Juris Doctor (MC-JURISD)

The Melbourne JD is a fully graduate law degree. Applicants must have either an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than law or a degree in law from a different legal system. The JD leads to admission to the legal profession in all Australian jurisdictions and can be used as a basis for seeking admission in many overseas jurisdictions as well.

Melbourne Law School aims to produce intellectually engaged graduates who are well equipped to use their legal training in a variety of professional settings, including legal practice, and to make a contribution to the community. Melbourne Law School will select students from a broad range of backgrounds who have a record of academic excellence, and are intellectually rigorous, motivated and engaged with the study of law. Melbourne Law School believes that a diverse student body enriches both the learning and practice of law, and for this reason we encourage applications from graduates with a range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as from a variety of academic disciplines, geographical locations, careers and life experiences.

Selection into the JD is based on academic results in all tertiary study undertaken and the score and essay received in a legal aptitude test (LSAT). In addition, Melbourne has a Graduate Access program for students who have been disadvantaged and guaranteed pathways to the degree for some high achieving school leavers. As a result of these selection criteria, the Melbourne JD student body will be diverse, motivated and highly talented. JD students will bring to the study of law a wide range of knowledge and experience gained from their undergraduate degrees, and the Melbourne JD is designed to respond to the exciting challenge of teaching law to such a group. The curriculum has been developed specifically for graduates and the course is structured and taught in a way that is suitable for graduates. Usually the maximum class size is 60 and in many subjects it is smaller, to enhance the opportunities for interaction between students and teachers and amongst students themselves.

The law degree is taught over six semesters under the standard three year course structure, with options for flexible study subject to Law School approval. The teaching year begins in February. Applications for admission are assessed in the latter part of the preceding year.

The School has offered the Melbourne JD since 2000. It has been an outstanding success. It set a benchmark for legal education in Australia and was welcomed by students, teachers and employers alike. The degree that has been offered from 2008 builds on that experience, adapting it to the needs of a larger and more diverse student body.