Bachelor of Social Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

The Bachelor of Social Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Western Sydney University is a five-year double degree. It pairs a full law degree with social science, subjects like sociology, politics, criminology and policy studies. You graduate with two qualifications and an honours-level law degree. The law component covers the subjects required for admission to legal practice in Australia, while the social science side gives you the analytical tools to understand how law works in society. This is a double degree, so you study both disciplines at once rather than one after the other.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are normally three years full time. This double degree takes five years because it combines two programs. You study units of study, each with a credit point value. A typical full-time year is eight units. The law component follows the Priestley 11, the core areas of legal knowledge every Australian law graduate must cover: contracts, torts, criminal law, property, equity, constitutional law, administrative law, evidence, civil procedure, company law and professional responsibility. The social science component includes units in sociology, politics, policy analysis and research methods. You will also complete a capstone unit or research thesis in your final year. That is where you bring the two disciplines together, for example, a research project on how a particular law affects a community, or how policy shapes legal outcomes.

Western Sydney University runs semesters. You enrol in units each semester, and the credit points add up across the five years. The honours component means you meet a higher standard in your law studies and complete a research component. It is not an extra year on top; it is built into the five-year structure. The exact sequence of units is set by the university, so check the official course page for the current structure. The course is listed on CRICOS as 108414C, which is the code international students use when applying for a Student visa.

Practical experience and skills

Law is a field where work-integrated learning matters. You will likely have opportunities for clinical legal experience, internships with community legal centres, law firms, government agencies or courts, and possibly a placement through the university's justice clinics. Social science adds research and policy skills, you learn to design a study, analyse data, write policy briefs and present an argument. By the end, you should be able to read a statute, apply it to facts, advise a client, and also explain how that law affects different groups in the community. Those are the skills employers look for in legal and policy roles.

Who this suits

This degree suits someone who wants to practise law but also cares about the social context. If you are interested in criminal justice, human rights, family law, migration, housing, or community advocacy, the social science half gives you a deeper understanding of the problems your clients face. It also suits people who want to work in policy, government or NGOs, where a law degree plus social research skills is a strong combination. The five-year duration is a commitment. It is a full-time load, though some students spread it over more years. English requirements for law are higher than for many other courses, IELTS 7.0 to 7.5 overall is common for law programs. Check the official Western Sydney University page and the CRICOS register for the exact English requirement, tuition and intake dates. International students on a Student visa can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may allow you to stay and work in Australia, subject to the Department of Home Affairs rules at the time.

• Solicitor or barrister, after completing the practical legal training required for admission in an Australian state or territory. Law firms, community legal centres, Legal Aid, the courts and the public sector hire law graduates.
• Policy officer or analyst, in federal, state and local government, or in NGOs and think tanks. Social science research skills plus legal training are a good fit for policy development and review.
• Criminal justice roles, corrective services, police policy, crime prevention, youth justice. The social science component gives you context for how the justice system works.
• Human rights and advocacy, community legal centres, human rights organisations, refugee and migration services, unions.
• Compliance and regulatory affairs, banks, insurers, health providers, environmental agencies. Organisations need people who can read legislation and apply it.
• Legal research and academia, the honours research component is a pathway to further study, including a master's or doctorate.
• Industrial relations and employment relations, government agencies, employer bodies and unions.