Bachelor (Honours)
To understand the big issues of our age, we need to examine social and economic issues from a range of different angles. Because of this, tomorrow's leaders will benefit from legal expertise*, while successful lawyers will require emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills.**
La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics gives you a practical, progressive and multi-disciplinary education with a unique social and ethical perspective on how the law operates. Gain a comprehensive legal skillset, then put it to work in real-world environments through placement opportunities.
Enhance your political expertise by learning how governments manage their economies and achieve important social objectives. Study the interaction between inflation, unemployment, economic growth and foreign debt, along with the effects on social wellbeing. From there, you'll examine competing theories of political economy, including institutional, feminist, post-Keynesian, behavioural and ecological economics.
Learn skills in advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolution and how to apply these in both legal and non-legal settings. You'll also have the opportunity to put your skills to the test in Law School competitions, and even international ones in Vienna, Hong Kong and Washington DC.
Develop sought-after skills in critical thinking, research, communication and teamwork. Pursue placement opportunities and gain firsthand experience in community legal centres, law firms and government agencies. You'll also be able to forge mentor relationships with judges, magistrates and coroners.
Graduate ready to tackle real-world problems, including climate change, the need for sustainable innovation, and the unequal distribution of wealth, opportunity and power.
You'll learn:
The qualification awarded on graduation is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) as Level 8 - Bachelor Degree Honours.
Please note, the following course structure is indicative and subject to change depending on your course location, offer year or how you tailor your course with specialisations, majors, minors and electives. Structures for the following year are not normally finalised until October, so the sample provided is based on the most recently approved structure. For more information, please refer to the La Trobe University Handbook.
To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics, students must complete a total of 600 credit points across 5 years.
Year 1 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 2 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 3 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 4 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Year 5 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Core subjects are required subjects in your course. You need to complete these subjects to attain your degree.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points ACADEMIC INTEGRITY MODULE LTU0AIM 1 0 WOMINJEKA LA TROBE: INDIGENOUS CULTURAL LITERACY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ABS0WOM 1 0 DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW1DR 1 15 ECONOMIC ISSUES AND PUBLIC POLICY BUS1BUE 1 15 LEGAL INSTITUTIONS AND METHODS LAW1LIM 1 15 POLITICS, PHILOSOPHY AND ECONOMICS POL1PPE 1 15 PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW LAW1CRL 1 15 PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC LAW LAW1PPL 1 15 QUESTIONS THAT MATTER PHI1QTM 1 15 RECESSIONS, INFLATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ECO1RIG 1 15 CONTRACT LAW A LAW2CTA 2 15 CONTRACT LAW B LAW2CTB 2 15 DEMOCRACIES AND DICTATORSHIPS: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICS POL1AUP 2 15 HOW DO SOCIETIES AND ECONOMIES INTERACT?COMPETING APPROACHES IN POLITICAL ECONOMY POL2PPE 2 15 POLITICAL IDEAS AND IDEOLOGIES POL2PID 2 15 PRINCIPLES OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW LAW2CSL 2 15 PRINCIPLES OF TORT LAW LAW2TOT 2 15 CIVIL PROCEDURE LAW3004 3 15 FOUNDATIONS OF PROPERTY LAW LAW3002 3 15 POLITICS, POWER, AND PUBLIC POLICY POL3CAP 3 15 REAL PROPERTY LAW LAW3005 3 15 STATUTORY INTERPRETATION LAW3003 3 15 EVIDENCE AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW3001 4 15 PRINCIPLES OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LAW4004 4 15 PRINCIPLES OF EQUITY AND TRUSTS LAW4003 5 15
A major is a sequence of related subjects studied in your course. To attain a major, this sequence must add up to 120 credit points. In some courses, you need to complete at least one major from your course's discipline to attain your degree. If there is room in your degree for more than one major, you may wish to complete an open access major from another discipline area.
Course majors Major code Political economy MJR-PEC01 Political philosophy MJR-POP01 Open access majors View our open access majors
A range of standalone elective subjects is available in this course. Some electives are recommended for your course, but you may also be able to choose from a range of University-wide electives or electives from other interest areas or disciplines. Note these electives may have their own prerequisites and other requirements. Please refer to the La Trobe University Handbook for the subjects available.
Core choice subjects are one or more subject groups you need to select in your course. Core choice subjects may be specific to your course, major, minor, specialisation or other learning requirements.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points LAW INTERNSHIP B LAW4INB 5 15 LEGAL RESEARCH PROJECT LAW4005 5 15
Capstone subjects are required subjects in your course or major that help you integrate and apply the knowledge and skills you gain to solve real world problems. Capstone subjects are often taken towards the end of your course.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points COMPANY LAW LAW4002 5 15The Handbook contains detailed course information designed for enrolled students, including course structures, electives and options. The delivery of this course can vary between campuses.
To view other campus handbook course details, please select relevant campus in the drop down.
Combining law with politics, philosophy and economics can lead to a range of careers in the public or private sector.
Possible roles include:
The Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics course includes the subjects required by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board to meet the academic requirements for admission to the legal profession in Victoria as an Australian lawyer.
Admission to the legal profession by the Supreme Court of Victoria also requires the completion of practical legal training via either a 12-month period of supervised legal training or completion of an approved practical legal training course (for example, at the Leo Cussen Institute or The College of Law). Candidates for admission to practice must also satisfy the Admissions Board that they are a fit and proper person to be admitted to practice.
International students are advised to obtain assurance of recognition of the course by the relevant professional bodies in their preferred country of practice.
International graduates require a relevant visa to complete a practical legal traineeship and a supervised workplace traineeship in Australia. Please contact the Australian Department of Immigration for details.
Professional registration may require an application to the professional body and may have additional or ongoing requirements beyond the completion of the degree. For further details, including admission to the legal profession, please contact the professional body for details.