About this program
The Melbourne Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne is a graduate law degree that has set a benchmark for legal education in Australia, comprising 24 subjects including 16 compulsory subjects and leading to admission to legal practice. Elective offerings span commercial law, international human rights law, environmental law, intellectual property law and new technology law, taught by academics recognised as experts in their fields in seminar-style classes.
Graduates are well regarded by a wide range of employers across legal practice, business, government and community organisations, with strong employment outcomes reported for recent graduating cohorts.
Fees & duration
English test scores
Verified study.unimelb.edu.au ↗
Course structure
Study plan in 4 parts
- Compulsory core (16 subjects across first two years): Contracts
- Torts
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Property
- Constitutional Law
- Administrative Law
- Equity
- Corporations Law
- Evidence
- Civil Procedure
- Legal Research
- Legal Method and Reasoning
- and further compulsory subjects rounding out the Priestley 11 requirements
Electives (8 subjects, students' choice): drawn from areas including International Human Rights Law, Intellectual Property, Environmental Law, Technology and the Law, Commercial Law, Tax Law
- offering rotates with faculty research interests
- Standard completion over three years using summer/winter terms for acceleration or breathing room
- Practical Legal Training (PLT) required separately post-JD for admission to practice
- not embedded in the degree itself
Career & PR pathway
Occupations this degree typically leads to, and their skilled-migration list status
SolicitorANZSCO 271311
On both MLTSSL and CSOL, but a positive skills assessment is not the same as being able to practise. You must first be admitted to an Australian state legal profession, which for an overseas or JD graduate means passing the assessed academic subjects, completing Practical Legal Training, and being admitted by the state Supreme Court, before the occupation is realistically usable for a visa.
Assessed by VETASSESS
BarristerANZSCO 271111
On both MLTSSL and CSOL, supporting the points-tested 189, 190, and 491 as well as the employer-sponsored 482 and 186. As with Solicitor, a positive skills assessment is not the same as being able to practise: you must be admitted to the bar in an Australian state or territory before the occupation is realistically usable for a visa. Assessed by the state or territory Legal Admissions Authority, not VETASSESS.
Assessed by State or Territory Legal Admissions Authority
List membership changes over time and does not guarantee an invitation. See the skilled occupation lists guide and the points calculator before relying on this for a visa decision.
Admissions
To be considered for entry into this course, you must: Have completed a bachelor degree (AQF7) or equivalent in any discipline other than law. Or Have completed a bachelor degree (AQF7) or equivalent in law from an overseas jurisdiction. The University of Melbourne is committed to maintaining a transparent admissions policy by clearly communicating all entry scores to prospective students. Entry requirements to the University of Melbourne are regularly reviewed to ensure they align with the University's Selection and Admissions Policy . The entry requirements published for this course will apply from the start year 2027 intake onwards.
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