Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Information Technology - 2018

A Monash Law degree will enable you to join the next generation of high achieving lawyers, with the ability to solve complex, demanding and interesting problems.

The Law degree provides students with a solid foundation in the concepts, procedures and reasoning underpinning the Australian legal system and the research, analytical and communication skills of the legal profession.

The Information Technology degree focusses on the application of computer-based technologies and systems to meet individual and organisational information needs. It enables students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to use IT effectively and to use, develop and manage IT-based systems.

This double degree will present opportunities for students in the evolving field of legislative responses to information technology innovation and the growth of information systems for legal decision-making and procedures.

The requirements below detail what you must study in order to complete this double-degree course and receive the awards.

Units are 6 points unless otherwise specified. You must complete 252 points:

1. 156 points must be completed in Parts A, B, C and D as described below in L3001 Bachelor of Laws (Honours) component, of which:

• no more than 36 points of level 1 units can be completed
• at least 36 points must be completed at level 3

Refer to L3001 Bachelor of Laws (Honours) single degree entry for the details of important admission to practice information.

2. 96 points must be completed in Parts A and B as described below in C2000 Bachelor of Information Technology component.

Law component

Bachelor of Laws (Honours) is a specialist course that develops through themes: legal methodology and legal practice; public law; and private law. The specialised knowledge and advanced skills are imparted in later year elective units, including a final year project involving intensive research and writing.

Part A. Legal methodology and legal practice (24 points)

This theme includes the nature of law, and particularly statute law enacted by parliaments and common law developed by courts. It also includes the key concepts, principles and methods of research and reasoning that enable lawyers to identify and interpret law and apply it to relevant facts in order to provide legal advice. It covers the law of procedure and evidence that governs judicial proceedings, alternative methods of resolving legal disputes and the code of ethics that regulates the professional conduct of legal practitioners.

You must complete:

• LAW1111 Foundations of law
• LAW4303 Litigation and dispute resolution
• LAW4309 Lawyers' ethics in practice
• LAW4323 Evidence

Part B. Public law (30 points)

Public law includes constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law. It concerns the powers and procedures of the legislative, executive and judicial organs of government and how they are regulated and controlled by 'the rule of law'. It also concerns the legal relationship between government and individuals, including the protection of individual rights.

You must complete:

• LAW1112 Public law and statutory interpretation
• LAW1114 Criminal law 1
• LAW2111 Constitutional law
• LAW4331 Administrative law
• LAW4332 Criminal law and procedure 2

Part C. Private law (48 points)

Private law deals with legal relationships between legal persons, including corporations as well as individuals. It includes the study of property rights, contractual rights and obligations, wrongs (called 'torts') such as trespass and the negligent infliction of injury, and the law of equity and trusts.

You must complete:

• LAW1113 Torts
• LAW2101 Contract A
• LAW2102 Contract B
• LAW2112 Property A
• LAW3111 Equity
• LAW3112 Corporations law
• LAW3402 Property B
• LAW4170 Trusts

Part D. Extending expertise: specialist law electives (54 points)

In later years of the course, you will be able to choose from a broad range of elective law units. High achieving students may also include one or two master's units in their final year of study. Elective law units enable you to develop specialised knowledge and advanced skills in areas of law that suit your own interests, skills and career goals. In addition to public and private law, these include international law, commercial law and human rights law. You will have opportunities to study overseas, and to undertake work-based learning, for example, in our legal clinical program and in local and international internships.

You must complete undergraduate law electives (54 points) as follows:

a. at least one of the following commercial law units (6 points):

• LAW4701Not offered in 2018 Commercial transactions
• LAW4702 Competition and consumer law
• LAW4703Not offered in 2018 Introduction to intellectual property
• LAW4704 Taxation law
• LAW4198 Australian commercial law
• LAW4179 International commercial arbitration
• LAW4668Not offered in 2018 International investment law
• LAW4342 Patents, trade marks and unfair competition
• LAW4671 Private investment law

b. at least one of the following law research units (6 or 12 points):

• LAW4801 Research project
• LAW4802Not offered in 2018 Research practicum
• LAW4803 Clinical externship
• LAW4805 Mooting and advocacy competition
• LAW4806 Jessup moot competition
• LAW4807 Vis arbitration moot
• LAW4327 Honours thesis (12 points)
• LAW4328 Professional practice (12 points)
• LAW4330 Family law assistance program: Professional practice (12 points)
• any master's level elective (usually 12 points) which is approved for undergraduate enrolment, and has as part of its assessment regime a research assignment with a word limit of 3750 words or more

c. additional law electives to bring the total for Part D to 54 points:

• including other units from the lists of commercial law and law research units above
• high achieving students may be eligible to complete a maximum of two master's level electives in the final semester, which can be counted towards a Master of Laws degree if they wish to progress to graduate studies.

Law units begin with the prefix LAW and suitable units can be identified using the browse units tool in the current edition of the Handbook. The level of the unit is indicated by the first number in the unit code; undergraduate law units are those that commence with the numbers 1-4.

Information technology component

Bachelor of Information Technology is about the application of computer-based technologies and systems to meet individual and organisation information needs. The course will enable you to gain the knowledge and skills needed to use IT effectively and to use, develop and manage IT-based systems.

Part A. Information technology specified study (48 points)

This will provide you with foundation skills and knowledge for your IT education and ensure a breadth of understanding of IT and its applications in organisations and society.

You must complete:*

a. One introductory programming unit (6 points) from:**

• FIT1051 Programming fundamentals in java
• FIT1045 Algorithms and programming fundamentals in python
• FIT1048 Fundamentals of C++

b. The following four units (24 points):

• FIT1047 Introduction to computer systems, networks and security
• FIT1049 IT professional practice
• FIT2002 IT project management
• FIT2094 Databases

c. One of (6 points):

• FIT2001 Systems development
• FIT2099 Object-oriented design and implementation

d. Capstone project units (12 points) or an industry-based learning unit (18 points) from:

• capstone project units (12 points) (depending on your choice of major)

Business information systems, computer networks and security, and software development majors

FIT3047 Industry experience studio project 1 and FIT3048 Industry experience studio project 2

Games development and Interactive media majors

FIT3039 Studio project 1 and FIT3040 Studio project 2

• an industry-based learning unit (18 points)

FIT3045 Industry-based learning (18 points)***

* If a unit is used for both IT specified study above and a major, you will complete additional units offered by the faculty of IT to ensure a total of at least 96 points of information technology study (any unit starting with code FIT).

** Before making your choice, refer to your anticipated major as a particular one of these may be required for your major.

*** This option is available only if you are selected to participate in the Industry-based learning (IBL) program. If you intend to apply for the IBL program, please discuss your course progression with faculty staff. If you are selected for the IBL program, 6 points of the 18-points IBL project will replace an elective in the major in Part B. below.

Part B. Information technology listed major (48 points)

This will provide you with a focused program of study that will develop your expertise in one area of information technology. You will develop the practical and theoretical skills and knowledge in your chosen major needed to successfully plan, develop, implement and evaluate information products and systems.

You must complete one of the following information technology listed majors. A major requires eight units with no more than two units at level one (12 points) and at least three units (18 points) at level three.

• Business information systems
• Computer networks and security
• Games development
• Interactive media
• Software development

If you intend to undertake an honours year you should ensure you complete the specific units required as a pre-requisite for honours in your chosen major area of study.

You may be eligible to exit this double degree course early and graduate with one of the single awards once you have successfully completed all of the requirements described above for the single degree component and have completed a total of:

• 204 points to exit with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
• 144 points to exit with a Bachelor of Information Technology

Honours

You may be eligible to apply for a one-year honours course once you have successfully completed this double degree, or have completed all of the requirements for one of the single degrees including a total of 144 points. The following honours course applies:

• C3701 Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours)

You are usually eligible to apply for honours if you achieve a distinction grade average (70 percent) or above in 24 points of studies in relevant discipline units at level 3. This sometimes also means you need to have completed specific units.