity to apply the skills acquired during their university subjects as an internship with a professional media organisation. Students will be required to work in the newsroom (or other suitable work environment). Students who obtain a position in a newsroom will be required to work under the direction of a chief of staff, news director or other nominated person. They will be expected to research, write and, where necessary, produce audio and video stories to deadline. This may be daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the publication/broadcast deadlines of the publication/program they are working for. Students who obtain work experience in a cognate field will be required to produce content (speeches, information packs, media releases, or other documents). Again, they will work under the direction of a nominated employee.

In total students complete 210 hours of compulsory work-based placement over 6 weeks. This course may also contain compulsory components to be completed online.

Law Professional Recognition/Accreditation

The UOW Bachelor of Laws (single LLB or in combination with another degree) is accredited by the Legal Procession Admission Board (LPAB) as satisfying the academic requirements necessary for admission to the Australian legal profession. On completion of the Bachelor of Laws, a student who wishes to practise as a barrister or solicitor must also undertake some form of professional practical training, the requirements for which vary between each state and territory of Australia.

In New South Wales, a student who intends to qualify for admission to practice is required to undertake a practical legal training (PLT) course accredited by the LPAB, followed by or incorporating a period of practical experience in a law-related setting. Practical experience gained by students in LLB3397 Legal Internship may be counted towards this practical experience requirement. Graduates should check with their PLT provider. A list of LPAB accredited PLT courses can be found on the LPAB website.

Students who intend to practise as solicitors after admission will be subject to a period of restricted practice and the mandatory continuing legal education requirements. Further information is available from the Law Society of New South Wales. Students who intend to practise as barristers after admission will be required to read with a senior barrister for a period of time and to undertake the Bar Readers' Course and Bar Examination before being qualified to take briefs on their own account. Further information is available from the New South Wales Bar Association.

Honours

High achieving students enrolled in this double degree may consult with the Honours Coordinator in Law regarding the possibility of transferring into an Honours Law degree.

A student who successfully transfers into an Honours program but does not meet the minimum performance standards required for the award of Honours will be permitted to transfer back to the double degree in which they were enrolled immediately prior to the transfer into the Honours course, and will be awarded credit for the number of credit points passed in the Honours degree.

Other Information

Further information is available via email: askuow@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 23 July, 2020