School Leavers and Non-School Leavers can apply direct for this degree.
For more information about studying the Bachelor of Development Studies / Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
Program handbook
Description
The need for environmentally sustainable and equitable development is one of the most serious issues facing the contemporary world. The Bachelor of Development Studies/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) program provides opportunities to study the causes and consequences of unequal development and assess policy options for a more equitable and sustainable future, while studying the complementary skills in Law. The Bachelor of Development Studies offers 4 interdisciplinary majors, Cultures and Citizenship, Environmental Sustainability, Globalisation and Economic Development and Urban and Regional Development. These majors are comprised mostly of courses from the disciplines of Aboriginal Studies, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Politics and Sociology and Anthropology. Students in the combined program would be able to add to this a study of Law, commencing in Year 1, and becoming the focus of study in years 4 and 5.
After completing the Bachelor of Development Studies, students are automatically transferred into the Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Diploma of Legal Practice Program for their fourth and fifth years of study. To opt out of this automatic transfer, students are required to contact programadvice@newcastle.edu.au.
Students in the accredited Diploma of Legal Practice Program complete legal practice modules and practical legal training at the University of Newcastle Legal Centre and in placements with external organisations.
Domestic students who commence full time in Semester 2 should expect to complete the program in a minimum of 5.5 years.
Details
| Information correct as at | May 7, 2024 8:29 am | |||||
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| Program code | 40130 | |||||
| AQF level | Level 8 Bachelor Honours Degree | |||||
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| Term type | Semesters | |||||
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| CRICOS Code | 095146G |
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Admission information
Admission requirements
Eligibility for admission to this program is based on applicants meeting the minimum selection rank, or satisfying the requirements for an approved admission scheme.
The University of Newcastle accepts a range of qualifications to determine eligibility for admission. These include, but are not limited to, Australian or overseas senior secondary qualifications (such as the HSC), prior tertiary studies, prior TAFE/VET studies, and completed enabling programs.
For further information on the pathways that are available to you, please refer to:
English Language Requirements
All Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the University’s English proficiency requirement. Further information regarding English language proficiency requirements can be found at the English Language Proficiency for Admission Policy here.
- IELTS Overall Minimum: 7
- IELTS Sub Test Minimum: 6
Credit transfer
If you wish to apply for credit for studies completed at another institution, or if you are changing programs within the University and wish to transfer your credit to the new program, visit the University's credit website for more information on applying for credit.
Academic requirements for program completion
Total units required
400 units
Program duration
5 years full-time or part-time equivalent up to 12 years maximum.
International students studying this program on campus are required to enrol full time to comply with their student visa requirements and complete their study in the standard minimum program duration. International students requiring enrolment advice should review the program plan corresponding to the semester and year of commencement and can contact their Program Advisor at ProgramAdvice@newcastle.edu.au
Program requirements
Students in the combined program will need to complete the following courses:
- 180 units of core LAWS courses - Students in the combined degree will undertake LAWS6019 and LAWS6020 as core
- 60 units from the LAWS course list,
- 80 units of core Development Studies courses
- 80 unit Development Studies major (with max. 10 units at 1000 level & min. 40 units at 3000 level).
Students within the combined degree will be exempt from the following:
- 30 units chosen from the Development Studies course lists. This is in recognition of the complementary courses to be part of the Bachelor of Development Studies/ Bachelor of Laws (Honours) that will be core in the combined program, including the incorporation of LAWS6019 International Human Rights Law and LAWS6020 Environmental Law as core courses within the combined degree
- 40 units of electives (B Dev Stud).
Program planner
Current students program planner
Current students can plan their program using Program Planner.
Prospective student degree planner
If you're a prospective student considering studying this degree take a look at My Degree Planner to see what your study journey will look like.
Additional documents
- 2023 Transition Arrangements 230.4 KB
Transition arrangements
Important Information for Students who commenced in this program prior to 2023
In 2022 for 2023 implementation, the program was revised to include ENVS3008 career-ready placement in the Environmental and Development as a core course All students commencing from 2023 onwards must complete ENVS3008. Pre-2023 students will not be required to complete ENVS3008 as a core course. Pre-2023 students are required to complete 10 unit of 2000/3000 directed courses from the Bachelor of Development Studies. Pre-2023 students have the opportunity to complete ENVS3008 as part of their major.
Important Information for Students who commenced in this program prior to 2021
This program was revised in 2020 for 2021 implementation. Students should refer to both the Bachelor of Laws (Hons) Transition Arrangements and Bachelor of Development Studies Transition Arrangements.
Law Directed Course Change 2021 - LAWS5014/6019 International Human Rights Law
LAWS5014 International Human Rights Law was discontinued and replaced with LAWS6019 International Human Rights Law from 2021 onward. Students who have completed LAWS5014 are not be required to complete LAWS6019.
Program structure
Students can plan their program using Program Planner. It is recommended students review the program handbook in conjunction with using Program Planner.
Advanced course filters
Courses that are currently unavailable are hidden by default. You can show them by adjusting the advanced course filters above, or clicking the 'show all' links below each section.
Core
Complete the following core courses to fulfil the requirements of this program. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| ABOR1110 | Introduction to Aboriginal Studies |
| 10 units |
| ECON1002 | Macroeconomics in the Global Economy |
| 10 units |
| ENVS1003 | Environmental Values and Ethics |
| 10 units |
| GEOG1030 | Global Poverty and Development |
| 10 units |
| LAWS1010 | Legal System and Method I |
| 10 units |
| LAWS1011 | Legal System and Method II |
| 10 units |
| LAWS1020 | Torts I |
| 10 units |
| LAWS1021 | Torts II |
| 10 units |
| SOCA1010 | Society and Culture: an Introduction to Sociology |
| 10 units |
| GEOG2130 | Geographies of Development |
| 10 units |
| LAWS2030 | Criminal Law and Procedure |
| 10 units |
| ENVS3008 | Work Integrated Learning in the Environmental and Development Sectors |
| 10 units |
| GEOG3300 | Rethinking Development |
| 10 units |
| LAWS3040 | Contracts I |
| 10 units |
| LAWS3041 | Contracts II |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4001 | Constitutional Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4002 | Administrative Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4003 | Civil Dispute Resolution |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4004 | Evidence |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4005 | Company Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4007 | Professional Conduct |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4010 | Equity and Trusts |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4011 | Property |
| 10 units |
| LAWS4012 | Public International Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6019 | International Human Rights Law | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6020 | Environmental Law |
| 10 units |
Laws Course List
Complete 60 units from the list to fulfil the requirements of this program. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| LAWS5016 | Law Review |
| 10 units |
| LAWS5034 | Crime and Australian Society | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS5036 | International Clinical Legal Externship |
| 10 units |
| LAWS5040 | Financial Services Regulation | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS5043 | International Study Experience | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6016 | Taxation Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6017 | Family Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6018 | Commercial Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6019 | International Human Rights Law | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6020 | Environmental Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6021 | Advanced Criminal Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6023 | Jurisprudence | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6024 | Employment Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6028 | Criminal Law Practice & Procedure |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6029 | Social Justice/Public Interest Clinic | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6032 | Advocacy Skills |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6035 | Competition Law and Policy | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6037 | International Environment Law and Policy | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6038 | Law and Economics of Climate Change |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6043 | Advanced Legal Research Project |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6050 | Commercial Dispute Resolution |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6085 | International Trade Law | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6086 | Intellectual Property Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6087 | Internet Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6090 | Health Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6091 | Special Interest Topic |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6094 | Indigenous Peoples, Issues and the Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6095 | Law and Religion | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6096 | Child Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6097 | Competitive Mooting |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6098 | Equal Opportunity Law |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6099 | Sport and the Law | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6100 | Workplace Health and Safety Law | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6102 | Alternative Dispute Resolution |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6103 | International Arbitration |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6104 | Human Rights and Climate Change-Induced Human Displacement |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6105 | Expert Evidence |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6106 | Advanced Communication Skills |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6107 | Mediation Skills and Theory |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6108 | Corporate Power and Corporate Accountability: Pathways to Socially Responsible Business | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6111 | Dispute Resolution |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6112 | Food and Wine Law | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6113 | Law for Startups | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6114 | Negotiation in a Legal Context |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6115 | Criminal Trial Courts - Theory and Practice | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| LAWS6116 | Legal Innovation and Design | Not currently offered | 10 units |
Development Studies Majors
Complete one 80 unit major to fulfil the requirements of this program.
Cultures and Citizenship
| Compulsory | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete the following compulsory course. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| ABOR3024 | Aboriginal Community Development and Advocacy |
| 10 units |
| Course List | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete 70 units including a minimum of 30 units at 3000 level. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| ABOR1370 | Working with Aboriginal Communities |
| 10 units |
| SOCA1020 | What is Anthropology |
| 10 units |
| ABOR2241 | Aboriginal Political Protest | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| ABOR2244 | Reconciling Australia's Colonial Past and Present |
| 10 units |
| ABOR2440 | Aboriginal Health Past and Present |
| 10 units |
| POLI2200 | The Global Politics of Indigenous People |
| 10 units |
| SOCA2325 | Cultural Worlds of Health and Illness | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| SOCS2300 | Ethics for the Social Sciences |
| 10 units |
| SOCS2400 | Surveying the Social: Applied Quantitative Research |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3021 | Australian Indigenous Language and Cultural Issues Today | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| ABOR3251 | International Indigenous Comparative Studies |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3380 | Human Rights and the World's Indigenous Communities |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3440 | Indigenous Health Around the World |
| 10 units |
| GEOG3090 | Society and Space |
| 10 units |
| POLI3203 | Democracy in the 21st Century: Local Power, Policy and Participatory Politics |
| 10 units |
| SCIE3600 | International Study Experience |
| 10 units |
| SOCA3220 | Youth Culture and Risk |
| 10 units |
| SOCA3230 | Identity and Culture | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| SOCA3315 | Bodies in Cultural Perspective |
| 10 units |
| SOCA3666 | Consumption, Technology and Everyday Life |
| 10 units |
| SOCA3790 | Migration, Society and the Media | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| SOCA3850 | Rage Against the Machine: Indigenous Activism, Ways of Life and the Future |
| 10 units |
| SOCA3902 | Religion and Politics in Contemporary Society |
| 10 units |
Environmental Sustainability
| Compulsory | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete the following compulsory course. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| ENVS3006 | Surviving the Anthropocene: Sustainability in the 21st Century |
| 10 units |
| Course List | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete 70 units including a minimum of 30 units at 3000 level. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| ENVS1004 | Social Development and the Environment |
| 10 units |
| ABOR2243 | Indigenous People, Global Warming and the Environment |
| 10 units |
| ABOR2245 | Aboriginal People and Law |
| 10 units |
| ENVS2002 | Environmental Legislation and Planning |
| 10 units |
| ENVS2008 | The Sustainable Society |
| 10 units |
| GEOG2080 | Cities and Regions |
| 10 units |
| HIST2065 | A Sunburnt Country: Australian Environmental History | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| SOCA2065 | Environment and Society |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3024 | Aboriginal Community Development and Advocacy |
| 10 units |
| ECON3006 | Environmental Economics |
| 10 units |
| ENVS3001 | Integrated Impact Assessment |
| 10 units |
| GEOG3090 | Society and Space |
| 10 units |
| SCIE3600 | International Study Experience |
| 10 units |
| SOCA3790 | Migration, Society and the Media | Not currently offered | 10 units |
Globalisation and Economic Development
| Compulsory | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete the following compulsory course. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| ECON1001 | Microeconomics for Business Decisions |
| 10 units |
| Course List | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete 70 units including a minimum of 40 units at 3000 level, including either ECON3008 or POLI3203, and at least 20 units of ECON courses above 1000 level. Students wishing to complete ECON3008 must complete ECON2002 prior to enrolment in ECON3008. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| ECON2002 | Intermediate Macroeconomics |
| 10 units |
| GEOG2080 | Cities and Regions |
| 10 units |
| POLI2200 | The Global Politics of Indigenous People |
| 10 units |
| POLI2203 | International Political Economy and Global Development |
| 10 units |
| SOCA2400 | Future Societies: Beyond Capitalist Globalization |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3251 | International Indigenous Comparative Studies |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3380 | Human Rights and the World's Indigenous Communities |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3440 | Indigenous Health Around the World |
| 10 units |
| ECON3003 | Global Trade and Finance |
| 10 units |
| ECON3006 | Environmental Economics |
| 10 units |
| ECON3008 | International Macroeconomics |
| 10 units |
| ECON3009 | Urban Property Economics |
| 10 units |
| POLI3002 | Power and the State |
| 10 units |
| POLI3140 | The Politics of Globalisation | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| POLI3150 | Issues in International Relations |
| 10 units |
| POLI3160 | Global Power and World Order |
| 10 units |
| POLI3203 | Democracy in the 21st Century: Local Power, Policy and Participatory Politics |
| 10 units |
| SCIE3600 | International Study Experience |
| 10 units |
| SOCA3790 | Migration, Society and the Media | Not currently offered | 10 units |
Urban and Regional Development
| Compulsory | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete the following compulsory course. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| GEOG3090 | Society and Space |
| 10 units |
| Course List | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Complete 70 units including a minimum of 30 units at 3000 level. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
| GEOG1020 | Introduction to Human Geography |
| 10 units |
| ABOR2244 | Reconciling Australia's Colonial Past and Present |
| 10 units |
| ABOR2245 | Aboriginal People and Law |
| 10 units |
| ENVS2002 | Environmental Legislation and Planning |
| 10 units |
| ENVS2008 | The Sustainable Society |
| 10 units |
| GEOG2080 | Cities and Regions |
| 10 units |
| GEOS2161 | Spatial Science |
| 10 units |
| SOCA2020 | Society, Space and Power | Not currently offered | 10 units |
| SOCA2065 | Environment and Society |
| 10 units |
| SOCS2400 | Surveying the Social: Applied Quantitative Research |
| 10 units |
| ABOR3024 | Aboriginal Community Development and Advocacy |
| 10 units |
| ECON3006 | Environmental Economics |
| 10 units |
| ECON3009 | Urban Property Economics |
| 10 units |
| ENVS3001 | Integrated Impact Assessment |
| 10 units |
| ENVS3006 | Surviving the Anthropocene: Sustainability in the 21st Century |
| 10 units |
| GEOS3250 | Advanced Spatial Science |
| 10 units |
| HUSE3006 | Social Policy and Planning in Regional Contexts |
| 10 units |
| POLI3180 | Politics, Policy and Government |
| 10 units |
| SCIE3600 | International Study Experience |
| 10 units |
Honours
Honours is embedded in the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) program. All students who successfully complete the program will graduate with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). Students who excel in their studies will have access to graded Honours, which will be calculated according to the University's policy. The policy is available at: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/policy/000990.html. See Program Convenor for further information regarding eligibility for Graded Honours.
An Honours year is available to Bachelor of Development Studies students as a separate program in the form of an additional year to those who meet the entry requirements.
For more information about Honours please follow the link below:http://www.newcastle.edu.au/degrees/bachelor-of-development-studies-honours/handbook.
Additional information
Through the Pathways and Academic Learning Support Centre, students can access a free suite of NUPrep preparation courses as well as Academic Learning Support.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can draw on the assistance and support provided by the Indigenous Student Support and Development service through the Wollotuka Institute.
International students
All International Students enrolled in the program will be provided with an orientation to familiarise them with the rules, expectations, facilities and services offered by the University. Please visit our International Students website to find out more about the support services available to international students.
Additional support
AccessAbility provides advice and reasonable adjustments to Students with a medical or health condition or disability. If you require adjustments to undertake your program, contact the Student Support Advisors - AccessAbility before semester or early in the semester. They will work with the College or School to ensure that this happens in a timely manner.
Please note: All students must fulfil the inherent requirements of the programs and courses they are undertaking. While reasonable adjustments can be made, these adjustments cannot compromise academic integrity. It is the student's responsibility to check all the requirements of courses, and consider the effects of any medical condition or disability on their ability to complete course requirements. More information is available online.
Bachelor of Development Studies / Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
UAC Code , Program Code 40130
CRICOS Code , Program Code 40130
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