The University of New South Wales

go to UNSW home page

Handbook Home

PRINT THIS PAGE
Engineering / Law - 4776

Program Summary

 
Faculty: Faculty of Law
 
   
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Typical Duration: 6 Years
 
 
Typical UOC Per Semester: 24
 
 
Min UOC Per Semester: 3
 
 
Max UOC Per Semester: 27
 
 
Min UOC For Award: 288
 
 
Award(s):
 
 
Bachelor of Engineering (Major)
 
 
Bachelor of Laws (Major)
 
  

Program Description

The Bachelor of Laws degree may be combined with a Bachelor of Engineering majoring in Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Chemistry, Manufacturing Engineering and Management, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronic Engineering, Naval Architecture, Petroleum Engineering, Photonics Engineering, Photovoltaics and Solar Energy Engineering, Renewable Energy Engineering, Surveying and Spatial Information Systems or Telecommunications.

Please note: This degree is not offered in Bioinformatics and Software Engineering.

The program is intended for potential engineers who wish to become more aware of legal and social aspects of the engineering profession, and skilled in technical management, or potential legal practitioners who wish to add a strong technical dimension to their education and training.

Duration/Award
This is a six year full-time combined degree program leading to the award of the two degrees of Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Laws (BE/LLB).

Assumed Knowledge
A prescribed standard in mathematics for entry to the Faculty of Engineering and to individual courses in that faculty. Further details are available in the UAC Guide.

Transferring Engineering Majors (Plans)
Student must nominate an engineering major (plan code) at enrolment. Subsequent transfers to another engineering major may be possible subject to the approval of both Faculties.

Graduation
(i) A student who completes the requirements for both the BE and LLB degrees shall receive at graduation a separate testamur for each of the degrees.
(ii) A student may apply to discontinue the combined BE LLB program and elect to complete the BE degree in accordance with all of the rules governing award of that degree. Following discontinuation of the combined BE LLB program, courses which count toward that program will not in general count toward the single BE degree unless they meet the single degree requirements in their own right.
(iii) A student will not be eligible to graduate from the LLB until requirements for both the BE and the LLB have been satisfied.

Program Objectives and Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this combined degree students will have obtained a sound knowledge base in the disciplines of both engineering and law.

Program Structure

Total Unit Requirements
  • Law compulsory courses - 92 UOC
  • Law elective courses - 52 UOC
  • Engineering courses - 144 UOC
  • Total 288 UOC
Approved Sequence of Study:
Students must study engineering courses in a sequence approved by the Faculty of Engineering and law courses in a sequence approved by the Faculty of Law. Approved sequences are given below; other sequences may be approved under special circumstances.

(a) Engineering - from the consolidated course schedule in the Faculty of Engineering:
at most 48 units of credit of Level 1 Engineering courses, and
at least 18 units of credit of Level 4 or higher Engineering courses,
at least 60 days of approved Industrial Training for the BE degree.

(b) Law
92 UOC of law compulsory courses
52 UOC of law electives

Note: The program structure for the law component is essentially the same for each specialisation.

Plans for Engineering/Laws
For details of the recommended sequence of courses in each Engineering major, please refer to the following plans. Substitution of engineering courses may be permitted at the discretion of the discipline authority.

General Education Requirements

Students enrolled in combined law degrees (with exception to Jurisprudence/Law) are not required to complete general education courses unless they wish to graduate with a BE after 4 years of study. In this case students will be required to complete general education courses as for the single BE.

Honours

Engineering: On completion of the requirements for both components of the combined degree program, a student who has included 12 units of credit of thesis in engineering may qualify for the award of the BE degree with honours in accordance with the rules of the BE specialisation and the Faculty of Engineering rules for the calculation of the grade of Honours (Honours Class 1: a weighted average of 75% or greater; Honours Class 2 Division 1: a weighted average of 70% or greater; Honours Class 2 Division 2: a weighted average of 65% or greater), a student being awarded the highest grade of Honours for which they qualify.

Rules for the award of Honours in the Bachelor of Laws

Award of Honours
The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) will be awarded with the following levels of Honours:

Honours Class 1
Honours Class 2, Division 1
Honours Class 2, Division 2

The award of Honours in the LLB program is based on two requirements:

1) the Weighted Average Mark (WAM); and
2) satisfactory performance in written research.

1) Weighted average mark

In general terms, students who score a Law WAM in the top 10% of the graduating cohort in each semester will be eligible for the award of Honours Class 1; students with a WAM in the next 10% will be eligible for the award of Honours Class 2, Division 1; and students with a WAM in the next 10% will be eligible for the award of Honours Class 2, Division 2.
All courses taken towards the Law degree will be taken into account for written research requirements, but only those taken at UNSW Law School will count towards the WAM.

2) Satisfactory performance in written research

To demonstrate “satisfactory performance in written research” a student must complete one long substantial piece or three shorter substantial pieces of research writing in their program. In particular, a student must attain at least a credit grade either in LAWS2423 Research Thesis (8 uoc) or (16 uoc); or LAWS3423 Research Thesis (6 uoc) or (12 uoc); or in each of three (3) research papers of at least 3000 words each, taken in any three (3) courses in the LLB program.
At the time of enrolment in courses in their final semester, students who have demonstrated satisfactory performance in written research must submit an approved Honours Nomination Form to the Honours Committee detailing the basis upon which the research requirement has been met, and the course or courses in which the requisite grades were attained. If a student has not met the Honours research requirement before the end of their penultimate semester, he or she must notify the Honours committee of the LLB courses in which they propose to meet the requirement before the census date in their last semester.

Failures and Academic Misconduct

In no circumstances will a student be eligible for the award of Honours if he or she has

(a) failed more than one course in the LLB program;
(b) been found guilty of plagiarism or serious misconduct on more than one occasion.

Academic Rules

For Academic Rules relating to the Bachelor of Laws component of this combined degree program, please refer to progam 4790. Although 4790 program is no longer on offer, all combined law students enrolled in the LLB will need to comply with the rules stated here. A direct link is given below:

Bachelor of Laws 4790

Bachelor of Engineering:
The engineering programs may be varied by students according to the rules governing electives, pre- and co-requisites and progression within each program. Subject to pre- and co-requisites and progression rules, students may take courses at any time during the program, it being the responsibility of each student to ensure that the rules governing award of the degrees have been met and that the program of study in each semester of enrolment is feasible with regards to progression and timetabling.

Fees

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


Area(s) of Specialisation

URL for this page:

© The University of New South Wales (CRICOS Provider No.: 00098G), 2004-2011. The information contained in this Handbook is indicative only. While every effort is made to keep this information up-to-date, the University reserves the right to discontinue or vary arrangements, programs and courses at any time without notice and at its discretion. While the University will try to avoid or minimise any inconvenience, changes may also be made to programs, courses and staff after enrolment. The University may also set limits on the number of students in a course.