What Can I Study on a Graduate Diploma in Law?
A graduate diploma in law is an excellent option for those seeking a new career or looking to advance in a legal profession. But we are often asked about the specifics of a legal course, with many unsure what they will actually study on a graduate diploma in law. Without the answer to this question, it can be challenging to know if the course is the right option for you, and it can make narrowing down your choice and choosing a course provider even harder. To help you, we break down what you can expect to study on a graduate diploma in law and everything else you need to know about the course.
What is a Graduate Diploma in Law?
A graduate diploma in law is a postgraduate course providing you with the legal knowledge and skills to progress in a legal career. The course is designed to provide you with a foundational understanding of the legal system, its fundamentals, and how to apply this knowledge in practice. The course aims to help you become a lawyer, enabling you to develop practical dispute resolution skills and successfully negotiate to achieve favourable outcomes.
The course is offered full-time and part-time, with the option to study online too. Completing the course online allows you to study with full flexibility, completing your work at a time that suits you, with the option to begin your course at any time throughout the year. Most students will complete the course in sixteen months, with the option to graduate and enter the legal profession or continue their studies.
What Can I Study on a Graduate Diploma in Law?
What you can study on a graduate diploma in law will vary, depending on the course and the provider that you choose. Many graduate diplomas in law come with elective units, where you can tailor the course to suit your needs and career goals. Typically, you will see the following learning outcomes for your course:
- Legal fundamentals – gaining the foundations in legal studies, to develop diverse and inclusive advocacy abilities and legal skills, providing an understanding of the theory and history of law
- Manage new worlds of technology, business, and justice – discovering how the law shapes and engages with disruptive technologies, helping you understand the profession’s wider economic and social contexts
- Problem prevention and problem solving – learning practical legal problem-solving and dispute resolution skills, allowing you to evaluate responses to legal issues and solutions to legal problems
A graduate diploma in law is split into eight units. Typically, you will have foundational units that you have to study, providing you with the essential knowledge and skills. You will then have a wide range of electives to choose from, where you can select up to six. The electives available will vary, but you can usually expect to find similar foundation and elective units for your course:
Foundation units:
- Legal methods and skills
- Legal systems
Elective units:
- Advanced legal research and writing skills
- Administrative law
- Civil procedure
- Contract law
- Criminal law and procedure
- Constitutional law
- Corporations law
- Dispute management
- Equity and trusts law
- Evidence law
- Human rights law
- International law
- Intellectual property law
- Law, innovation, and technologies
- Law reform and social change
- Lawyers and professional responsibility
- Legal theory
- Negotiation
- Property law
- Torts law
- Workplace law in context
When choosing your graduate diploma in law, pay attention to the elective units available to ensure you will be studying areas that interest you and relate to your career goals. You can usually find the units offered online or in the course provider’s brochure. Alternatively, you can speak to the course provider directly to learn more about the units available and the content included.
What Can I Do with a Graduate Diploma in Law?
After completing a graduate diploma in law, you have several career options. The course will equip you with the legal knowledge and skills to transition into a variety of roles across sectors, working in legal departments or utilising your transferable skills in any client-facing role. After completing a Juris Doctor, you will have more career options available to you as well, including:
- Family lawyer
- Legal counsel
- Legal case manager
- Solicitor
- Workplace relations consultant
Find Your Postgraduate Law Course Today
A graduate diploma in law is the ideal option for individuals seeking to transition into a legal career and who want the flexibility to tailor their course to their specific needs. When choosing a graduate diploma in law, consider the University of Canberra, which offers flexible study and a wide range of elective units. Contact the University of Canberra to learn more about their legal studies graduate certificate and kickstart your legal career today.