FAQs

At present, a full-time student studies four units – say, Constitutional Law, Property Law, Torts and Criminal Law – at once for a 12-week stretch (with a one-week study break in the middle).

Under '6×6,' the Southern Cross Model, instead you do only two of those four units for a six- week stretch. Then you finish them, for good; after that, you take a two-week break, then start the other two units. (For a part-time student, halve the above).

So you are doing only Constitutional Law and Property Law for the first six weeks, but study each intensively during that period. Students can focus more deeply on the units they are covering.

Yes. Studying online is a convenient option if you want to reduce travel time, you have family/work commitments, or you simply prefer to study from home. Our online study uses leading technologies that are highly interactive in 'real time', promoting collaboration and a sense of community. Depending on which course you choose, you can start your online study at different times throughout the year. (The SCU Model of study has six Terms per year of 6 weeks each.)

You can attend workshops and tutorials online in real time, or watch or download the recordings later when convenient. You can also attend tutorials at Gold Coast campus for all core units.

Our exams are now conducted online; you won't need to attend an exam centre in person. SCU employs anti-plagiarism text-matching software (eg, TurnItIn https://turnitin.com/) to ensure academic integrity in assignments and exams.

Bachelor of Laws students are expected to attend on-campus workshops, in person, for two core (mandatory) units within the LLB:

• LEGL1005 Legal Process – one of two units (along with LEGL1001 Legal Research & Writing) that all LLB students take at the start of their first year.

• LAWS3003 Professional Conduct – normally taken in a student's final year.

  In addition, three elective (optional) units within the LLB, BLJS and ADL – which require 'hands-on,' experience-based learning – normally require students to attend compulsory workshops:

• LEGL2011 Mediation & Dispute Resolution and LEGL2012 Mediation Practice & Procedure both have a compulsory weekend workshop, held at our Gold Coast campus. (For LEGL2012, the workshop is a requirement for external accreditation as a mediator.)

• LEGL2008 Conveyancing Law has a compulsory one-day workshop, which a student may attend either at our Gold Coast campus or (normally) in Sydney. (Depending on circumstances, this workshop may be held on-line.)

  We understand that attendance involves organisation and a time-commitment on the student's part. However, decades of experience has confirmed that students derive great educational benefit from attending these workshops (and also make personal contacts with staff and fellow students).

  Information about these workshops is located on the Discipline of Law website – your Unit Assessors will provide further details.

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  Note: All SCU units have 'workshops' (which replace the more traditional 'lectures' of the past) but in most cases these are optional, conducted on-line, and recorded so that students who can't attend can still view or download them later. The above guidance relates only to mandatory workshops on campus for specific units.

You can study a combination of on-campus and online units at the same time. Note, though, that your Course Coordinator's approval may be required to vary your study mode after you've enrolled in a unit, and that the SSAF (Student Services Amenities Fee) may vary depending on your study mode.

If you've completed tertiary subjects at another university or TAFE in the past 10 years, you may qualify to receive Advanced Standing credit for them, which could reduce the remaining duration of your study at Southern Cross University. Find out how you can apply for Advanced Standing.

Note that, while TAFE units may be given Advanced Standing as electives towards the BLJS or the ADL, only university degree-level Law units can be credited towards the LLB.

No. But you do need to have completed at least three units of your ADL or BLJS before you can count those grades to meet the entry threshold for the LLB. The Admissions team will then rank your current study based on your Grade Point Average (GPA) over your completed ADL units. Admissions will also consider other information you provide, such as previous study/work history.

You should contact the Student Advice Team about the best point in your ADL or BLJS to transfer to the LLB, and about what credit may be granted when you have transferred.

Not directly. SCU does not grant advanced standing credit towards the LLB, BLJS or ADL based on industry/professional experience or industry training, in-service courses or seminars. University units are required by law to be taught at a specified Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level, according to the degree involved (https://www.teqsa.gov.au/how-we-regulate/acts-and-standards/australian-qualifications-framework).

However, prior experience working in the legal profession or an adjacent occupations (eg, public service, legal secretary, conveyancer, electorate staffer, etc) is taken into account in assessing your eligibility to be admitted into an SCU Law course, and of course can give you a head start in understanding the teaching material covered.

SCU's conveyancing major – available in both the Associate Degree in Law (Paralegal Studies) (ADL) and the Bachelor of Legal & Justice Studies (BLJS) – is accredited with the New South Wales Office of Fair Trading, which issues conveyancing licences. This means that both degrees meet the qualification and experience criterion (one of six criteria for eligibility) to be a licensed conveyancer in NSW. See Requirements for Conveyancers NSW for more details.

• LAWS3002 Law Placement is an option unit (elective) in the Bachelor of Laws that involves completing a placement in a legal office environment under the supervision of a qualified legal practitioner.

• LAWS2004 Paralegal Placement is an option unit (elective) in the Bachelor of Legal & Justice Studies (BLJS) and the Associate Degree in Law (Paralegal Studies))ADL).

  Law students can also volunteer to help out at the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS), at a Community Legal Centre, at Legal Aid, or as a judge's or magistrate's associate.

The Bachelor of Laws is professionally accredited by the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB). This means SCU LLB graduates can apply for admission to legal practice in every State and Territory of Australia.

As a professionally accredited program, we are obliged to ensure our students graduate with specific knowledge, skills and aptitudes, as prescribed by the rules relating to admission to legal practice.

To practise law, you must first qualify for admission. After you graduate with an accredited Bachelor of Laws, you must also complete a Practical Legal Training (PLT) course. There are a number of PLT courses offered in Australia – you should check which ones are accredited with the legal professional admissions board of your State or Territory.

In addition to (a) your official transcript (student academic record), you may require (b) a letter from the Chair of Law Discipline confirming you have completed the prescribed areas of knowledge, and (c) a conduct report from the Faculty's Academic Integrity Officer. You should apply for these documents early, as they may take time to prepare. Official academic transcripts can be obtained by emailing law.enquiry@scu.edu.au or via MyeQuals

Yes. If you're an overseas legal practitioner, there are two steps in applying for admission to legal practice in Australia: (1) before commencing study, contact the admissions board of the State or Territory you intend principally to practise in, and (2) complete whatever units that board may prescribe to ensure you will have covered all of the 'Priestley Eleven' academic areas of knowledge.

SCU's Discipline of Law is accredited for admission to the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The units you choose to study with us meet accreditation requirements not only in NSW, but in in most other States and Territories as well. Find out how to apply.

Yes, subject to entry requirements. SCU offers (a) a Masters of Business Law, (b) a Masters of Business Law, and (c) a Graduate Certificate in Business Law. More details can be found here on the Master of Business Laws course page.

SCU also offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Masters of Laws which can be supervised by a legal academic with a PhD.

The Discipline of Law is currently looking at the best way to adapt its traditional Honours program to the new 6×6 arrangements.

• The Learning Experience Team (https://www.scu.edu.au/learning-zone/) at SCU's Student Learning Zone supports students' development of self-management, language, learning and critical thinking skills as well as the development of academic literacy, numeracy and integrity.

• SCU's Student Advocacy Service (https://www.scu.edu.au/current-students/services-and-support/student-advocacy-service/) provides free and confidential advocacy (to all SCU students, across all campuses) about the University's rules and procedures. These include:

  • Special consideration requests

  • Grades disputes

  • Appeal processes, submissions and representation

  • Lodging a grievance or complaint

  • Student misconduct (academic and non-academic)

  • University rules and regulations

  • Enrolment issues

  • Centrelink problems

  • Residential tenancy advice and referral

  • Discrimination and harassment

  • Work and Development Orders (unpaid fines)

• Each unit has a Unit Assessor responsible for administering it, answering questions, and providing academic support to the students. The name and contact details of your Unit Assessor are shown on the MySCU Blackboard learning site for each unit, under CONTACTS.

• If the Unit Assessor is not available, or your query involves all or many of your units, you should contact your Course Coordinator, Dr John Orr.