About the Melbourne JD
A graduate qualification
The Melbourne JD is a fully graduate law degree and, from 2008, is the only degree offered by Melbourne Law School that leads to admission to legal practice. The Melbourne JD is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than law or a degree in law from a different legal system. The degree is only offered on a full-time basis.
Download the Melbourne JD Brochure (PDF format - 2.4MB).
An outward focus
The shift to graduate law at Melbourne is part of a worldwide trend responding to the challenge of providing the best legal education to support the increasingly international profession of law. The name Juris Doctor is widely used to signify a graduate degree in law. The degree is internationally recognised, and is highly regarded by law firms and other employers of law graduates.
The Melbourne JD leads to admission to the legal profession in all Australian jurisdictions, and can be used as a basis for seeking admission in many common law jurisdictions overseas. See Guidelines for Admission to Legal Practice Requirements in Australia and Internationally for details.
A unique program
In developing its own JD, Melbourne has drawn on international experience but adapted it to Australian circumstances. Melbourne JD students join an energetic and intellectually active graduate school with an extraordinarily diverse range of research interests and activities and extensive international links. The curriculum is particularly designed for graduate students, and the course is structured and taught in a way that challenges students and encourages excellence. The Law School’s stimulating environment allows students to develop a depth and breadth of knowledge of law that equips them to make a constructive contribution to public, legal and commercial life. Details about the Melbourne JD are available at The Course.
An equitable selection process
Selection into the Melbourne JD is based on academic results in all previous tertiary study; the score in the Law School Admission Test (LSAT); and a short personal statement. Applicants must have either an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than law or a degree in law from a different legal system. Melbourne also offers the Graduate Access Melbourne scheme, which provides access to applicants whose personal circumstances have had a sustained adverse effect on their academic achievement at undergraduate level or who are members of a specific group known to be under-represented in higher education. As a result of these selection criteria, the Melbourne JD student body is diverse, motivated and highly talented. Go to Future Students to read about selection guidelines and find out how to apply.