Faculty information

• Introduction to the faculty
  • Structure and organisation of the faculty
  • Faculty credit policy
  • Faculty regulations
  • Cross-institutional course studies
  • Single unit enrolments
  • Student advisers
  • Duration of candidature

Course information

• Outline of postgraduate studies
  • Courses offered in 2014
  • Courses with no further intake

Course-related policies and rules

• Government and University legislation

 

Monash Law's postgraduate program provides 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, graduate diplomas 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 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne situated in the heart of the legal precinct, next door to Owen Dixon Chambers West and in sight of the County Court.Postgraduate coursework students also have the opportunity to participate in the Monash Law international programs which operate at the Monash Prato Centre, Italy or Monash Sunway Campus, Malaysia.

The Law School has established three research centres committed to advancing research in specialist areas of the law, including regulation, human rights and justice innovation. In addition, the Law School offers a forensic studies program and has recently formed a substantial commercial law group to concentrate upon a broad range of commercially relevant research and teaching areas conducted within the faculty.  Managed and directed by law staff, both the centres and the commercial law group also include members of associated professions and communities on their advisory boards. Each builds on the existing strengths within the Law School and contributes to both research within the school and the development of further units in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Structure and organisation of the faculty

The Law School has approximately 70 academic staff and a total enrolment of more than 3500 undergraduate and postgraduate students across all year levels. The postgraduate program is delivered at the City chambers, and the undergraduate program at the Clayton campus.

The Faculty of Law is not divided into departments. Academic staff and students 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, the Program Directors and the Faculty General Manager. The Dean presides over meetings of the faculty executive and faculty board, and is responsible for the governance and development of the Law School.

The Faculty General Manager is concerned with the overall administration of the faculty including human resource management, budgets, admissions and matters relating to student administration, including enrolments, examinations, academic progress, course advice and timetabling. The day-to-day management of postgraduate student services is the responsibility of the Manager, Postgraduate Programs and Services.

The Associate Dean (Education) is responsible for the governance and development of all postgraduate and undergraduate courses including teaching quality and the training and evaluation of academic staff.  Program directors are charged with day-to-day responsibility for managing the three main teaching programs: Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Master of Laws (Juris Doctor) (JD) and Master of Laws (LLM).

The Manager, Postgraduate Programs and Services, together with the student services officers, are available to attend to the needs of postgraduate students within the faculty. They should be consulted for all enquiries relating to the postgraduate program.

The Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) courses are governed by the Monash Institute of Graduate Research (MIGR) and fall within the portfolio of the Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Law. The HDR courses are managed by the HDR Director with support from staff of the Faculty Research Services. All enquiries on HDR courses should be referred to the Faculty Research Services.

Faculty regulations

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

Faculty credit policy

A candidate may be granted credit towards a master's degree or graduate diploma in accordance with the Credit towards a Degree or Award Regulations.

Additional credit arrangements exist for some individual postgraduate programs in the faculty. For specific details please refer to the Faculty of Law regulations.

Professional recognition of courses

The Master of Laws (Juris Doctor) at Monash University is accredited for the purpose of admission to practice as a barrister or solicitor in the state of Victoria. The course is accepted for admission in other Australian and some international jurisdictions and is accepted as qualifying a graduate to sit the Bar Examination in some US states. Students who plan to seek admission to practice in an interstate or overseas jurisdiction after graduation should seek advice from the admitting authorities in that jurisdiction.

Council of Legal Education (CoLE) requirements for admission to practice

The Council of Legal Education (CoLE) is responsible for the recognition of law qualifications in Victoria and the administration of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2008. These rules state that to be admitted to practice as a barrister or solicitor in the state of Victoria, applicants must have completed a tertiary qualification(s) in Australia which includes:

(a.) the equivalent of at least three years of full-time study of law

(b.) units of study which demonstrate an understanding of and competence of 11 specified areas of legal knowledge.

In addition, candidates for admission to practice must have completed Practical Legal Training (PLT) Requirements. For more details refer to the Council of Legal Education website.

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. In accordance with 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.

Time limit and intermission

For each course in the postgraduate program, there is a maximum time limit within which students must complete all of the requirements. The time limits are set out in the degree regulations and in the course information below.

Students may apply for a period of intermission not exceeding one year at any given time. By granting intermission, the faculty reserves a place in the course in the following year. However, the period of approved intermission will not extend the time allowed for completion of the course. In the first instance, students wishing to apply for intermission should contact the faculty.

Overloading

Opportunities to accelerate study are normally limited to students who have achieved at least a distinction average in the previous academic year. Students should discuss this option with a faculty adviser and obtain approval prior to re-enrolment.

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. Up to two single units may, in accordance with the Credit towards a Degree or Award Regulations, be subsequently credited towards a master's degree or a graduate diploma.

All single units offered form part of the Monash Law masters program and students have the option of completing these units with or without assessment.

Duration of candidature

Graduate and postgraduate diplomas*

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

Master's by coursework*

• Full-time: 1 year; part-time: 2 years (maximum of 4 years)

Master of Laws (Juris Doctor)

• Full-time: 3 years; part-time: 4 years (maximum of 6 years)

Master's by research

• Full-time: 2 years; part-time: 4 years

Doctor of Juridical Science/Doctor of Philosophy

• Full-time: 4 years; part-time: 8 years

* In the case of the coursework component, part-time candidates are normally expected to complete at least one unit each semester.

Contact details

Graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and masters by coursework degrees

• Coordinator Students and Programs: +61 3 9903 8005; law-pgstudents@monash.edu

Master of Laws (Juris Doctor)

• Coordinator Students and Programs: +61 3 9903 8520; law-pgstudents@monash.edu

Higher degrees by research

• HDR Coordinator, Faculty Research Services: +61 3 9905 3342; law-research@monash.edu
  

 

NOTE: The course details provided in the entries below are for those students who began their studies in 2014 - students who commenced their studies prior to this date should consult the archived Handbook edition for the year in which they started their course.

Research

• 1651 Master of Laws (Research), (LLM (Research))
• 3379 Master of Philosophy
• 3380 Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)
• 0069 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Doctor of Laws (LLD)

Coursework

Graduate diplomas

• 2103 Graduate Diploma in Law

Masters programs

• 3373 Master of Commercial Law
• 3392 Master of Human Rights Law
• 3374 Master of Intellectual Property Law
• 3377 Master of International and Comparative law
• 0068 Master of Laws
• 3387 Master of Laws (Juris Doctor)*
• 3393 Master of Regulatory Studies
• 3382 Master of Workplace and Employment Law

* This degree structure is relevant to students who commenced this course from 2008 - students who commenced prior to 2008 should refer to the 'Courses with no further intake' entry below.

Courses with no further intake

For information on the following courses students should refer to the archived Handbook edition for the year in which they started their course:

• 3378 Graduate Certificate in Forensic Studies (Accounting)
• 2105 Graduate Diploma in Law (Commercial Law)
• 3397 Graduate Diploma in Law (Human Rights)
• 2299 Graduate Diploma in Law (Intellectual Property)
• 2790 Graduate Diploma in Law (International and Comparative Law)
• 3384 Graduate Diploma in Law (Workplace and Employment Law)
• 3399 Graduate Diploma in Local Government Law
• 3394 Graduate Diploma in Regulatory Studies
• 3196 Master of Business Administration and LLM (Commercial Law)
• 3377 Master of International and Comparative law
• 3395 Master of Laws (Advanced Legal Practice)
• 2107 Master of Laws (Commercial Law)
• 3391 Master of Laws (Human Rights)
• 2298 Master of Laws (Intellectual Property)
• 2788 Master of Laws (International and Comparative Law)
• 3387 Master of Laws (Juris Doctor)
• 3375 Master of Laws (Legal Practice, Skills and Ethics)
• 3381 Master of Laws (Workplace and Employment Law)