Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

This double degree pairs a science major with a law degree, and you graduate with honours in law. It runs five years full time. The science half lets you specialise, chemistry, biology, mathematics, forensic science, environmental science and others sit within the broad science offering, while the law half covers the subjects you need for admission to practice in Australia: contract, torts, criminal law, property, constitutional law, administrative law, equity, evidence and procedure. You finish with an honours-level law qualification, which means a research component and a thesis in your later years.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are built from units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. You accumulate credit points across semesters, Western Sydney runs a mix of semesters and a summer session, and you need a set total to graduate. Expect to move between science units with labs and tutorials and law units taught in seminars where you read cases and argue them. The two halves are usually interleaved rather than done one after the other, so you keep both sets of skills alive. The honours component in law involves a supervised research project; how that is assessed and when you take it depends on the course structure, so check the handbook.

What you actually learn

On the science side you learn to design experiments, handle data, read primary literature and write up findings. On the law side you learn statutory interpretation, legal research, case analysis and written and oral advocacy. The interesting part is where they meet: expert evidence in criminal trials, environmental regulation, patents and intellectual property, food and drug law, workplace health and safety prosecutions, and the growing field of science-informed policy. Law graduates in Australia who want to practise must complete a practical legal training course or supervised workplace training after the degree, then apply for admission to the Supreme Court of their state. This degree gives you the academic stage.

Who it suits and what to expect

It suits students who are good at both structured argument and technical detail, and who do not want to choose between the lab and the courtroom at eighteen. It is a heavy load, two professional disciplines, five years, and a research thesis. Western Sydney teaches this at its Parramatta and Campbelltown campuses, with law at Parramatta. Work-integrated learning appears in the law subjects through moot courts and placement-style units, and science units include laboratory work; confirm the exact placement requirements with the university. International students on a Student visa can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream lets eligible graduates stay and work in Australia, and law is one of the fields where that matters for completing practical training. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 108415B. English requirements are higher for law than for most degrees, IELTS Academic 7.0–7.5 overall is the usual range, so check the official page before applying.

• Solicitor, after the degree plus practical legal training and admission; hired by private firms, community legal centres and government legal offices.
• Barrister, via the bar readers' course; appears in state and federal courts.
• In-house counsel or legal officer, in banks, insurers, mining and energy companies, hospitals and universities.
• Policy officer, in state and federal departments dealing with environment, health, science and industry.
• Patent examiner or IP professional, IP Australia and private patent attorney firms.
• Forensic scientist or analyst, state forensic services, police laboratories and private analytical labs.
• Environmental consultant or regulator, EPA, water authorities, consultancies handling compliance and approvals.
• Compliance and regulatory affairs officer, pharmaceutical, medical device, food and agricultural companies.
• Research officer or associate, CSIRO, universities and medical research institutes.