Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Laws

This is a five-year double degree that pairs law with international studies. You graduate with two qualifications: a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of International Studies. Western Sydney University runs it as a full-time course, and the CRICOS code for international students is 111601G. The law component covers the subjects you need for admission to legal practice in Australia, contract, torts, criminal law, constitutional law, property, equity, evidence, civil procedure and professional responsibility. The international studies side takes you through politics, international relations, history, languages and regional studies, so you finish with a working knowledge of how governments, treaties, trade and diplomacy actually operate.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are built on units of study, usually eight per year across two semesters (some universities use trimesters). Each unit carries a set number of credit points, and you accumulate them until you meet the requirements for the award. This double degree is five years rather than the three years a single bachelor takes, because you are completing the core of two programs. Expect a mix of lectures, tutorials, seminars and moots. In the later years there is usually a capstone unit, a research project or a major piece of written work that pulls your legal and international studies training together. The international studies half often includes an exchange or in-country study component, and law students can take clinical legal education units where they work on real files under supervision at a community legal centre. Confirm the exact unit list and any placement requirements on the official course page.

What you actually learn

You learn to read a statute closely and argue from it. You learn to research international legal materials, treaties, UN documents, foreign judgments, and to write advice that a client or a court could use. The international studies units build the other half: how to analyse a foreign policy decision, how to brief a minister, how to work in a second language. By the end you should be able to move between a legal memo and a policy brief without losing the thread. Those are the skills employers in law firms, government departments and NGOs actually test at interview.

Who it suits

It suits someone who wants to practise law but does not want to be confined to a domestic practice. If you are interested in human rights, refugee law, trade law, diplomacy or working for an international organisation, the double degree gives you the legal credential and the regional knowledge in one go. It also suits students who want a law degree but are not certain they will end up in a law firm, the international studies half opens doors in the public service and the not-for-profit sector. English language requirements for international applicants are set by the university; law sits at the higher end of the scale, so check the current requirement on the official page before you apply. While you hold a Student visa you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight during study periods. After graduation, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream lets eligible graduates stay and work in Australia for a period set by the Department of Home Affairs.

• Solicitor or barrister in private practice, including firms with international or cross-border clients
• Legal officer in a government department, foreign affairs, trade, immigration, defence
• Policy adviser or analyst in the Australian Public Service or a state agency
• In-house counsel or compliance officer in a company with overseas operations
• Human rights or refugee advocate with a community legal centre or NGO
• Diplomatic or consular officer (through the relevant recruitment processes)
• Researcher or analyst with a think tank, university or international organisation
• Legal and policy roles in trade promotion, development aid or international development

Australian employers in these fields include law firms, the federal and state public services, community legal centres, universities, and the Australian offices of international organisations and NGOs. Admission to practise as a lawyer in Australia requires completing an approved law degree plus practical legal training or a supervised traineeship, and then admission in a state or territory.