Master of Laws (Research)

The Master of Laws (Research) at the University of Notre Dame Australia is a two-year research degree for law graduates who want to spend serious time on a single legal question. You work under supervision, produce a thesis, and come out with a qualification that sits above coursework study on the Australian Qualifications Framework. It suits people who already hold a law degree and want to research, teach, or move into policy and advisory work.

How the degree is structured

Australian master's degrees by research are usually built around a supervised thesis rather than a timetable of lectures. You enrol in units of study that carry credit points, but the core of the degree is your own research project, written up as a thesis and examined by academics outside your supervision team. Notre Dame's academic year runs across semesters, so you have formal milestones to hit along the way: a research proposal, confirmation of candidature, and progress reviews. Your supervisor and the school guide you through each stage.

What you actually study

The research topic is yours to shape, within the school's areas of expertise. In practice, research candidates work on questions in fields like constitutional law, international law, human rights, criminal justice, commercial law, or legal theory. You learn how to frame a research question, work with primary and secondary legal sources, handle ethics approvals where your project needs them, and write at the standard expected of a thesis examiner. Legal research methods and academic writing are part of the training, not an afterthought.

Skills you take away

By the end you can run an independent research project from start to finish. That means designing the study, managing your time across two years, analysing cases and legislation closely, and arguing a position in writing that stands up to scrutiny. You also get better at presenting your work to other researchers and at giving and taking criticism, the everyday business of a research community.

Who it suits

This degree fits law graduates who want an academic career, a research role in government or a law reform body, or a specialist position that rewards deep knowledge of one area. It also works as a pathway towards a doctorate. If you are a practising lawyer wanting a break from client work to think and write, the research route gives you that space. International applicants need to meet the university's English requirement, for law, that is typically IELTS Academic 7.0–7.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. Check the official page and the CRICOS register for current tuition and entry details.

• Academic researcher or PhD candidate in law schools
• Legal policy adviser in federal or state government departments
• Research officer at law reform commissions and statutory bodies
• Legal analyst or knowledge lawyer in private practice
• Human rights or international law researcher at NGOs
• Judicial associate or court research officer
• Compliance and regulatory research roles in banking, health and public administration
• University tutor or sessional lecturer while completing further study

Australian employers in these fields include universities, the federal and state public service, law reform and human rights bodies, courts and tribunals, major law firms, and the community legal sector. Graduates who complete the degree may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which allows time in Australia after graduation. While studying, a student visa generally permits work of up to 48 hours per fortnight.