Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

This double degree pairs the technical side of information and communications technology with a full law qualification. You graduate with two degrees: a Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). The law component is a recognised Bachelor of Laws, which is the academic qualification you need before you can be admitted to legal practice in Australia. The ICT side covers programming, networks, databases, cybersecurity and systems analysis, so you finish with real technical skills rather than just an awareness of how technology works.

How the degree is structured

Five years of full-time study, usually split across semesters. You accumulate units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, and you need to complete the required credit points in both disciplines to graduate. The law side includes the Priestley 11 subjects, the core areas of law every Australian law graduate must cover, such as contracts, torts, criminal law, property, equity and constitutional law. The ICT side includes core technical units plus electives. Because it is an Honours degree, the law component includes a research thesis or major research project in your later years, which is what gives you the honours classification.

What you actually study

You will write code, design and query databases, work with network infrastructure, and study cybersecurity and IT project management. At the same time you will read cases, draft legal arguments, and learn statutory interpretation. The interesting part is where the two overlap: technology law, privacy and data protection, intellectual property, cybercrime, electronic evidence, and the legal issues that come up when organisations hold large amounts of personal data. Work-integrated learning is built into the law degree through clinical legal placements, and ICT units often include industry projects. Western Sydney University has strong links with the Greater Western Sydney region, including Parramatta and the surrounding business and legal precincts, which is where many students do their placements.

Who this suits

This degree suits someone who wants to practise law but does not want to be limited to traditional legal work, or someone with a technical bent who wants to work in technology law, privacy, cybersecurity governance or IT contract negotiation. It also works for students who are not certain yet which side they will end up in, you can lean into law, into ICT, or into the space between them. Be aware that law is reading-heavy and the honours thesis requires independent research, so you need to be comfortable writing at length. English requirements are higher for law than for most other courses; check the official page and the CRICOS register for the exact IELTS or equivalent score you need, and confirm the tuition figure there too.

As an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After you finish, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may let you stay and work in Australia, depending on your circumstances. Check the Department of Home Affairs for current rules. If you plan to qualify as a lawyer in Australia, you will also need to complete practical legal training after this degree and apply for admission in the state or territory where you want to practise.

• Solicitor or lawyer in private practice, community legal centres or government legal offices, once you complete practical legal training and admission.
• Technology lawyer or in-house counsel for software companies, banks, telcos and government agencies dealing with IT contracts, data and privacy.
• Privacy or data protection officer, advising organisations on how they collect, store and use personal information.
• Cybersecurity governance and compliance analyst, translating technical risk into legal and regulatory terms.
• Intellectual property adviser, working on patents, trademarks and copyright in technology-driven businesses.
• ICT consultant or systems analyst, using your technical training in project delivery, business analysis or network and database work.
• Policy adviser in government on digital regulation, cybercrime, online safety and technology procurement.

Employers include law firms, the courts, state and federal government departments, banks and insurers, technology companies, and the growing professional services sector in Western Sydney.