Courses and programs offered
Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Media Studies (LZLMS)
The Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Media Studies is a five-year combined degree providing an accredited professional qualification in law, as well as a vocationally oriented degree in media studies chosen from print journalism, video production and radio/audio production streams. The program includes all the compulsory law subjects required by the Council of Legal Education for admission to practice in Victoria and a wide range of law electives, including compulsory specialised subjects relevant to media studies such as Intellectual Property Law, Competition Policy and Law, or an approved subject from the Master of Laws in Global Business Law. There is a media internship program and new production facilities with 24-hour access. For further information about core law subjects and electives, please refer to the entry for the Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry) in the Faculty of Law and Management section of this handbook.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements are VCE units 3 and 4, and a study score of at least 30 in English (any).
Degree requirements
Students admitted to the combined degree of Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Media Studies must:
- complete a total of at least five years full-time study or its equivalent
- complete in sequence the compulsory law subjects
- complete in sequence the compulsory media studies subjects
- complete a total of 655 credit points (375 credit points in law and 280 credit points in media studies)
- complete a total of 22 subjects in law (17 compulsory subjects and 5 electives)
- complete a total of 15 subjects in media studies
- complete no more than 180 credit points at first year level overall.
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 | Constructing Communication | MST1CCO | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Making the News | MST1MTN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Criminal Law | LAW2CRM | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Principles of Public Law | LAW2PPL | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Audiences and Communication | MST1AAC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Writing for the Media | MST1WFM | 15 |
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 | One second year media studies stream subject1 | 20 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Commercial and Consumer Contracts | LAW2CCC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Constitutional Law | LAW2CNL | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Researching Media Audiences | MST2RMA/MST3RMA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | One second year media studies stream subject1 | 20 |
Third year
| Teaching period |
Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Criminal Procedure and Evidence | LAW3CPE | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Researching the Media | MST2RTM/MST3RTM | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | One second year media studies elective | 20 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Civil Procedure | LAW3CIV | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Property Law | LAW3PRP | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Intellectual Property Law | LAW2IPL | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | One second year media studies elective | 20 |
Fourth year
| Teaching period |
Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Law of Equity and Trusts | LAW3EQT | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Two law electives | 30 | |
| TE-SEM-1 | Media Industries | MST3MIN | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Administrative Law | LAW3ADM | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Competition Policy and Law3 | LAW2CPL | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | One law elective | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 |
One third year media studies stream subject4 | 20 |
Fifth year
| Teaching period |
Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Corporations Law | LAW4COR | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | One law elective | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-1 | Broadcast and Electronic Journalism | MST3BEJ | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 |
One third year media studies elective | 20 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Legal Practice and Conduct | LAW4LPC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | One law elective | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Media Project Development | MST3MPD | 20 |
Key: 1 In teaching period 1, students must complete one of the following stream subjects: Journalism Research (MST2CAJ); or Radio Sound Production (MST2RSP); or Shooting Short Productions (MST2SCV).
2 In teaching period 2, students must complete one of the following stream subjects: Online Journalism Production (MST2JPW); or Writing for Radio (MST2WFR); or Writing for Video - Non-fiction (MST2WFV).
3 Students may substitute an elective from the Master of Laws in Global Business Law with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
4 In teaching period 2, students must complete one of the following stream subjects: Advanced Journalism and Design (MST3AJD); or Advanced Media Production–Radio (MST3MPR); or Documentary & Television Production (MST3MPT). Students must choose a subject from the same stream selected at second and third year.
For course information on Media Studies, please contact an adviser from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences or visit their website at www.latrobe.edu.au/humanities.
Bachelor of Media Studies Stream subjects
Students must choose to follow one media studies stream: streams offered are print journalism, radio/audio production and video/television production. Students complete 40 credit points at second year and 20 credit points at third year level drawn from one of these streams. In addition, they complete a 20-credit point compulsory subject from the journalism stream in their final year, Broadcast and Electronic Journalism (MST3BEJ).
Bachelor of Media Studies electives
For information on subjects available as media studies electives, please refer to the Bachelor of Media Studies entry in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences section of this Handbook. Or you may visit their Faculty office on the 3rd level of the Humanities 3 Building, Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus. Students should however complete no more than 60 credit points, as specified in the course structure.
Compulsory and Elective Law Subjects
For lists of compulsory and elective law subjects, refer to lists under Bachelor of Laws Graduate Entry (LBLG).