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 degree from UNSW Australia or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution with a minimum of credit average, or

(2) A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate Bachelor degree from UNSW Australia or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution with a minimum of two years' relevant professional experience

Enrolment and Progression

(1) An application to enrol as a candidate for the degree shall be lodged online on the UNSW website, 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:  UNSW Fee Website.

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:

Students without a formal background in law are also required to undertake either
LAWS8072 Legal Concepts, Research and Writing for BL; or
LAWS8101 Legal Concepts, Research and Writing for CJC,
depending on the choice of electives a student wishes to undertake (that is, whether he or she wishes to focus on commercial dispute resolution or dispute resolution in criminal context).

In addition, all students in the program must take a minimum of 2 of the remaining elective courses from the Research-Based Course List. The requirement to take two courses from the Research-Based Course list can, in the alternative, be satisfied if the student takes the single course LAWS8423 Research Thesis.

Note: 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 online Manual Enrolment Form on
UNSW Law Website

Research-Based Course List:

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