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Juris Doctor
PostgraduateUSQ-JDR-MAS2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Postgraduate law for non-law graduates
Add this approved law qualification to your bachelor degree–and start your legal career in just 2 years! You’ll work through a comprehensive study of law and the Australian legal system. Develop your research skills. Prepare for professional practice.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 3 years full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 24
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Juris Doctor
About this degree
Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate an advanced and integrated understanding of a complex body of knowledge that includes the fundamental areas of legal knowledge, the Australian legal system and underlying principles and concepts, the broader contexts within which legal issues arise, the principles and values of justice and of ethical practice in lawyers' roles, and contemporary developments in law and its professional practice.
- Demonstrate an advanced and integrated understanding of approaches to ethical decision-making, the ability to recognize and reflect upon ethical issues likely to arise in professional contexts, the professional responsibilities of lawyers in promoting justice and in service to the community, and the ability to exercise professional judgment.
- Identify and articulate complex legal issues, apply legal reasoning and research to generate appropriate responses to legal issues, engage in critical analysis, make reasoned choices among alternatives, and demonstrate sophisticated cognitive and creative skills in approaching legal issues.
- Demonstrate the intellectual and practical skills needed to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, legal methodologies, conclusions, and professional decisions, as well as to identify, research, evaluate, and synthesize relevant factual, legal, and policy issues.
- Communicate effectively for legal and non-legal audiences, collaborate effectively, and communicate in ways that are persuasive.
- Learn and work with a high level of autonomy, accountability, and professionalism; reflect on and assess their own capabilities and performance, and make use of feedback to support personal and professional development.
- Explain the legislative process, identify applicable legislation and delegated legislation, apply general principles of statutory interpretation, make appropriate use of authorized aids to statutory interpretation, and deploy appropriate techniques in solving interpretative problems.
- Reflect on and articulate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in key areas of law to develop an understanding of their cultures, values, histories, and contributions to Australian society, appreciate legal issues in an Australian context, and critically reflect on the responsiveness of western law to Indigenous histories, values, and needs.
- UniSQ’s Juris Doctor is a graduate entry program for non-law graduates. Our Law programs have been developed with extensive input from experts in the profession, and allows you the opportunity to fast-track to complete your studies in 2 years. We know that you come to us with a wealth of previous experience, and the Juris Doctor is therefore pitched at a higher level to challenge you and to build your capabilities in a legal workplace. UniSQ lecturers are very accessible and we pride ourselves on our ability to know our students individually, whether you study on campus or online.
Recommended study pattern
Year 1
LAW5111 Advanced Australian Legal System
LAW5116 Advanced Contract
LAW5115 Advanced Legal History
LAW5121 Advanced Criminal Law and Procedure
LAW5122 Advanced Dispute Management
LAW5126 Advanced Torts
LAW5211 Advanced Constitutional Law
LAW5127 Advanced Equity and Trusts
Year 2
LAW5214 Advanced Property
LAW5222 Advanced Public International Law
LAW8001 Legal Research Methodology
LAW5221 Advanced Administrative Law
LAW5224 Advanced Theories of Law
LAW5322 Advanced Civil Procedure
2 x Course Electives
Year 3
LAW5311 Advanced Company Law
LAW5312 Advanced Lawyers’ Ethics
LAW5321 Advanced Evidence
5 x Course Electives
Award requirements
Completion of 24 units as outlined in the Recommended Study Pattern section.Choose your subjects
Electives
All electives in the Juris Doctor program must come from the Approved Law Courses list.
Exit points
A student who successfully completes eight Juris Doctor core units may, upon application, exit with a Graduate Diploma of Jurisprudence. The Graduate Diploma of Jurisprudence is located at Level 8 of the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative first year fee
$31,040
Indicative total fee $93,120
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.
As Australia’s #1 university for graduate starting salary (Good Universities Guide, 2022), University of Southern Queensland is the right place to make real progress. Regardless of your education history, your age or your aspirations, at UniSQ you’ll be inspired by quality learning experiences matched with top resources and research. Having delivered distance and online learning for over 40+ years, UniSQ supports you to learn at your own pace—exactly how it suits you.
Learn more about USQ.
Explore USQ courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 24
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 24
Entry requirements
- Approved 3-year bachelor degree, or equivalent, in a discipline other than law. Proof of meeting the English Language Proficiency requirements is also required.
All students are required to satisfy the applicable English language requirements. For entry to the Juris Doctor program, applicants are required to meet the Category 3 English Language Proficiency requirements.
- Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the UniSQ Credit and Exemption Procedure. Claims for credit for previous study should be submitted prior to or at the time of enrolment. Each claim will be assessed on individual merit in line with UniSQ policy.
Career opportunities
Professional recognition
The Juris Doctor has been accredited by the Legal Practitioners Admissions Board, Queensland, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland as an approved academic qualification under the Supreme Court (Legal Practitioner Admission) Rules 2004 (Qld). It has also been approved by the Australian Law Schools Standards Committee under the Standards for Australian Law Schools adopted by the Council of Australian Law Deans. This degree will partially satisfy the requirements to practise as lawyer in Queensland, or elsewhere in Australia. Intending lawyers (whether barristers or solicitors) must also complete an approved practical legal training course in order to become admitted to practise law. Advice on practical legal training programs can be obtained through Ask UniSQ.Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
Role | Earnings | Employment change |
|---|---|---|
Barristers | Over $120K | Up 7.8% |
Policy and Planning Managers | Over $120K | Up 53.8% |
Solicitors | $75K to $93K | Up 29.4% |