Do you think you have what it takes to study a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni?
We have all the answers to any questions you may have! We cover topics including core units, assessments, societies and more!
Check it out below!
What is a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni?
Core Units for this Degree
How to Get into a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
What is a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni?
The Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni presents ideas, theories and practices about the law in a contemporary manner. Through this degree, you’ll be applying theories of law and notions of morals and ethics to real life situations and practices!
By engaging with the discussion of issues that our world faces and the legal framework that underpins them, Macquarie University Law students are encouraged to stretch the boundaries of their minds, to take a look at an issue from all perspectives and think critically. This course is great for not only people who want to go on to be lawyers, but also people who want to gain a career within the realm of social responsibility!
In addition to the study of the Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni, a period of Practical Legal Training (PLT) is required after their undergraduate course for students who wish to become Lawyers or Barristers. This means that students will need to complete an additional six months to one year of study if this is the path they desire to go on.
More info on PLT can be found here!
Double Degrees and Honours
Macquarie University Law can be studied within a double degree, however it is not compulsory to do so! This means at the end of the study period, students will emerge with two Bachelor’s degrees – this however means you will need to study for a few more years to gain both qualifications!
Popular double degree additions to the Bachelor of Laws degree include;
The Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni can also be completed with an Honours program in the fourth year of study for this degree!
If students maintain a weighted average mark (WAM) of 75 or above, they can advance onto honours subjects and independent research in the fourth year of study.
Career Paths
The career paths for a Bachelor of Laws are extremely broad, the only limit is your imagination! Careers include:
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- Human Resources Officer
- Management Consultant
- Recruitment
- Advocacy Roles
- Wealth Management
- Judge’s Associate
Core Units for this Degree
Within the Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni, there are set Core Units that students will need to undertake to complete their degree. Core Units that are taught include: Law, Lawyers and Society, Contracts, Torts, Business Organisations, Evidence and more!
Some other core units include:
Foundations of Law – This first-year unit provides students with the opportunity to learn key legal skills, these include research, writing, reasoning and legal problem solving. This class challenges students to apply this learned theoretical knowledge to a contemporary legal issue.
Criminal Justice – Within this unit, students will learn the fundamentals of prosecution and criminal responsibility. Through case studies and close analysis of theory, students will begin to apply the knowledge learned from this unit to real life case studies.
Jurisprudence – This unit combines concepts from philosophy and applies them to law and legal thought. This unit has four main goals to teach students:
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- Equipping students to think in a critical and theoretical way
- To understand the nature of the Australian legal system
- To convey an understanding of legal concepts
- To draw and reflect upon these concepts with case studies
Are there any majors?
The Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni does not have any majors, but this doesn’t mean you can’t take electives or a minor! Through this degree, you are more than welcome to take specialisation electives or to minor in another discipline – there are 80 credit points or eight subject spaces within the “Flexible Zone”!
Are there built-in internships?
PACE units or internships within the Laws degree at Macquarie Uni are non-compulsory, but highly recommended unit addition to the Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni. Not only will it look great on your resume to have practical experience within the field of law, but it can also give you a leg up on what to expect!
Students will source their own internships within the disciplines in which they want to explore, such as law firms, court houses and many other places! You won’t be left completely to your own devices when finding an internship – PACE lists various opportunities, as well as MQ’s CareerHub.
How to Get into a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni
The ATAR required for guaranteed admission into this degree is 96. However if you have not obtained this ATAR, don’t worry, there are other ways to get into Macquarie University Law.
Alternate Pathways
Guaranteed Entry – If your ATAR with relevant adjustment factors (bonus points) reaches the amount of ATAR credit points for guaranteed entry, 96, and your first preference in UAC is to study a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie Uni, you will be given guaranteed entry into the course.
Catchment Adjustment Factors – Five extra adjustment factors (previously known as bonus points) will be awarded to students who live within Macquarie Uni’s “catchment zone” – this means students who live within the area of Macquarie Uni! Check if your suburb is eligible here!
Academic Entry Program – This program assesses results from subjects taken that are relevant to the Bachelor degree you wish to study. There is no need to apply separately for this program either – your results will automatically be assessed against your Macquarie Uni preferences!
Scholarships
Macquarie Uni hosts lots of scholarships, based on academic excellence, equity and more, to see if you are eligible for any scholarships, have a look at the Scholarship calculating tool here!
What’s the Teaching Format?
The teaching format for Macquarie Uni is semesters. This means that there are two teaching periods each year with breaks in between.
Class structures for Macquarie University Law are varied depending on each unit’s ideal means of delivery. Typically, students can expect to study classes that look like this:
Within a lecture, the professor presents new ideas and concepts to the class – this usually will take 1-2 hours. Lecture sizes vary from class to class, but usually the size ranges from 100 to 300 students.
The tutorial will occur after the lecture, with only 30 students attending, and this hour-long class is an opportunity for students to collaborate, consolidate their knowledge and ask their tutors questions. Keep in mind that you’ll probably have to do quite a few readings before attending your tutorial, so come prepared!
A seminar is an interesting hybrid between a lecture and tutorial and is a more interactive and malleable format for teaching, with no more than 25 students to a class. Within a seminar, students should expect the unexpected – from mock trials to debates, seminars have it all!
With these varied classes for each subject, Macquarie University Law students often spend around 12 hours on campus each week!
Assessments
Every assessment is different depending on the unit – commonly students will get essays, but you also get assessed through other methods. For instance, in Criminal Law, you can be asked to present an opening or closing statement for a hypothetical case, or in International Law, you might have to update an existing Treaty for modern use.
Students will also gain the opportunity to write reports and case studies based on real or fabricated cases for the certain units, and this gives students a feel for how they will apply their learned skills in the “real world” of work! The types of assessments vary greatly but are always a new and interesting challenge for students.
Skills That You Refine and Learn
The skills that are refined and learned while studying Macquarie University Law are as vast as the degree itself. Students learn skills not only relevant to study, but to life as well.
Writing skills will eventually become second nature to law students, as they write reports, case studies and more along with writing things down quickly. Students will also develop the ability to quickly, yet carefully analyse a situation or case – to be able to write quickly and error free is imperative for a laws student!
As well as writing and making sure to be critical thinkers who are able to tackle a problem from all angles, law students will also become excellent public speakers. This may seem daunting at first, but with support from your classmates and tutors, you will feel comfortable to chat away in front of the class on issues you are passionate about!
What’s the Faculty and Culture like?
“The Teaching Faculty is incredible – so many standout lecturers and tutors. A special mention goes to Zara Bending for being an inspiration for passionate young women studying law! Also, she’s hilarious and very witty – doesn’t miss a beat with her comebacks.
Macquarie Uni is the most social uni in Sydney. The campus is beautiful and, unlike other unis, pretty consolidated into one large area (not broken up and strewn across the city like others) – this means you get to see members of your cohort in all parts of the uni.
You get to know your cohort, and it’s not like school in that people in all years of their degree mix in classes. You make many like-minded friends, and the even better part is when you meet people who aren’t like-minded and learn new ways of seeing things.” – Pascale Elzerman
Societies
Within Macquarie Uni, there are lots of different clubs and societies – these groups allow you to become closer with people who share the same passion for your degree as you! Societies and groups relevant to the Bachelor of Laws are:
Macquarie Uni Law Society (MULS) – The Macquarie University Law Society welcomes a large range of diverse, enthusiastic students and encourages students to socialise with others who are like-minded or completely different. MULS curates balls, social events, gatherings, camps and more, and their primary focus is to establish connections between Law students at Macquarie Uni.
Macquarie University Mentors – First year uni students will be paired with a fellow student mentor from a year or so above in the same discipline. Through mentorship, the aim is for new students to feel happy and calm going into this big change from high school to university!
Interested in the pros and cons of this degree? Check out our article here!
Matilda Elliott is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and a Communication graduate with a major in Journalism at Western Sydney University. You can find some of her published work in a range of platforms including SBS World News, The Music Network and within her own creative exploits with her twin sister. Matilda is a lover of listening, helping people to tell their stories, making genuine connections, clowning around in her circus troupe and dancing like no one is watching at live music shows!
