Graduate Certificate of Australian Law
2026 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2026 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Graduate Certificate of Australian Law |
| Course Credit Points | 4 |
| Deakin course code | M523 |
| Course version | 1 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Business and Law |
| Course Information | For students who commenced from 2026 onwards
|
| Campus | This course is only offered Online |
| Duration | 0.5 year full-time or part-time equivalent |
| Course Map - enrolment planning tool | This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2026 This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 3 2026 Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| 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
- Indicative student workload
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Course learning outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Fees and charges
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
Indicative student 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.
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.
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.
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 units
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 |
Work experience
This course does not require students to complete compulsory work integrated learning units.
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.
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.
Further information
Contact Student Central for assistance in course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements. Student Central can also provide information for a wide range of services at Deakin. To help you understand the University vocabulary, please refer to our Enrolment codes and terminology page.