Juris Doctor
The Melbourne Juris Doctor (JD) is a graduate law degree that has set a benchmark for legal education in Australia. It is available if you already have an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than law or if you have a law degree from an overseas jurisdiction.
The Melbourne JD equips you with the skills and knowledge to take a leading role in a range of careers including legal practice, business, government and community organisations.
You will be taught by respected academics who are genuine leaders in their fields in Australia and around the world, who draw on legal research and practice to deliver an intellectually challenging degree.
Your JD experience will be as much about your fellow students as your teachers. The degree commences with an orientation program and an intensive summer subject prior to Semester 1, making it easier to get to know your classmates, develop friendships and build your network.
You will study in seminar-style, discussion-based classes with students from a range of undergraduate backgrounds, adding new perspectives and approaches to your learning.
The JD course comprises 24 subjects, including 16 compulsory subjects required for admission to legal practice within Australia.
You can pursue particular areas of interest through elective subject selection. Melbourne Law School's elective offering is extensive and continually evolving to reflect current developments in law and legal practice. You also have the opportunity to undertake an elective subject from the Melbourne Law Masters program.
Melbourne Law School offers a variety of course structures to provide you with flexibility to tailor your studies. The full-time course is three years, but you can extend to three and a half or four years. You can also accelerate to two and a half years, subject to approval. The part-time course can be completed in four to six years. All study commences with the intensive subject Legal Method and Reasoning in February each year.
The Melbourne JD leads to admission to the legal profession in all Australian jurisdictions, and can be used as a basis for seeking admission in many overseas jurisdictions.
The Melbourne JD is well-regarded by a wide-range of employers and can be used to pursue a variety of careers in different sectors.
Melbourne Law School graduates work as:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Melbourne Law School will not be using the LSAT as part of the JD selection criteria for the 2022 intake. We will review whether to use the LSAT as part of the selection criteria for the 2023 intake later in 2021.
Admission FAQs for 2022 intake
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