Juris Doctor

Program Overview

Deakin University's Juris Doctor (JD) program prepares non-law graduates for a successful legal career. This practice-focused program emphasizes critical thinking, practical skills, and a solid legal foundation. Students complete 24 credit points, including core units and electives, and learn from renowned scholars and experienced practitioners. The JD qualification meets the academic requirements for legal practice in Victoria and other jurisdictions.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Prepare for a first-class law career at one of Victoria’s top 3 law schools.

• Deakin’s practice-focused Juris Doctor (JD) is built on the principle that lawyers can be catalysts for positive change in society.
Designed for non-law graduates, this prestigious law program goes beyond the typical theory-centered model. You will focus on sharpening your critical thinking and practical skills, while developing a solid foundation of legal knowledge.

Outline:

Course structure

To complete the Juris Doctor, students must attain a total of 24 credit points, including 17 core units and 7 course elective units, plus completion of the compulsory 0-credit point module, DAI001 Academic Integrity Module. Each unit (think of units as 'subjects') is equal to 1 credit point. Students are introduced to research tools and techniques in core units of the course where they learn analytic skills and the ability to apply those skills in professional contexts. They must also complete advanced level units and a capstone unit that require them to integrate the skills learnt over their course of study and produce applied pieces of research with reference to prevailing literature. 17 Core units 7 Elective units 24 Total units

Core Units

Compulsory 0-credit point module Course elective units 7 credit points of elective units can be chosen from:

Teaching:

Learn from world-leading scholars in human rights, intellectual property, land, property, mining and engineering law, and be guided by teachers with strong practicing backgrounds, including a former judge. This impressive array of expertise helps shape the course, so you can be confident everything you learn is relevant to industry and can be applied as soon as you enter the field.

Careers:

A Juris Doctor qualification meets the academic requirements for admission to legal practice in Victoria, as well as some other Australian and international jurisdictions. Law touches every aspect of society, and the career opportunities reflect this. As a graduate, you will be qualified to practice in a broad range of areas including: law firms – from small rural/regional practices to large national or international organisations business government industrial relations public administration academia law reform bodies