Current UWA law students have the opportunity to study towards their degree at an overseas university.
- Where can law students go on exchange?
- Who is eligible for an exchange in law?
- How long can a law student go on exchange?
- What units can students study on a law exchange?
- Do exchange units satisfy Group B requirements?
- How many units must a student study on a law exchange?
- How many UWA points can a student earn on a law exchange?
- Planning a course pathway to allow for an exchange in law?
- How does exchange affect the law honours program?
- How are exchange units recorded on a students UWA academic record?
- How do I add exchange units to my UWA enrolment?
Where can law students can go on exchange?
UWA has exchange agreements with many overseas universities.
Who is eligible for an exchange in law?
We strongly recommend law students do not go on exchange before completing:
- Legal Process (LAWS1130)
- Criminal Law I and II (LAWS1105 and LAWS1106)
- Contract I and II (LAWS1101 and LAWS1102)
- Torts I and II (LAWS1107 and LAWS1108)
- Property I and II (LAWS2204 and LAWS2205).
Students who have not completed these foundational core units may not have sufficiently developed their generic legal skills or substantive understanding of core legal concepts to successfully complete upper-year option units while on exchange.
To be approved for a law exchange, students are normally expected to have a weighted average of at least 65 per cent in their law units, with no fail grades on their record.
Students who do not meet the minimum academic requirements or who wish to go on exchange before completing the recommended units should contact the Faculty Advisor, Robert Cunningham, for pre-approval prior to starting the application process.
How long can a law student go on exchange?
Most students go on a law exchange for one full-load semester (24 UWA points), although it is possible to go on exchange for a maximum of a full year (48 UWA points).
Students are not permitted to overload while on exchange.
Students going on exchange, particularly for a full-year, are responsible for assessing the impact of completing 48 points of their law degree in another jurisdiction on employment opportunities and eligibility for the Law Honours Program.
What units can students study on a law exchange?
Units studied on law exchange cannot be used to satisfy the core unit requirements of the UWA Law degree. All core units must be completed at UWA Law School.
Only units offered as part of an exchange partners LLB or equivalent program can be credited towards the UWA law degree. The only exception is that students enrolled in the four-year undergraduate law degree are permitted to credit one non-law unit (6 points) towards their law degree and with permission these points can be earned on exchange. This exception does not apply to combined degree or graduate law students.
A student on law exchange may enrol only in units which have been approved for credit to the UWA Law degree. Unit approval is given during the exchange application process.
If a student wishes to enrol in units other than those approved during the application process, approval must be sought prior to the start of the exchange semesters.
Students may study units with a different or similar substantive focus to units offered at UWA Law School. When a unit has a similar focus but the legal framework is different, students may choose to study the unit on exchange and also at the UWA Law School and receive credit for both units. However, if a unit deals with similar common law or statutory content, students will not receive credit for studying the unit on exchange as well as at UWA Law School, and this will be noted in the unit approval process.
Do exchange units satisfy Group B requirements?
Some exchange units will be taken as satisfying the UWA Law degree Group B requirements. If the unit is so classified, the Faculty Advisor, Robert Cunningham, will indicate this during the unit approval process.
How many units must a student study on a law exchange?
Students must enrol in a full-time load at the exchange university, equivalent to 24 UWA credit points.
Students who require less than 24 UWA points to graduate should contact the International Centre for approval. The International Centre will advise students of the full-load requirements at the various universities with which the university has exchange agreements.
Students should note that a full-load at an exchange university will not necessarily be four units. Students should also be aware that the full-load requirements for some exchange partners have changed recently; that is, the load undertaken by previous exchange students at a particular university will not necessarily be an accurate guide of the current load requirements for that university.
How many UWA points can a student earn on a law exchange?
Students completing a full-time load at the exchange university are credited with 24 UWA points per semester of study.
Students may receive a maximum of 48 points in credits towards their UWA Law degree on exchange.
Planning a course pathway to allow for an exchange in law?
Students must think carefully about how going on exchange will affect their course pathways.
To accommodate a period on exchange, the order in which core units are taken can be rearranged, provided students conform to course rules and meet all necessary pre- and co-requisites (as specified in the Faculty of Law Undergraduate handbook).
In re-arranging core units, students are reminded that Parts I and II of both Procedure and Commercial Practice must be completed in the same academic year, and so it is not possible to go on exchange during the academic year in which these units are undertaken.
Students planning an exchange should plan a course pathway for the remainder of their studies including the exchange period.
Students who would like assistance planning their course pathway, or who wish to have their plan reviewed, can make an appointment to see the Law Faculty Administrative Officer.
Please note: the Law School is currently undergoing a course review that might result in the restructure of the Law degree, including the composition and timetabling of core units. While transitional arrangements would be put in place for a limited time, students planning an exchange should be aware that the current course review may affect their planned course pathways.
How does exchange affect the law honours program?
The grades received on exchange are not counted for the purposes of invitations into the Honours programme or for the purposes of calculating Honours classifications or degrees with distinction. Prospective Honours students should consult the Honours brochure for advice on the implication of going on exchange and direct any questions to the Chair of the Honours Committee, Mr George Syrota.
Prospective Honours students thinking about going on exchange for a full year should note the requirements set out on pages 3 and 4 of the Honours brochure; in particular, that they must have obtained a minimum of 1000 points of Eligible Coursework Units in order to graduate with Honours.
Prospective honours students considering an exchange should also be aware that the Honours programme requires enrolment in Supervised Research 2, which is a 12-point unit normally completed concurrently over semesters 1 and 2 of the final full year of studies.
How are exchange units recorded on a students UWA academic record?
Units taken on exchange are recorded on your UWA academic record as ungraded passes or ungraded fails. A formal note will appear at the bottom of the academic record detailing the units studied and the grade and/or percentage marks received.
How do I add exchange units to my UWA enrolment?
Once all is in place you will need to add the approved exchange units to your UWA enrolment
