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Bachelor of Business Administration/Bachelor of Laws
Course information for - 2024 entry
Offered at 3 locations
- Duration
- 5 years full-time or equivalent part-time
- CRICOS Code
- 079430C
- IELTS
- 7.0 overall score (with individual score of 6.5 in all tests)
- Fees (first year)*
- $31216
- Start dates
- July 2024, February 2025, July 2025, February 2026, July 2026
Overview
This comprehensive double degree helps you stand out from the crowd and lends a competitive edge. You’ll develop an understanding of modern business with sound commercial knowledge, as well as the skills to become a legal practitioner and specialise in areas such as forensic accounting, company law, or property law just to name a few. You’ll be in demand from law firms and public and private sector organisations both here in Australia and internationally.
Business acumen is fundamental to your success. As part of your business foundation you will learn through gamified business simulations based on real-world situations. You will also learn to understand core business terms and concepts and discover how operations and finance decisions support organisations. Microsoft certification is embedded into units in the degree, so you'll graduate with strong foundation in the Microsoft programs favoured by employers.
In today’s world, you need professional, technical and cross-cultural skills. All our units are embedded with the United Nations sustainable goals and our intercultural communication module is designed to build cultural awareness and communication skills which are vital in the global workplace. You can further extend your intercultural experience by taking part in a Global Virtual Classroom, studying at our Rome Campus or participating in an international study tour.
For your legal studies, we’re committed to helping you become a confident, ethical lawyer with the skills and knowledge to make a real contribution to the legal profession. You’ll have an opportunity to join mooting competitions, take part in the analysis of complex cases and law, and put it all into practice with pro bono work while you study.
Students who have completed 120 credit points of law units with a grade point average of 5.75 and above may apply to complete an honours degree.
Professional experience
You’ll gain up to 185 hours of workplace and community experience before you even graduate.
Work placement
As part of our Work Integrated Learning program you’ll gain 105 hours of industry placement in your area of specialisation. We have embedded employability into your degree with our Future Ready program where we build on your professional skills each year, supporting you every step of the way. These placements will give you the confidence, knowledge and skills to prepare for your future profession. You’ll learn to apply what you learn in the classroom to real life scenarios.
Community engagement
As part of your degree you’ll have the opportunity to work with not-for-profit organisations with 35 to 80 hours of community engagement experience. You’ll foster knowledge and understanding and its application within communities experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage while applying ethical personal and professional skills developed during your studies at ACU.
Professional recognition
This degree has been approved by accreditation authorities as a prerequisite for admission to legal practice and is recognised for the purposes of admission in Australia.
Careers
Our graduates have pursued careers in:
- the legal profession as lawyers, barristers or solicitors
- in-house counsel
- policy advocating
- industrial law and management
- banking
- management
- international business
- marketing
- human resources
Industry partnerships
ACU works with a variety of industry partners:
- Acrath
- Adecco
- Brisbane Paralympic Football Program
- Credit Suisse
- Highered Global
- Impact
- Jesuit Refugee Service
- JPMorgan Chase
- Mars
- North Sydney Innovation Network
- Toongabbie Legal Centre
Course details
Course structure
To complete the Bachelor of Business Administration/Bachelor of Laws, a student must complete 400 credit points (cp).
Course map
Graduate statement
AQF framework
Overseas study available
You’ll have the option to complete the university Core Curriculum units overseas. There are also a number of units in this degree that are taught overseas throughout the annual teaching cycle.
Entry requirements
View transparency admission information
International applicants
Applicants whose first language is not English must have either:
- Successfully completed at least two full-time years of study in secondary or higher education where the medium of study was English; or
- Demonstrated their English proficiency, as set out below:
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System), Overall score: 7.0, Individual score: 6.5 for all tests.
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Academic) from an internet-based total of 94, achieve a minimum of 24 in writing, 20 in speaking and listening, 19 in reading.
- Recognised international high school qualification
- English language proficiency.
English language requirements
IELTS (International English Language Testing System), Overall score: 7.0, Individual score: 6.5 for all tests.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Academic) from an internet-based total of 94, achieve a minimum of 24 in writing, 20 in speaking and listening, 19 in reading.
Adjustment factors
If you’re currently completing Year 12 you may be eligible for adjustment factors that can boost your rank and help you get into your desired course.
Adjustment factors may be applied to your TAC application if you study particular subjects, attend schools geographically close to our campuses or in certain regional areas, apply as an elite athlete or performer or meet certain other criteria.
Inherent requirement
There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of that course or unit. You will need to be able to meet these inherent requirements to complete your course.
Learn more about inherent requirements for your course and how they affect you
Pathways
Pathways into course for international applicants
If you don’t currently meet the direct entry requirements for admission to your chosen program, don’t worry. Our range of pathway programs can help you build the language proficiency, academic skills and confidence you need to succeed.
Find out more about English language programs
Further study
A student who has completed at least 120 cp of LAWS units of the degree with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.75 may be eligible for Admission to the Bachelor (Honours degree).
An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
A student who achieves an Honours at a minimum level of Second Class Division A (Distinction average) may be eligible for Admission to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Meeting the eligibility requirements for admission is not in itself a guarantee of admission. The candidate’s potential to undertake research, the quality and feasibility of the research proposal, the availability of appropriate supervision and the referee’s reports will all be taken into consideration. A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy must comply with the Higher Degree Research Regulations.
Fees
Course costs
- Unit fee: $3902
- Average first year fee: $31216
- Estimate total cost: $156080
The Tuition fees quoted above are for commencing students in the current year who undertake a normal full-time load. The Unit Fee is based on a 10cp unit. Fees are reviewed annually.
Tuition fees for continuing students may increase by up to 3 percent each year for the minimum duration of the course as provided on your electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE). Students who continue to study beyond the minimum duration will have the relevant annual commencing rate applied to their fees for subsequent study periods.
Payment options
You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support.
Scholarships
You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.
How to apply
International applicants
Additional application information
The law degree structure and law unit offerings have been approved by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board and the Legal Profession Admission Board (NSW).
Deferment
Yes. See Defer your offer.
Students with a Student Visa will need to complete the program in minimum duration, study at least one subject on-campus each semester and must not undertake more than 33% of the program online.
Staff Profile
Professor Tony Ciro
Professor, Thomas More Law School
Professor Tony Ciro is a current member of the Victorian Bar (since 2003) and a member of CPA Australia (since 2005). Professor Ciro is a graduate of both Oxford University and Monash University. Professor Ciro holds a PhD from Monash University, a BCL (Master of Law) from Oxford University, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Monash University and a Bachelor of Economics (Accounting & Finance) (Honours) from Monash University.
Professor Ciro has extensive management experience as the Deputy Head of School of Business (Melbourne) from 2010 to 2013 and has been a serving committee member on Faculty Research Committees, Learning and Teaching Committees, International Committee, Intellectual Property Steering Committee, University Small Grants Committee, University Appeals Committee and Workload Committee. Professor Ciro has also led successful accreditation and re-accreditation of CPA Australia and ICAA accounting programs as well as being actively involved in the curriculum design for new LLB programs. Professor Ciro has extensive research expertise in the fields of commercial law, business law, taxation law, corporations law and financial markets regulation. Professor Ciro has been the author and co-author of over 20 books and 50 journal articles that have been published by Oxford University Press, Lexis Nexis, Routledge, Euromoney and Thomson Reuters. Professor Ciro has supervised Honours and post graduate students. Professor Ciro is a current a member of the Oxford Law Alumni and has been a visiting Professor at Oxford University.
Dr Perla Guarneros
Lecturer, Thomas More School
Perla is a full-time academic at Thomas More Law School where she teaches contract law, family law, legal ethics and legal theory, among others. Her research interests include international human rights law, the rights of irregular migrants and international criminal law.
Perla was admitted to legal practice under Mexican jurisdiction in 2008. She holds an LLM from the University of Turin and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute; and an LLM in common law by La Trobe University in Australia, where she completed her PhD Thesis on the protection of the rights of transit migrants and the international responsibility of the State to protect them. This work is now being edited to turn it into a monograph.
Before coming to Australia, Perla worked as a legal counsel and barrister in Mexico; she was a legal officer at the National Human Rights Commission and then at the human rights branch of the Attorney General's Office in the Federal Government of Mexico.
She is an editor of the Australian Feminist Legal Journal; and is currently involved in various research projects within the Thomas More Law School.