Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Laws

This is a five-year double degree that puts two things together: how crime works and how the law responds to it. You study criminology, why people offend, how policing and courts operate, what happens in prisons and youth justice, how policy gets made, alongside a full law degree. Western Sydney University runs it as a bachelor-level qualification, so you graduate with two awards, not one.

Like other Australian bachelor degrees, it's built on units of study with credit points, usually spread across semesters. Five years is long, and that's the honest trade-off: you cover the law subjects every law student does, contracts, torts, criminal law, constitutional law, evidence, procedure, plus the criminology core. Most law degrees include a practical legal training or placement element, and criminology subjects often involve research projects or work with community organisations. Check the course page for the exact unit list and any placement requirements.

The law component is what opens the door to admission as a legal practitioner. In Australia, that means finishing your degree, then completing practical legal training and admission requirements set by the state admitting authority. Confirm the current accreditation and admission pathway with the university and the relevant body before you enrol.

Who it suits: someone who wants to work where criminal justice and law meet, prosecution, defence, policy, policing, corrections, community legal centres. It also suits students who want a law degree but with a stronger social-science grounding than a straight LLB gives. International students should note the English requirement for law is higher than the general undergraduate standard, IELTS 7.0–7.5 is typical, and the Student visa has its own separate English threshold set by the Department of Home Affairs. While studying, a student visa allows 48 hours of work per fortnight. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available, depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 084080M.

• Solicitor or barrister (after practical legal training and admission)
• Criminal defence lawyer or prosecutor
• Policy officer in justice, corrections or policing agencies
• Community legal centre lawyer or caseworker
• Police officer or analyst
• Youth justice or corrections officer
• Compliance, investigations or regulatory roles
• Legal researcher or academic

Australian employers in these areas include state and federal justice departments, police forces, the courts, Legal Aid commissions, community legal centres, private law firms, and non-profits working in criminal justice and social policy.