Double degrees
Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Science – Bendigo Campus (LZLSB)
The Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Science is a five-year combined degree providing an accredited professional qualification in law as well as a degree in science. The program offers an innovative, high quality legal education with a strong global and social justice perspective and a real emphasis on hands-on experiences. Students undertake their first two years of study at the Bendigo campus and then transfer to the equivalent combined degree program at the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus, where they complete the remainder of their course. Students complete eight core law subjects and seven science subjects over their two years at Bendigo. Students will receive full advanced standing for their law subjects, but some reduction in advanced standing may be necessary in the case of science subjects to take into account the different content of, and credit points for, science subjects at Bendigo and Melbourne (Bundoora). As there may be some science majors on offer at Bendigo that are not available at Melbourne (Bundoora), students must ordinarily choose a major at first year that can be continued at Melbourne (Bundoora). Permitted majors are:biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, psychological science and statistics.
Subject to the approval of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering at Melbourne (Bundoora), if a desired major discipline is not available at Bendigo, it may still be possible to commence that major after transfer to Melbourne (Bundoora), but to complete other science subjects in the interim. At Melbourne (Bundoora), students complete the remainder of the Council of Legal Education core law subjects and undertake law electives as well as completing their science subjects. For further information about core law subjects and electives, please refer to the Melbourne (Bundoora) chapter for the Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry) in this Handbook. For further general information about the science component of this degree, please consult the information for the Bendigo Bachelor of Business (RBB) in this Handbook, but note that the specific degree requirements for this combined degree are more restrictive.
Admission requirements
VCE units 3 and 4, and a study score of at least 35 in English (ESL) or 30 in any other English and a study score of at least 20 in mathematical methods (either) or specialist mathematics.
Degree structure
Students must:
- complete a total of at least five years of full-time study or its equivalent
- complete in sequence the compulsory law subjects
- satisfy the requirements of the Bachelor of Science
- complete a total of 630 credit points (375 credit points in law and 255 credit points in science)
- complete a total of 22 subjects in law (15 compulsory subjects and 7 electives)
- complete a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 90 credit points at first year level, a minimum of 80 credit points at second year level and a minimum of 90 credit points at third year level in science
- complete no more than 180 credit points at first year level overall.
Students will usually be enrolled in between 120 and 135 credit points each year, but may enrol in up to 145 credit points without special approval.
Course structure
First year
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Dispute Resolution | LAW1DR | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Legal Institutions and Methods | LAW1LIM | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Two first year science electives | 30 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Criminal Law | LAW2CRM | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Principles of Public Law | LAW2PPL | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Two first year science electives | 30 |
Second year
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Law of Contracts | LAW2CNT | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Law of Torts | LAW2TOR | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | First or second year science elective | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Commercial and Consumer Contracts | LAW2CCC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Constitutional Law | LAW2CNL | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | First or second year science elective(s)1 | 15–20 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | First or second year science elective(s)1 | 15–202 |
Key: 1 As second and third year electives at Bendigo are all worth 15 credit points, students who elect to complete second year subjects at Bendigo may have to complete an additional subject at second year level to what is noted on the grid in order to complete the minimum 80 credit points required at second year level by the end of the degree. This can be taken at Bendigo or Melbourne (Bundoora).
2 Subject to a maximum of 90 first year credit points.
Third to fifth years
See years 3–5 in the entry for the Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Science (LZLSB) degree in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Melbourne (Bundoora) in this Handbook. Some adjustments will be necessary to take into account the fact that students will not have completed a law elective in their second year at Bendigo, but will have completed one second year science subject in lieu.
For general information about the law program, please consult the entry for the Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry) (LBLG) in the Faculty of Law and Management at Melbourne (Bundoora) in this Handbook. For advice on science subjects at Melbourne (Bundoora), please consult a course adviser in the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, Melbourne (Bundoora).
Science majors
The following majors are available to students at Bendigo following transfer to Melbourne (Bundoora): biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, psychological science, and statistics. In order to obtain entry into second year Melbourne (Bundoora) subjects, leading to a major study of one of these disciplines at third year level, the following Bendigo subjects must normally be included in the first and second year enrolments at Bendigo. Second year level Bendigo subjects have been included when their content overlaps with core first year level Melbourne (Bundoora) subjects.
| Discipline | Subject name | Subject code | Teaching period | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological sciences | Biology of the Cell and Organism | BIO1CO | TE-SEM-1 | 15 |
| Organs and Organ Systems | BIO1OOS | TE-SEM-2 | 15 | |
| Chemistry | Chemistry 1A | CHE1C1A | TE-SEM-1 | 15 |
| Chemistry 1B | CHE1C1B | TE-SEM-2 | 15 | |
| Computer science | Programming Environment | CSE1PE | TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 | 15 |
| Object-oriented Programming Fundamentals | CSE1OOF | TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 | 15 | |
| Algorithms and Data Structures | CSE2ALG | TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 | 15 | |
| Discrete Mathematics (also highly recommended) | MAT1DIS | TE-SEM-2 | 15 | |
| Mathematics | Calculus A | MAT1CA | TE-SEM-1 | 15 |
| Calculus B | MAT1CB | TE-SEM-2 | 15 | |
| Linear Algebra | MAT2LIN | TE-SEM-1 | 15 | |
| Discrete Mathematics (also highly recommended) | MAT1DIS | TE-SEM-2 | 15 | |
| Physics | Physics A | PHY1PA | 1 | 15 |
| Physics B | PHY1PB | 2 | 15 | |
| Psychological science | Psychology 1A | PSY1PYA | 1 | 15 |
| Psychology 1B | PSY1PYB | 2 | 15 | |
| Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1A | PSY1BNA | 1 | 15 | |
| Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1B | PSY1BNB | 2 | 15 | |
| Statistics | Statistical Methods | STA1STM | TE-SEM-1/ TE-SEM-2 | 15 |
Subject to the approval of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering at Melbourne (Bundoora), if a desired major discipline is not available at Bendigo, it may still be possible to commence that major after transfer to Melbourne (Bundoora), but to complete some of the above science subjects in the interim. Students in this position would have to leave some of the maximum 90 credit points at first year level free so that they could undertake the first year subjects of their major at Melbourne (Bundoora).
Honours
Students may be permitted to undertake Honours in the law program in the final year of their law studies. Normally a grade of B average over two full-time years of law study is required. Honours comprises a research component and a compulsory research seminar. Students must complete a 10,000-word thesis (which takes the place of two law electives) on a topic to be approved by the Honours Research and Graduate Studies Committee. The compulsory research seminar is conducted throughout the year. Students must attend at least six of the sessions and are required to present a paper on their individual research project.
Students invited to enrol in Honours in science must complete a further full-time year of study. For further information, please see the Bachelor of Science entry in the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering section of this Handbook.
Professional recognition
The law degree includes those subjects approved by the Victorian Council of Legal Education that must be successfully completed as a prerequisite for entry into legal practice. See Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry) at Melbourne (Bundoora) for specific subjects and further information.