MC161 - Juris Doctor

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RMIT program code: MC161
Plan name: Juris Doctor
Plan code: MC161P14
Campus: City Campus
Credit points per semester:
Full time: 48
Part time: 24
CRICOS code: 103207F

Contact details and related links

2026 Enrolment Program Structure

To graduate you must complete the following. All courses listed may not be available each semester.

Year One of Program
AND Year Two of Program
AND Year Three of Program
AND Approved Law Options List:

Only students enrolled in the Juris Doctor (MC161) are permitted to enrol in Juris Doctor courses.

The Juris Doctor program requires the completion of 288 credit points (CP) comprising of the following:

  • 18 Core courses
  • 6 electives from the approved list

All courses listed may not be available each semester, this is important to consider when planning your enrolments. You must ensure that you satisfy the academic requirements of your program in order to graduate.

After graduating from the Juris Doctor, students are able to pursue legal practice through the completion of Supervised Workplace Training with a law firm or an accredited Practical Legal Training course.

Canvas Course Offering Schedule

To assist you with course planning, please view the course offering schedule via Canvas. Please note course offerings are subject to change. Due to Accreditation requirements courses without "LAW" in the course code are not available to students commencing the program after Semester 1, 2021.

The following courses require permission before you can enrol. Please refer to the relevant course guide (by clicking below) for more information on how to gain permission for each course.

Capstone Courses

Capstone courses are compulsory courses designed to consolidate the learning undertaken throughout the program and should be taken in your final semester of study. Applications for credit transfer or recognition of prior learning will not be accepted for capstone courses.

The capstone course for this program is:

Accreditation Information

For information regarding external accreditation and industry links related to this program, please click here.

A list of the required courses you must complete in order to gain accreditation for the professional body related to your program, can be located here.

PROGRAM CHANGE FROM SEMESTER 1, 2021

From Semester 1, 2021, the Juris Doctor program structure will require 6 approved law electives. This means that the previous 3 university-wide elective choices in the 2020 program structure will be removed. This change will only apply to new students who enrol in the program from 2021 onwards. Only students who commenced the Juris Doctor program prior to 2021 are permitted to complete 3 postgraduate electives courses from the University Electives list and still have them credited.

  • Students who commenced the Juris Doctor program prior to 2018, please contact Business Connect if you require assistance with Program progression.

Any student who commenced the Juris Doctor program prior to 2021 and has successfully completed up to 3 postgraduate electives courses or wishes to do so in the future, will still have them credited. Your elective courses can include any of the new courses that are being introduced

Electives removed effective from Semester 1 2021

  • SOCU2273 Welfare Law
  • HWSS2184 Advanced Law for Social Work Practice
  • BUSM4119 Asian Management Issues
  • BUSM4684 External Competition
  • LAW2554 Legal Externship

Electives added effective from Semester 1 2021

  • LAW2607 External Legal Competition (new course replacing BUSM4684 External Competition)

  • LAW2554 Postgraduate Legal Internship (course title change, previously LAW2554 Legal Externship)

PROGRAM CHANGE FROM SEMESTER 1, 2020

In Semester 1, 2020 the Juris Doctor program had a minor change to the structure, all students will be transitioned to the new structure. All course credits that have already been obtained will be recognised in the new structure. The transition rules below apply to students who commenced the program prior to Semester 1 2020. Students can utilise the Transition Map by clicking here.

Overview of Changes:

  • LAW1042 Law and Information Technology changed its course title to LAW1042 Law and Technology Its status changed from an “approved law elective” to a core course of the program structure.
  • LAW2551 Innovative Justice replaced LAW1040 Legal Research Project as the core research project course.
  • LAW1040 Legal Research Project changed its status from a core course to an “approved law elective” course
  • Two new approved elective courses were added: LAW2565 Discrimination Law and LAW2564 Business and Human Rights
  • The elective course LAW1032 Transnational Law was discontinued and removed from Juris Doctor program.
  • If you completed LAW1040 Legal Research Project prior to semester 1 2020, you are not required to take LAW1042 Law & Technology as a core course. You may choose this as an elective if you wish.
  • If you have not completed LAW1040 Legal Research Project prior to semester 1 2020, you may choose either LAW1040 Legal Research Project or LAW1042 Law & Technology as a core course, although please refer to the important note below to ensure you are meeting all requirements for the program.

Priestley 11 courses (refer to list below):

  • LAW2394 Criminal Law
  • LAW1020 Law of Torts
  • LAW2524 Fundamentals of Contract Law
  • LAW2527 Advanced Contract Law
  • LAW1024 Australian Property Law
  • LAW1025 Equity and Trusts
  • LAW1026 Australian Company Law
  • LAW1023 Administrative Law
  • LAW1027 Federal and State Constitutional Law
  • LAW1030 Civil Procedure
  • LAW2395 Evidence
  • LAW1037 Legal Practice Management and Professional Conduct

Pre-requisites From Semester 1, 2020, enforced pre-requisites have been applied to the following courses:

  • LAW2524 Fundaments of Contract Law
  • LAW1020 Law of Torts
  • LAW2394 Criminal Law
  • LAW2527 Advanced Contract Law
  • LAW1023 Administrative Law
  • LAW1024 Australian Property Law
  • LAW1026 Australian Company Law
  • LAW1027 Federal and State Constitutional Law
  • LAW1030 Civil Procedure
  • LAW1025 Equity and Trusts
  • LAW2395 Evidence
  • LAW1037 Legal Practice Management and Professional Conduct

Please refer to the relevant course guide for further information.

The following transition rules will apply to students who started prior to Semester 1 2020 and are on the plan code MC161P14.

These transition rules ensure that no student is required to complete more than 288 credit points. Please refer to the relevant information below that reflects your stage in the program to determine how this program structure change will affect you.

  • If you have completed LAW1040 Legal Research Project prior to Semester 1 2020, you are not required to take LAW1042 Law & Technology as a core course. You may choose this as an elective if you wish.
  • If you have not completed LAW1040 Legal Research Project prior to Semester 1 2020, you may choose either LAW1040 Legal Research Project or LAW1042 Law & Technology as a core course, although please refer to the important note below to ensure you are meeting all requirements for the program.
  • If you have completed LAW2551 Innovative Justice and have not yet completed LAW1040 Legal Research Project prior to Semester 1 2020, you must complete LAW1040 Legal Research Project as a core course; please refer to the important note below to ensure you are meeting all requirements for the program.
  • Your elective courses can include any of the new courses that are being introduced.

Changes from Semester 2, 2014

If you started on, or after, Semester 2 2014, are an on-campus student and your Plan Code is MC161P14, these changes will apply to you. The updated program structure table is provided at the end of this document for your reference.

Transition Rules All students on the MC161P14 plan will be transitioned to the new program structure, and all course credits that have already been obtained will be recognised in the new structure.

The transition rules below ensure that no student is required to complete more than the 288 credit points. Please refer to the relevant table that reflects your stage in the program to determine how this program structure change will affect you.

If you have completed 6 or fewer electives prior to Semester 1 2018:

If you HAVE completed LAW1037 Legal Practice Management prior to Semester 1 2018:

  • 1. You will be required to complete 18 core and 6 elective courses.
  • 2. LAW1037 Legal Practice Management will be considered a core course.
  • 3. You will be required to complete LAW2551 Innovative Justice as one of your core courses.

If you HAVE NOT completed LAW1037 Legal Practice Management prior to Semester 1 2018:

  • 1. You will be required to complete 18 core and 6 elective courses.
  • 2. You will be required to complete LAW1037 Legal Practice Management as one of your core courses.
  • 3. You will be required to complete LAW2551 Innovative Justice as one of your core courses.

If you have completed 7 electives prior to Semester 1 2018:

  • If you HAVE completed LAW1037 Legal Practice Management prior to Semester 1 2018:
  • 1. You will be required to complete 17 core and 7 elective courses.
  • 2. LAW1037 Legal Practice Management will be considered a core course.
  • 3. You will be required to complete LAW2551 Innovative Justice as one of your core courses.

If you HAVE NOT completed LAW1037 Legal Practice Management prior to Semester 1 2018:

  • 1. You will be required to complete 17 core and 7 elective courses.
  • 2. You can choose to do either LAW1037 Legal Practice Management or LAW2551 Innovative Justice as one of your core courses.

Please note: LAW1037 Legal Practice Management is required if you wish to be admitted to practice.

If you have completed 8 electives prior to Semester 1 2018:

  • If you HAVE completed LAW1037 Legal Practice Management prior to semester 1 2018:
  • 1. You will be required to complete 16 core and 8 electives, as per your original program structure.
  • 2. LAW1037 Legal Practice Management will be considered as one of your 8 elective courses.
  • 3. Do not complete LAW2551 Innovative Justice as one of your core courses.

If you HAVE NOT completed LAW1037 Legal Practice Management prior to Semester 1 2018:

  • 1. You will be required to complete 16 core and 8 electives, as per your original program structure.
  • 2. You must complete LAW1037 Legal Practice Management OR LAW2551 Innovative Justice if you wish to be admitted to practice.

Research Requirement

In order satisfy the TEQSA research component of a Masters level program, you must have completed LAW1040 Legal Research Project at any stage of your program or LAW2551 Innovative Justice after sem 1 2020. Please be aware that LAW2551 Innovative Justice prior to Semester 1 2020 does not satisfy the TEQSA research component. Failure to comply with these transitions rules may result in you being ineligible to graduate and may prevent you from being admitted to legal practice.

COURSE ENROLMENT NOTES FOR YEARS ONE, TWO AND THREE

Pre-requisites

Enforced pre-requisites have been applied to the following courses:

  • LAW2524 Fundamentals of Contract Law
  • LAW1020 Law of Torts
  • LAW2394 Criminal Law
  • LAW2527 Advanced Contract Law
  • LAW1023 Administrative Law
  • LAW1024 Australian Property La
  • LAW1026 Australian Company Law
  • LAW1027 Federal and State Constitutional Law
  • LAW1030 Civil Procedure
  • LAW1025 Equity and Trusts
  • LAW2395 Evidence
  • LAW1037 Legal Practice Management and Professional Conduct

Please refer to the course prerequisite page and relevant course guide for further information.

The Program structure below is based on a full-time study load of 4 courses per semester. Students should progress through this structure according to their study load, and should complete Year 1 courses before moving onto Year 2 courses etc.

Students are required to complete a total of six law (6) electives from the approved list in the schedule below.

Intensive courses

Course Availability

All courses listed may not be available each semester, this is important to consider when planning your enrolments. You must ensure that you satisfy the academic requirements of your program in order to graduate. Course planning resources, including a tailored program map are available to assist students plan their studies. Please contact Business Connect to request a tailored program map.

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Year One of Program

Students must complete a series of compulsory onboarding modules during their first semester or study period. Complete 12 credit points from the following:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Introduction to the Australian Legal System and Legal Methods 12 LAW1019 City Campus 3034 2991
AND

Complete 36 credit points from the following:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Fundamentals of Contract Law 12 Yes LAW2524 City Campus 3057 3014
Law of Torts 12 Yes LAW1020 City Campus 3037
Criminal Law 12 Yes LAW2394 City Campus 3054 3009
AND

Complete 36 credit points from the following:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Jurisprudence 12 Yes LAW1046 City Campus 3006
Advanced Contract Law 12 Yes LAW2527 City Campus 3023
Negotiation and Dispute Resolution 12 LAW1031 City Campus 3106
AND

Complete 12 credit points from the following list of Approved Law Option courses at the end of this program structure.

AND

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Year Two of Program

Complete 48 credit points from the following:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Administrative Law 12 Yes LAW1023 City Campus 2992
Australian Property Law 12 Yes LAW1024 City Campus 3050
Australian Company Law 12 Yes LAW1026 City Campus 3051
International Law 12 Yes LAW1029 City Campus 3001
AND

Complete 36 credit points from the following:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Federal and State Constitutional Law 12 Yes LAW1027 City Campus 3000
Civil Procedure 12 Yes LAW1030 City Campus 3052
Law and Technology 12 Yes LAW1042 City Campus 3053
AND

Complete 12 credit points from the following list of Approved Law Option courses at the end of this program structure.

AND

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Year Three of Program

Complete 36 credit points from the following:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Equity and Trusts 12 Yes LAW1025 City Campus 2998
Evidence 12 Yes LAW2395 City Campus 3055
Innovative Justice 12 Yes LAW2551 City Campus 3024
AND

Complete 12 credit points from the following list of Approved Law Option courses at the end of this program structure.

AND

Complete 12 credit points from the following Capstone Course:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Legal Practice Management and Professional Conduct 12 Yes LAW1037 City Campus 3004
AND

Complete 36 credit points from the following list of Approved Law Option courses listed at the end of this program structure.

AND

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Approved Law Options List:

Please note: Only courses scheduled to run in 2026 will appear in the list below. The full list of Approved Law Electives can be viewed here.

List of Approved Law Option Courses:

Course Title

Credit Points

Prereqs/ Coreqs

Course Code

Campus

Semester 1 Class

Semester 2 Class
Australian Taxation Law 12 Yes LAW1028 City Campus 3105
Intellectual Property Law 12 Yes LAW1022 City Campus 3098
Clinical Legal Education 12 Yes LAW2434 City Campus 3056
International Business Law 12 Yes LAW1034 City Campus 3076
Human Rights Law in Australia 12 Yes LAW2432 City Campus 3038
Postgraduate Legal Internship 12 LAW2554 City Campus 3071
Legal Research Project 12 Yes LAW1040 City Campus 3068
Transitional Justice & Mass Atrocity 12 Yes LAW2638 City Campus 3224

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Contact details and related links

Program structure enquiries

Contact Details

Contact Business Connect via the following options:

Phone: +61 3 9925 5000 (Select the option to 'Speak to your School' then 'Business or Law Studies'.)

Webchat: Click on the 'Chat with Business Connect' box at the bottom right of this page

Online: Click here to lodge a query online.

In Person: Building 80, Level 7, 445 Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000.

Enrolment Load

The maximum standard enrolment load per semester is 48 credit points.

Overloading

You will only be permitted to overload by a maximum of 12 credit points in the final semester of your program, upon approval from the College.

Credit and Pathways

If you have previous learning or experience, you can apply for credit or recognition of prior learning towards your RMIT program. Please read the information provided on the Apply for Credit web page.

Please note the following regarding credit exemptions in MC161

  • Exemptions are notgranted for previous undergraduate study.
  • Exemptions for elective courses will only be considered for previous study completed at a postgraduate level.
  • Exemptions for core courses will only be considered for previous study undertaken as part of a postgraduate law degree.
  • Applications for credit transfer or recocognition of prior learning will not be accepted for Capstone courses.

Timetabling

Please go to the Class timetables web page to access timetabling information.

Material fees

Some courses and programs have material fees (fees for field trips, goods or services) associated with them. In most cases these charges are not compulsory, but are levied by the teaching school for materials they purchase on your behalf for use in your studies. Go to the Material Fees web page to check the material fees for your program and courses.

Enrolment

For more information about enrolment at RMIT University, please go to the Enrolment home page.

*Semester 1 classes generally commence in February and Semester 2 classes generally commence in July. Please contact your school for more information about specific class start days.

Policies

For more information about other RMIT University policies, please go to the Policies web site.

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