The Master of Dispute Resolution is a coursework degree for graduates seeking specialised education in dispute resolution theory and practice. The program provides graduates from a variety of disciplines with a strong understanding of the diversity of fields within the Alternative Dispute Resolution continuum.

Graduates who have been awarded a Bachelor degree from the University of New South Wales or a degree deemed equivalent from another university or tertiary institution are eligible to apply for admission to the MDR program. Work experience will be taken into consideration for admission purposes where a candidate can demonstrate experience in the field of dispute resolution.

Students can also enrol in the Graduate Diploma of Dispute Resolution.

The course objectives are:

Students must complete 48 units of credit (8 courses) for the Master of Dispute Resolution. Except as indicated each course is worth 6 units of credit.

*LLB graduates and those holding a current Practising Certificate for any Australian or closely aligned jurisdiction (such as New Zealand) will be exempt from this course on request but may enrol in it if they wish to do so. If an exemption is granted, another 6 unit of credit course would need to be selected as a replacement.

1. The degree of Master of Dispute Resolution may be awarded by the Council to a candidate who has satisfactorily completed a program of advanced study in law.

Qualifications

2. (1) A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate Bachelor's degree 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) In exceptional cases an applicant who submits evidence of such other academic and professional qualifications as may be approved by the Committee may be permitted to enrol for the degree.

(3) When the Committee is not satisfied with the qualifications submitted by an applicant the Committee may require the applicant, before being permitted to enrol, to undergo such examination or carry out such work as the Committee may prescribe.

Enrolment and Progression

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

(2) A candidate for the degree shall be required to undertake such formal courses and pass such assessment as is prescribed.

(3) The progress of a candidate shall be reviewed at least once annually by the Committee and as a result of its review the Committee may cancel enrolment or take such other action as it considers appropriate.

(4) No candidate shall be awarded the degree until the lapse of two academic semesters from the date of enrolment in the case of a full-time candidate or three semesters in the case of a part-time candidate. The maximum period of candidature shall be three academic semesters from the date of enrolment for a full-time candidate and six semesters for a part-time candidate. In special cases an extension of these times may be granted by the Committee.

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

Students must complete 48 units of credit (8 courses) for the Master of Dispute Resolution.

Students enrolled in the MDR are required to complete the following two compulsory courses:

The remaining 36 uoc required for the MDR must be obtained from the following list of courses. Not all electives are offered every year. The semester in which a course is offered varies every year. Other courses may be added as new courses are developed and changed.

A student may apply to the Postgraduate Education Co-ordinator for permission to take up to 2 courses (12 uoc) of the program from courses offered at postgraduate level by another university via cross institutional study.

Students may choose to take up to two courses (12uoc) from non-approved Law electives or non-Law courses offered at UNSW. Students must complete the Manual Course Enrolment Form and forward this to Law Student Services.

The ENROLMENT GUIDE for the Master of Dispute Resolution can be found on the Enrolment UNSW Law website.