Introduction to the faculty - Faculty of Law

Monash Law's postgraduate program endeavours to provide further education to lawyers and non-lawyers to assist them to update their skills, specialise in specific areas of the law, undertake research and move into a career in law.

The program curriculum includes Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Juridical Science, Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Philosophy, masters programs for non-lawyers, professional practice courses, graduate diplomas, graduate certificates and single-unit enrolments. The LLM program offers both coursework and research options.

The majority of postgraduate coursework teaching is delivered at the Monash University Law Chambers, located at 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne (next to the Law Institute). Some classes are offered at the Clayton campus to take advantage of student facilities such as the Law Library, computer laboratories, study carrels for research students and the graduate common room. Some units are offered online or in flexible delivery mode.

The administration of the postgraduate coursework programs is handled by the postgraduate program coordinators at the Law Chambers, under the guidance of the manager, postgraduate programs and associate dean (postgraduate studies).

The research program is administered by the higher degrees by research coordinator at the Clayton campus, under the guidance of the associate dean (research) and the director of higher degrees by research.

The faculty also houses three centres: the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, the Centre for Regulatory Studies, and the International Institute of Forensic Studies.

Structure and organisation of the faculty

The Faculty of Law is a single-department faculty. Academic staff are collectively involved in the decision-making processes of the faculty through a well-defined committee structure with membership of committees determined either by election or by nomination.

The chief officers of the faculty are the dean, the associate deans and the faculty manager. The dean presides over meetings of the faculty board and a number of its committees, and is concerned with staffing, finance and the overall strategic direction of the faculty. The faculty manager is concerned with the overall administration of the faculty including human resource management, budgets, admissions and matters relating to student administration. The day-to-day management of Student Services including, for example, enrolments, examinations, academic progress, course advice, teaching allocations and timetabling, is the responsibility of the manager, Student and Academic Services. Officers within Student and Academic Services provide information and advice to students on student-related matters. The director, teaching, is responsible for policy matters relating to Student Services, and works closely with the manager, Student and Academic Services and the relevant staff.

The manager, Student and Academic Services, together with the manager, postgraduate programs and postgraduate program coordinators are available to provide detailed course advice to postgraduate students within the faculty.

Faculty credit policy

A candidate may be granted credit towards a masters degree for a unit or units assessed as equivalent to Monash University study to a total of two units.

Additional credit arrangements exist for some individual postgraduate programs in the faculty. For specific details please refer to the Faculty of Law regulations, Masters degrees and graduate diplomas at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/calendar/facregs/regs-law.html.

Faculty regulations

The regulations of the Faculty of Law are found in the Monash University Calendar at

http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/calendar/facregs/regs-law.html

Cross-institutional course studies

A Monash degree is an academically coherent and cumulative program of specific units that contribute not only to the acquisition of knowledge, but to the development of Monash graduate attributes. As per the University credit policy, enrolled students seeking credit for units undertaken at another institution will need to demonstrate that there is significant educational advantage that cannot be derived from studying Monash units. Students desiring to enrol on a cross-institutional course basis must obtain a form and approval from the postgraduate studies office. This form must then be submitted to the postgraduate studies office at the other tertiary institution, as required.

If the cross-institutional course enrolment is approved, the student must enrol formally at both Monash University and at the other tertiary institution concerned.

The student is required to pay the course fee in respect of the unit to the other tertiary institution.

Single unit enrolments

Persons who are not admitted to an award program or who do not wish to enrol in such a degree may enrol in a single unit upon payment of a tuition fee. A single unit may, with the approval of the Postgraduate Studies Committee, be subsequently credited towards a masters degree or a graduate diploma.

Student advisers

Graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and masters by coursework degrees

Contact the postgraduate program coordinator LLM on +61 3 9641 6206 or email graduate@law.monash.edu.au.

Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Skills and Ethics (Online)

Contact the postgraduate program coordinator PDLP on +61 3 9641 6200 or email pdlp@law.monash.edu.au.

Master of Laws (Juris Doctor)

Contact the postgraduate program coordinator LLM (Juris Doctor) on +61 3 9641 6220 or email monashjd@law.monash.edu.au.

Research degrees

Contact the higher degrees by research coordinator on +61 3 9905 3342 or email research@law.monash.edu.au.

Duration of candidature

Graduate and Postgraduate diplomas*

Full-time: 6 months; part-time: 1-2 years

Masters by coursework*

Full-time: 1 year; part-time: 2-4 years

Masters by research

Full-time: 1.5-2 years; part-time: 3-4 years

Doctor of Juridical Science/Doctor of Philosophy

Full-time: 3-4 years; part-time: 6-8 years

In the case of the coursework component, part-time candidates are normally expected to complete at least one unit each semester; most classes are held at the Monash University Law Chambers after 6 pm or are offered on an intensive or semi-intensive basis.