Combining a professional qualification in law with a criminology degree, this program offers an innovative, high-quality legal education with a strong global and social justice perspective and a real emphasis on hands-on experiences. The program includes all the compulsory law subjects required by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board for admission to the legal profession in Victoria and a wide range of law electives.

The criminology component is designed for students interested in the significant challenges crime and criminal justice pose for practitioners and policy makers. Combining subjects in criminology with electives drawn from other disciplines to complement the law program, this degree fosters a unique interdisciplinary perspective and will equip students with the skills and knowledge required to meet the changing needs of the employment market, and make a difference in communities through advocacy and policy development.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Bachelor of Laws/Criminology aims to give you an opportunity for a career as a lawyer (see professional recognition for more details), or work in the criminal justice system in various areas. These areas include state and federal policing, courts, customs, security, corrections, various forms of detention (immigration detention, juvenile detention, etc.), forensic professions such as forensic psychology and forensic science. Graduates with an understanding of crime and causation and institutional responses to it are also increasingly sought by not-for-profit organisations and government departments.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

All La Trobe University Bachelor of Laws and Juris Doctor law courses include the subjects required by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board to qualify for admission to the legal profession in Victoria as an Australian lawyer. Admission to the legal profession by the Supreme Court of Victoria also requires the completion of practical legal training either by a 12-month period of Supervised Legal Training or by completing an approved practical legal training course (for example, at the Leo Cussen Institute or The College of Law). Candidates for admission to practise must also satisfy the Admissions Board that they are a fit and proper person to be admitted to practise.

International graduates would need the relevant visa to complete a supervised workplace traineeship in Australia. You're advised to obtain assurance of recognition of the course by relevant professional bodies in your preferred country of practice.