Australian National University
Graduate Certificate of Law
- Delivery: Face to Face
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 6 months
- Course Type: Graduate Certificate
Gain knowledge with this stand-alone qualification or use it as an entry qualification for the Master of Laws.
Course overview
The Graduate Certificate of Law offered by the ANU College of Law is the best way to start your postgraduate legal studies, whether you are a non-law graduate or a law graduate from an overseas university. The program is designed to be a stand-alone qualification or provide an entry qualification to the Master of Laws. Completing the program is compulsory for all graduates without a Law or cognate discipline background seeking to progress to a Master of Laws at the ANU College of Law. The program is optional for law graduates from overseas universities seeking to increase their understanding of Australian Law or Law and Legal Institutions. The program provides a flexible structure and includes various elective courses. All courses are taught by staff with international research reputations and draw upon the university's strategic location in the national capital. The Graduate Certificate also includes a compulsory 6 unit course on Law and Legal Institutions which provides an important foundation for students’ legal studies.
Key facts
What you will study
The Graduate Certificate of Law requires the completion of 24 units, which must consist of six units from the completion of the compulsory course:
- Law and Legal Institutions and 18 units from completion of 8000-level courses in the subject area LAWS Law.
Entry Requirements
Admission Requirements
Applicants must present one of the following:
- A Bachelor's degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 4.0/7.0.
- At least 10 years of work experience in an ANZSCO Skill Level 1 role.
The GPA for a Bachelor's program will be calculated from (i) a completed Bachelor's degree using all grades and/or (ii) a completed Bachelor's degree using all grades other than those from the last semester (or equivalent study period) of the Bachelor's degree. The higher of the two calculations will be used as the basis for admission.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Students who have undertaken previous studies that are relevant to their current academic program can request to receive course credit based on their prior learning. University rules, policies and procedures relating to the granting of credit are set out in the Coursework Awards Rule, Policy: Credit and Procedure: Credit and exemptions.
For more information and how to apply, please refer to the ANU College of Law Application for Credit/Status.
Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
- Review, analyse and synthesise knowledge from primary and secondary legal sources to identify and provide solutions to complex legal and justice problems.
- Construct a legal argument to address a question or problem in specialist areas of law.
- Incorporate social, policy, comparative or interdisciplinary approaches into legal analysis.
- Engage in original and critical reflection on a topic of law.
- Planned and conducted technical legal research to access various legal materials, literature databases and other online sources, as well as applied legal or interdisciplinary research methodologies to evaluate and synthesise findings.
- Communicate to various legal and non-legal audiences in different oral and written formats.
Fees and FEE-HELP
Annual indicative fee in 2025: $19,962 (domestic full-fee paying place)
A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:
- The number of units studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
All students are required to pay a services and amenities fee.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.