Bachelor of Laws

At the end of the program, students of the Bachelor of Laws can:

1. Apply broad and coherent range of legal knowledge for the legal profession incorporating international/global/cultural/Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.
2. Exercise critical thinking, judgement and intellectual independence to evaluate, consolidate and synthesise legal knowledge.
3. Communicate legal knowledge, concepts and advice using relevant technologies clearly and persuasively.
4. Collaborate in team settings to produce measurable outcomes.
5. Think creatively to anticipate challenges and generate solutions in legal situations.
6. Reflect on feedback and critique on own performance support personal and professional development.
7. Adopt professional and ethical behaviour and/or personal citizenship that reflect the interrelationship between ethics, code of conduct, justice and community service.

Edith Cowan University (ECU) law program goes beyond the classroom. You’ll have the chance to put theory into practise and work on real life cases in our Law Access Program, compete in mooting competitions around the world, and gain access to the Law Society Peer Mentoring Program. Make a change in the world with a fully accredited law degree that can be studied on-campus or online.

The course equips you with skills for the courtroom and beyond, providing greater scope and options for a rewarding career in the legal, corporate, commercial and social justice fields. You can also tailor the course to your area of interest and select elective units in specialised areas of law.

Recommended study pattern

As a guide, core subjects in this degree can include: 

• Legal Reasoning

• Contract Law I

• Torts I

• Legal Writing and Research.

Plus there’s a selection of electives to choose from. As part of your application, you’ll be guided through how to get the right degree structure in place for you.

Award requirements

Students are required to complete 480 credit points.Students with a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 70% or higher after their third year of study may be invited to complete an Honours program. Those students will transfer to the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) for their fourth and final year of study.

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.

Indicative total fee $51,000

The amounts shown here are indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

ECU is ranked one of the world’s best young universities and Australia’s best public university for teaching quality. That quality extends to more than 30,000 students, many studying online through Open Universities Australia. ECU offers the same quality of teaching to you, regardless of where you’re studying in the world. Their flexible study solutions include a huge range of online courses, recognising your need to juggle work, family or other commitments.

Learn more about ECU.

Explore ECU courses.

QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

29

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

24

All applicants must meet the academic admission requirements for this course. The academic admission requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

• AQF Advanced Diploma or equivalent;
• Undergraduate Certificate;
• Successfully completed 1 EFTSL of study at bachelor level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent);
• Special Tertiary Admissions Test;
• University Preparation Course;
• Indigenous University Orientation Course;
• Aboriginal University Readiness Assessment; or
• Associate Degree.

Note: for international students, requirements include your secondary school results.

Alternatively, applicants can apply with the indicative or guaranteed ATAR.

Students can satisfy English competency requirements by showing any of the following:

• Results of Year 12 English ATAR or English Literature ATAR with a grade C or better or equivalent
• Results of a Special Tertiary Admissions Test to ECU’s standards
• An IELTS Academic Overall band minimum score of 6.0 (no individual band less than 6.0)
• Completion of 1.0 EFTSL of study at bachelor level or higher in the UK, Ireland, USA, NZ or Canada
• Completion of an ECU University Preparation Course, Indigenous University Orientation Course, or Aboriginal University Readiness Assessment
• Completion of a Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree as described by the Australia Qualifications Framework
• Completion of 0.375 EFTSL of study at bachelor level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent); or
• Completion of other tests, courses or programs as accepted by ECU.

If you have completed units of study at University, undertaken a Diploma qualification or higher, or have relevant professional experience, you may be eligible for Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning (CRPL).

To assess your eligibility for credit, we first need you to apply for and accept an offer in your course of interest with us. You can then submit an Application for Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning via your Student Portal.

Work Experience option:

Students have an opportunity to gain practical experience at the on-campus Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre and through the Criminal Justice Review Project (Innocence Project).