Graduate Certificate of Australian Law

Course summary for international students

Year	2026 course information
Award granted	Graduate Certificate of Australian Law
Campus	This course is only offered Online
Online	Yes
Length	0.5 year full-time or part-time equivalent
Fee paying annual fee - commencing 2026	$19,000 AUD
Level	Postgraduate (Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma)
Deakin course code	M523
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8

Course sub-headings

Course overview

This course is designed to allow overseas trained lawyers and law graduates to meet the academic areas of knowledge for the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules.*

Choose online study from a top 3 law school in the state of Victoria and gain a rigorous introduction to Australian law. Units incorporate a policy focus that enhances your versatility and you will gain local insight from a graduate-level cohort.

Completing units drawn from our fully online Juris Doctor, you can complete your requirements before arriving in Australia, with flexibility to work around time differences and career commitments.

With highly committed teaching from practising lawyers and leading researchers, localise your practical skills and theoretical foundations and smooth your transition into the Australian legal profession and further career opportunities in government, business and community organisations.

*See Schedule 1 of https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2015-0240

Fees and charges

Tuition fees will vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, your study load and/or unit discipline.

Your tuition fees will increase annually at the start of each calendar year. All fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD) and do not include additional costs such as textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment, mandatory checks, travel, consumables and other costs.

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.

Estimate your fees

Career opportunities

Qualified legal practitioners can work as solicitors in many areas, including commercial, criminal, family, property, and environmental law. Further opportunities include:

Barristers, including public prosecutors
In-house counsel and corporate legal advisers
Government and regulatory lawyers
Policy officers or policy advisers
Community or human rights lawyers (e.g. in CLCs or NGOs)
Academics
Industrial relations or employment law specialists
Legal technology and compliance consultants
Public administrators
Risk and governance managers
Management consultants or analysts.

Course learning outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Develop and apply advanced and integrated understandings of the Australian legal system in the particular areas of knowledge required by Australian legal admissions bodies.
Communication	Develop and apply effective communication skills for Australian legal audiences.
Digital literacy	Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award
Critical thinking	Apply sophisticated critical thinking capacities and exercise intellectual independence to identify and articulate complex legal issues across various Australian contexts.
Problem solving	Apply legal reasoning and research to understand and analyse legal problems, to identify possible responses, and to make reasoned and appropriate choices to generate and justify legal solutions across various Australian contexts.
Self-management	Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award
Teamwork	Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award
Global citizenship	Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award

Approved by Faculty Board February 2026

Course rules

To complete the (Graduate Certificate of Australian Law), you must pass 4 credit points. This includes:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period

1 credit point of the compulsory core unit

3 credit points of course electives

Most units are equal to one credit point.

All students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.

Course structure

Compulsory 0-credit point module

To be completed in the first trimester of study:-

DAI001

Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin

Core Unit

MLP709

Constitutional Law and Policy

Course electives

Three units from:

MLJ701

Legal Method and Statutory Interpretation

MLP702

Contract Law and Policy

MLP703

Criminal Law and Policy

MLP704

Torts and Policy

MLP706

Law and Policy of Misleading Conduct and Product Liability

MLP707

Criminal Procedure and Policy

MLP708

Civil Procedure, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Policy

MLP710

Administrative Law and Policy

MLP711

Property Law and Policy

MLP713

Evidence Law and Policy

MLP715

Corporate Law and Policy

MLP716

Land Law and Policy

MLP717

Trusts and Equitable Remedies

MLP720

Legal Practice, Ethics and Policy

Admission criteria

Selection is based on a holistic consideration of your academic merit, work experience, likelihood of success, availability of places, participation requirements, regulatory requirements, and individual circumstances. You will need to meet the minimum academic and English language proficiency requirements or higher to be considered for selection, but this does not guarantee admission.

A combination of qualifications and experience may be deemed equivalent to minimum academic requirements.

Academic requirements

To be considered for admission to this degree you will need to meet the following criteria:

Has obtained a foreign lawyer assessment letter by an Australian Legal Admissions Board (i.e. an Australian Admitting Authority) that outlines academic law units that the holder is required to take to be admitted to practice in Australia.

English language proficiency requirements

To meet the English language proficiency requirements of this course, you will need to demonstrate at least one of the following:

bachelor degree from a recognised English-speaking country
IELTS overall score of 7.0 (with no band less than 6.5) or equivalent
other evidence of English language proficiency (learn more about other ways to satisfy the requirements)

Admissions information

Learn more about Deakin courses and how we compare to other universities when it comes to the quality of our teaching and learning.

Not sure if you can get into Deakin postgraduate study? Postgraduate study doesn't have to be a balancing act; we provide flexible course entry and exit options based on your desired career outcomes and the time you're able to commit to your study.

Credit for prior learning - general

Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) can be provided on a case-by-case basis based on the previous qualifications and work experience of students as evaluated by the Course Director. RPLs cannot be provided for units that an admission authority has required a student to take. This is compliant with the Faculty of Business and Law RPL Framework and Recognition for Prior Learning policy and procedure.

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Workload

You can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, online interactions, or professional experiences for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) units. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Work experience

This course does not require students to complete compulsory work integrated learning units.

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.