Why Study / Key Benefits

• Combines two disciplines: Australian law and psychological sciences.
• Develops knowledge of the Australian legal system alongside behavioural analysis and psychological research.
• Explores psychological theories that can be applied to understanding criminality and behaviour.
• Develops legal research, writing, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Provides exposure to areas including criminal law, legal writing, contracts, evidence, administrative law, psychology, cognition, developmental psychology, social psychology, personality and mental health.
• Swinburne describes Work Integrated Learning as a guaranteed component of its bachelor degrees, although specific professional-placement restrictions apply to international Student-visa holders in this course.
• The Bachelor of Laws satisfies the academic requirements for admission to legal practice in Victoria and the Australian Federal legal systems, subject to the additional non-academic requirements and Practical Legal Training required for admission.
• The Bachelor of Psychological Sciences is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and is a step towards becoming a registered psychologist.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The detailed handbook structure comprises law core units, law electives, law professional experience and Psychological Sciences study.

Bachelor of Laws core areas include:

• Introduction to Australian Law and Statutory Interpretation — LAW10010
• Torts 1 — LAW10014
• Criminal Law and Procedure — LAW10015
• Torts 2 — LAW10025
• Legal Writing — LAW10026
• Contract Law 1 — LAW10028
• Contract Law 2 — LAW10029
• Evidence — LAW20009
• Administrative Law — LAW20010
• Trade Marks and Related Rights
• Additional compulsory law units completing the 20-unit law core.

Psychological Sciences core:

• Introduction to Research Methods — PSY10005
• Brain and Behaviour — PSY10007
• Fundamentals of Psychology — PSY10008
• Foundations of Statistics — STA10003

Psychological Sciences major:

• Cognition and Human Performance — PSY20006
• Developmental Psychology — PSY20007
• Social Psychology — PSY20016
• Analysis of Variance and Regression — STA20006
• Psychology Project — PSY30003
• Psychology of Personality — PSY30008
• History and Philosophy of Psychology — PSY30013
• Mental Health Diversity, Diagnosis and Treatment — PSY30016

Law electives are selected from the approved specialised elective list. Examples include:

• International Commercial Law
• Law and the Media
• Taxation Law
• Public and Private International Law
• Competition Law and Policy
• Privacy in Law and Society
• Law Study Tour
• Advanced Criminal Law and Sentencing
• Advanced Intellectual Property Law
• Commercial Law
• Legal Research Project
• Advanced Legal Research Project 1
• Advanced Legal Research Project 2.

Disciplines / Specialisations

This is a combined double degree rather than a course with a conventional major-selection structure.

The two principal disciplines are:

1. Law
2. Psychological Sciences

Programme Highlights

• Double degree combining Law and Psychological Sciences.
• 4.5 years full-time.
• 450 credit points according to the detailed course handbook.
• Hawthorn campus.
• CRICOS code 119096K.
• APAC accreditation for the Psychological Sciences component.
• Victorian Legal Admissions Board recognition of the Bachelor of Laws academic requirements.
• 450 hours of Law professional experience are required within the standard course structure.
• Strong combination of legal reasoning, behavioural analysis, psychological research and communication skills.

Swinburne currently reports the course as:

• Top 250 in Psychology, Times Higher Education World University Ranking by Subject 2023.
• 5-stars for overall student experience.
• 80.6% of undergraduate graduates found employment within four months.
• Median income for graduates one year after graduation of A$54.5K, described by Swinburne as second highest in Melbourne/Victoria. These are broader published indicators and should not be interpreted as guaranteed outcomes for an individual graduate.

Career Outcomes

Swinburne identifies career opportunities for graduates of the combined Law/Psychological Sciences degree including:

• Legal counsel
• Lawyer
• Human rights advocate
• Social welfare consultant
• Child safety officer
• Clinical worker

The combination may also provide a foundation for work involving:

• Public affairs
• Education
• Health
• Business
• Sales and service industries
• Legal research
• Behavioural research
• Social and community services

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

• Current CRICOS code: 119096K.
• 2027 intakes: 1 March and 2 August.
• Application deadlines currently listed: 24 February 2027 and 28 July 2027.
• International Student-visa holders must study full-time and on campus.
• International Student-visa holders are not permitted to undertake the professional placements associated with this course due to government regulations. This is an important difference from the general Work Integrated Learning information on the course page.
• The standard handbook structure requires 450 professional-experience hours within the law component.
• Applicants must meet both the academic admission requirements and Swinburne's English-language requirement.
• Credit transfer and RPL are assessed case by case.
• The detailed handbook currently states 450 credit points, while the course webpage's summary currently displays 500 credit points. This discrepancy should be clarified before enrolment.

International Student Visa Requirements

The relevant Australian visa is the Student visa (subclass 500). The course is CRICOS registered under 119096K.

For a student coming to Australia, key requirements include:

• Enrolment in a full-time CRICOS-registered course.
• Valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), unless an exemption applies.
• Genuine Student requirement.
• Applicable health requirements.
• Applicable character requirements.
• Australian Values Statement for applicants aged 18 or over.
• Financial-capacity evidence where required by the Department of Home Affairs.
• English-language evidence where required under the visa rules.

Student visa work conditions:

• Generally up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session.
• Unlimited work is generally permitted when the course is not in session.
• The special unlimited-work rule for master's-by-research and doctoral students does not apply to this undergraduate double degree.

Genuine Student requirement:

• Applicants must demonstrate that they genuinely intend to study in Australia and understand that study is the primary reason for the Student visa.
• The application includes written responses in English to Genuine Student questions, generally subject to a 150-word limit per question.