The Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies program has been restructured for 2012. Please refer to the 2011 Handbook entry for the old program structure.

The Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies by formal coursework offers the opportunity of study in law for non-law professionals.

Most courses within the program are also available to students enrolled in the Master of Legal Studies (MLS). There is no difference between the Graduate Diploma and the MLS degree in terms of the content and depth with which particular courses are studied. The Graduate Diploma merely requires completion of fewer courses than would be required for an MLS degree. Courses combine a degree of sophistication or technical difficulty in terms of legal content with a substantial consideration of relevant interdisciplinary aspects of the subject matter and a focus on policy. Candidates must complete the core courses prior to enrolment in postgraduate law electives.

Research Thesis Options are not permitted in the Graduate Diploma other than in exceptional circumstances. Candidates wishing to include a Research Thesis course within their program should contact the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education.

Completion of the Graduate Diploma by formal coursework will not lead to a professional qualification of legal practice.

The program is specifically designed to provide an understanding of the law within the area of expertise of the candidate. In combining a general introduction to the legal system and basic legal doctrines, the program aims to give the candidate a rudimentary understanding of Australian law, while providing the opportunity of specialising in a particular area of the law, for instance, international law, particularly if this is most pertinent to the candidate's area of professional practice. At the conclusion of the program the learning outcomes will include an understanding of the nature of legal reasoning, a capacity to conduct independent research in law, to write research papers in the legal field, and to be able to analyse and interpret legal materials.

The Graduate Diploma may be completed in two semesters full -time or over six semesters part-time. Students must undertake and satisfactorily complete six semester-long courses or the equivalent. A total of 36 units of credit are required for the award of the diploma. All courses will not necessarily be available in any one year.

The following 4 courses are compulsory and provide the foundation in law concepts including legal research and writing, contract, property, criminal and public law. These courses should be completed prior to enrolment in postgraduate electives:

- LAWS8126 Principles of Public Law (6uoc)
- LAWS8138 Principles of Property and Contract Law (6uoc)
- LAWS8090 Conceptualising Criminal Laws (6uoc)

and one of the following courses:

- LAWS8072 Legal Concepts, Research & Writing for Business Law (6uoc) OR
- LAWS8101 Legal Concepts, Research & Writing for Criminal Justice & Criminology (6uoc) OR
- LAWS8110 Legal Concepts, Research & Writing for Human Rights (6uoc) OR
- LAWS8249 Legal Concepts, Research & Writing for IP and Media Law (6uoc)

Students can then complete 2 Electives from the list of approved Postgraduate courses for the Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies. Students wishing to enrol in postgraduate LAWS courses not approved for the Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies should contact the Program Convenor.


Electives for the Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies

The GDLS may be taken full-time in two-three semesters or part-time in a maximum of six semesters. Students must undertake and satisfactorily complete eight single-semester courses or the equivalent. A total of 36 units of credit are required for the award of the degree. Postgraduate law courses are taught in a variety of formats both during the University's formal academic semesters and over the summer term. While many are taught for two hours per week over a teaching semester, in others the class hours are arranged more intensively to permit students to focus fully on a research project. Some courses of particular interest to students in employment are scheduled in a venue situated in the CBD.

A student may apply to the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education for permission to take, as appropriate to the student's overall program, up to 50 per cent of the program from courses offered at postgraduate level by another UNSW faculty, another University via cross-institutional study or from postgraduate taxation courses offered by the School of Taxation and Business Law, Australian School of Business. No student may be permitted to take more than 50 per cent of the program from courses of either type.

ENROLMENT
The Enrolment Guide for the Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies can be found on the UNSW Law website.

Award of the Degree

A Graduate Diploma may be awarded by the Council to a candidate who has satisfactorily completed an approved program of study.

Qualifications

(1) A candidate for the Diploma shall have been awarded an appropriate degree of Bachelor from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution, at a level acceptable to the Faculty Education Committee of the Faculty of Law (hereinafter referred to as the Committee).

(2) An applicant who submits evidence of such other academic and professional attainment, as may be approved by the Committee, may be permitted to enrol for the Diploma.

(3) If the Committee is not satisfied with the qualification submitted by an applicant the Committee may require the applicant to undergo such assessment or carry out such work as the Committee may prescribe, before permitting enrolment.

Enrolment and Progression

(1) An application to enrol as a candidate for the diploma shall be lodged with the Registrar by the advertised due date.

(2) A candidate for the diploma shall be required to undertake the courses, and pass any assessment, prescribed.

(3) The progress of a candidate shall be subject to the approval of the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education and will be reviewed at the end of two semesters by the Committee. As a result of its review the Committee may cancel enrolment or take such other action as it considers appropriate.

(4) The normal duration of the program is two academic semesters from the date of enrolment in the case of a full-time candidate or six semesters in the case of part-time candidate. In special circumstances a variation of these times may be approved by the Head of School.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html