Bachelor of Information Technology / Bachelor of Laws

Course Details

The primary goal of this combined degree is to prepare lawyers with an expert knowledge of IT qualifying them to work as IT professionals in a legal environment. The law component of this course provides a thorough grounding in Australian legal practice. The information technology component offers a sound education in all aspects of computing and information technology and allows students to gain a specialisation with an IT major. The information technology component adopts a practice-based approach to IT education and the course content is a mix of theory and practice. As well as gaining strong technical skills in IT, students gain skills in business analysis, problem solving, teamwork and communication. Lawyers with IT skills are in demand. Career opportunities include lawyer or policy adviser in various government departments, in-house legal counsel to an IT or software company, or specialist in areas such as intellectual property, e-commerce and privacy or internet censorship. Alternatively, graduates can work as IT professionals in legal practice, legal publishing or private law firms.

Qualification: Bachelor Degree (Pass)

Course structure: The course comprises a total of 240 credit points, allowing students to graduate with the separate degrees of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and Bachelor of Laws. The study components for course completion are as follows. The law component is made up of 144 credit points. The IT component is made up of 96 credit points. The course duration is five years of full-time study. The law component requires attendance of 10-15 hours of lectures a week and timetable constraints require attendance at daytime and evening classes. The IT component normally requires around 12 hours attendance of lectures and seminars a week and attendance at some evening classes may be required. The Diploma in Information Technology Professional Practice includes at least nine months of paid work experience in the IT industry.

To practise as a lawyer in NSW, students need to successfully complete an accredited legal academic qualification (e.g. Bachelor of Laws) and an accredited course of practical legal training (PLT), which UTS offers through its PLT program. Students enrolled in this course may complete their practical legal training by undertaking a postgraduate course in PLT, such as the Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice. Students also have the option to undertake the Diploma in Information Technology Professional Practice once they have secured suitable full-time employment in the IT industry. This incorporates a minimum of nine months' full-time paid work experience with four supporting subjects at UTS. To obtain a student visa to study in Australia, international students must enrol full time and on campus. Australian student visa regulations also require international students studying on student visas to complete the course within the standard full-time duration.