Diploma of Legal Studies
UndergraduateTAS-LST-DIP2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Explore the principals and processes of Australia’s legal system
Boost your career with legal knowledge or work towards a law degree. You’ll cover foundational legal principles and choose electives including Antarctic law, Indigenous people and the law, and environmental law. Build legal research and writing skills.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 16 Feb 2025,
- 13 July 2025
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 1 year full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 8
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Diploma of Legal Studies
About this degree
Upon completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Analyse and interpret legal materials to identify and assess legal problems.
- Prepare basic legal advice to achieve solutions appropriate to local and transnational contexts.
- Work collaboratively and independently to inform the resolution of legal and ethical issues that incorporate diverse perspectives.
- Implement legal research strategies utilising a variety of digital and other resources to inform legal arguments and advice.
- Articulate persuasive arguments, in written and spoken form, to a range of audiences.
The Diploma of Legal Studies gives you an understanding of the legal system and approaches to legal problem-solving, coupled with the development of legal reasoning, research and communication skills. This understanding and skill-set is valuable across the span of many work and other endeavours, and the Diploma is designed to give you a breadth of exposure in both knowledge and skills development. This includes engaging with legal problems from ethical, social, international and practice perspectives, with scope to choose elective subjects that pique your interests or suit work contexts.
The assessable tasks are designed to assist you in learning how to work independently and collaboratively, which means you will acquire valued self-management, people and teamwork skills.
Recommended study pattern
For students undertaking full-time study the following study pattern is recommended:
Completion of 8 core subjects from the schedule below:
- TAS-LAW102 International Law
- TAS-LAW107 Foundations of Law
- TAS-LAW108 Legal Reasoning and Technological Change
- TAS-LAW181 Ethics, Social Responsibility and the Law
Choose 4 (four) subjects from the schedule below.
- TAS-HGA107 Crime and Criminal Justice
- TAS-HGA108 Crime and Society
- TAS-HIR101 Introduction to International Relations
- TAS-LAW106 Torts
- TAS-LAW182 Indigenous Peoples and the Law
- TAS-LAW191 Law of the Oceans and the Antarctic
- TAS-LAW195 Current Issues in Environmental Law and Policy
Award requirements
Satisfactory completion of 8 subjects, as required in the schedule, within 1-3 years from commencement.
Degrees are usually made up of core subjects and electives. Some degrees include a choice of majors, so you can focus your studies on a specialisation.
This list is a general overview. Download the full Degree Guide for more information.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative first year fee
$17,000
Indicative total fee $17,000
The amounts shown here are indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.
Fees may vary depending on:
- the subjects you choose
- credit from previous work experience
- your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.
To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 20
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 19
Entry requirements
- Partially completed an undergraduate program at Diploma level or higher (or equivalent). Applicants must have completed at least one subject of study (equivalent to 12.5 UTAS credit points). If an applicant has failed any subjects the application may be subject to further review before an offer is made; or
- Completed the UTAS University Preparation Program (or an equivalent qualification offered by an Australian University).
Successful completion of one OUA open access subject of study at the equivalent AQF level, unless otherwise specified.
This program uses ATAR and equivalent ranks as part of the admission process.
Applicants are ranked by ATAR and offers made based on the number of places available. Applicants who have recently completed senior secondary studies but have not received an ATAR may still be eligible for admission.
Successful completion of Certificate IV (or equivalent) in any discipline.
If you have not successfully completed senior secondary, tertiary or TAFE/VET study, but have relevant work and life experience you can complete a personal competency statement. You may be eligible for an offer if you have work and life experiences that demonstrate a capacity to succeed in this program.
The University of Tasmania grants credit and recognition of prior learning that may include formal and/or informal prior learning. More information is available here.
Career opportunities
Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
Role | Earnings | Employment change |
|---|---|---|
Conveyancers and Legal Executives | Below $60K | Up 27.4% |
Court and Legal Clerks | $60K to $74K | Down 3.7% |
Policy and Planning Managers | Over $120K | Up 53.8% |
Degree FAQs
How long does it take to finish an online degree?
That's up to you! Because we let you choose when to study online, you can actually pick up and pause study when it suits you. Many universities have a set time you need to complete your degree within. For some this is up to 10 years, and for others there is no limit.
There are some degrees that are stricter about when you can take breaks, and about how many years you can take to complete your degree. Please always check with your uni what the limits are.
As a general guide, Commonwealth supported place students have 10 years to finish their undergraduate degree through OUA, However, if you're studying with Griffith University, there's a limit of 8 years to complete your studies. If you want to take a break that lasts more than two study terms, you'll need to apply for a leave of absence. You can apply for a leave of absence for up to 12 months, as long as you complete your studies within the maximum time allowed for your degree.
If you're studying with Macquarie University, with the exception of certain degrees, there's no limit to how long you can take. But, please check with Macquarie Student Administration to be sure.
If you're studying with the University of Adelaide, you have up to 9 years to complete your undergraduate degree and graduate.
If you're studying with La Trobe University and want to take a break of minimum 1 study term, you must apply for leave of absence to avoid being inadvertently withdrawn from your degree.
Through OUA, you can study all year round, so it's possible to fast-track and finish up sooner than studying at a traditional uni would allow. That said, you need to spend around 12 hours a week on each undergraduate subject you do, so taking on extra work to finish ahead of time can be challenging.
How can I pay for my studies?
You may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government, depending on your citizenship status and where you'll be living during your studies. You can also pay upfront with your credit card.
Payment options are explained in Fees, and you can contact a student advisor for more information.
How does studying through Open Universities Australia work?
You might find learning through OUA a little different to how you've studied in the past. It can take time to develop the skills you need for independent online study.
We connect you with subjects and degrees that are taught by leading Australian universities. You can complete single subjects, or follow a degree structure to work towards a specific qualification. Subjects are offered in several study terms throughout the year, so you can choose to study part-time or full-time, continuously or with breaks.
We help you find the subjects or degree that's right for you, and we handle your enrolment in uni and some administration. Your uni sends you your study materials and deals with all academic matters. They're also in charge of your assessment and graduation. If you go on to complete a degree, you'll graduate from the uni offering your degree, for example, RMIT University or Griffith University.
How do I know if I‘m eligible to apply for a course?
Before starting an enrolment, it's important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you're eligible to apply. If you don't quite meet the requirements, we can help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study. Contact us to find out more.
When is my cut-off date for enrolment?
Our close of enrolment times vary. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting Key dates.
Why should I study online through Open Universities Australia?
There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.
You can enrol without entry requirements
We have a unique open-door policy that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don't meet the entry requirements for a degree, we'll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
You have total control over how you study
Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We'll introduce you to flexible study options you didn't even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.You'll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student
Once you enrol through us, you'll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you'll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.We'll help you navigate the university world
Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.
How do I enrol?
Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.
When you've made your choice, click 'Apply now' on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We'll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to a student advisor and we'll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions.