Bachelor of Computer Science/Bachelor of Laws
Why study the Bachelor of Computer Science/Bachelor of Laws at UNE?
This double degree provides qualifications in both computer science and law. The legal qualification meets the academic requirements for admission as a legal practitioner in all Australian States and Territories.
Note: Trimester 3: Off Campus Part-time Only
Career Opportunities
Examples include legal practice or law-related management careers in the fields of science, technology, the environment and finance in both the public and private sectors, legal aid agencies, telecommunications and government bodies.
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Degree Snapshot
DURATION
5 Years Full-timeUp to 12 years Part-time
FEES
CSPInternational
ATAR / OP
84.40-84.45 / 82013 STUDY OPTIONS
Armidale
Trimester 1, Off CampusTrimester 1, On Campus
Trimester 2, Off Campus
Trimester 2, On Campus
Trimester 3, Off Campus
How to Apply
Domestic Students
New domestic students to UNE apply to study on campus through UAC or QTAC
For more information, click hereNew domestic students to UNE apply to study off campus direct to UNE
Former and current domestic UNE students apply to study on campus or off campus direct to UNE
For more information, click here
International Students
International students apply direct to UNE through International Marketing and PathwaysFor more information, click here
Contact Us
So we know where to direct your enquiry, please tell us if you are a current or future student:
| Official Abbreviation | BCompSc/LLB | ||||||||||||||||||
| Course Type | Undergraduate | ||||||||||||||||||
| Commencing |
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| Course Duration |
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| 2012 ATAR | 84.40-84.45 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 OP | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fees | CSP / International | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Credit Points | 240 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Benefits | The Bachelor of Computer Science has been granted Professional Level accreditation by the Australian Computer Society. The Bachelor of Laws is accredited by the Legal Practitioners Admission Board of NSW for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW and this recognition legislation extends admission to other Australian jurisdictions. After completion of academic qualifications in Law, entry to legal practice also requires the completion of a Practical Legal Training (PLT) course. |
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| How to apply |
New domestic students to UNE apply to study on campus through UAC or QTAC For more information, click here
New domestic students to UNE apply to study off campus direct to UNE Former and current domestic UNE students apply to study on campus or off campus direct to UNE For more information, click here
International students apply direct to UNE through International Marketing and Pathways For more information, click here |
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| Intensive Schools | Mandatory intensive schools may be a requirement of some of the units in the Bachelor of Computer Science component of this course. There are no mandatory intensive schools in the Bachelor of Laws component of this course. See Unit Catalogue for specific requirements. |
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| Entry Requirements | A candidate shall be qualified for admission (see Admission Rule Undergraduate Policy). Assumed knowledge is two units of English and Mathematics. |
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| Advanced Standing | Computer Science component: Advanced standing may be granted towards the Computer Science component on the basis of previous study completed at a recognised tertiary institution. Law component: Advanced standing may only be granted on the basis of law units that are part of a Law degree at another university or a diploma in law offered through the Legal Profession Admission Board. If the law units have been completed as part of a non-Law degree, the law units must also be available to students as part of a Law degree offered at that university. |
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| Fast Track | Trimester 3 provides an opportunity for students to fast track their academic progression or to catch up on units required to complete their degree. |
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| Honours | Computer Science component: On completion of 144 credit points including all requirements for the BCompSc component of the double degree program, students with a meritorious academic record may be permitted to enrol for the Bachelor of Computer Science with Honours. The Honours year in Computer Science introduces students to subjects of current research and a program of study is designed based on the student's interests. Students are required to submit a thesis. Law component: Students who have achieved a grade point average of 5.5 or better in the preceding eight law units (P=4, C= 5, D=6, HD=7) may be admitted to the Honours program in the final year of study. This program is based on a thesis of 10,000 words. The honours result is based on the grade awarded for the honours unit plus grades for the best 15 units towards the degree. |
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| Scholarships | The University offers a number of faculty/college and country scholarships available to Australian citizens and permanent residents. |
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| Academic Colours |
Powder Blue (BCC 193) and Ultramarine (BCC 148) |
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| Further Information | 
You can find instant answers to many of your questions or contact UNE directly via AskUNE |
Admission to Candidature
A candidate shall be qualified for admission (see Admission Rule Undergraduate Policy).
Advanced Standing
Advanced standing shall not be granted for COMP395.
Period of Candidature
The period of candidates shall be:
(a) five years as a full-time candidate;
(b) up to twelve years as a part-time candidate.
Course Requirements
To qualify for the two awards a candidate must pass units to the value of 240 credit points comprising:
Bachelor of Computer Science component: 96 credit points;
Bachelor of Laws component: 144 credit points.
Program of Study
Candidates shall complete an approved program of study as outlined in the Course Schedule comprising:
| Course Structure | Credit Points | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Computer Science component: | 96 cps | |
| Core Units | 66 cps | |
| Listed Units | 30 cps | |
| Bachelor of Laws component: | 144 cps | |
| Core Units | 108 cps | |
| Listed Units | 36 cps | |
| Total | 240 cps | |
To view complete Program of Study click here
Award of Degree
Candidates who meet the course requirements shall be awarded the Bachelor of Computer Science and Bachelor of Laws.
Exit Pathways
Candidates who discontinue their studies in the double degree program may be eligible to exit with the Diploma in The Sciences on completion of 48 credit points.
Candidates who discontinue their studies in the double degree program may be eligible to exist with the Advanced Diploma in The Sciences on completion of 72 credit points or may transfer from the double degree program to the Bachelor of Computer Science.
Improper Conduct
Candidates are referred to the Student Coursework Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Rules.
| Course Aims |
The Bachelor of Computer Science component will equip students with the knowledge and skills required to pursue a range of information technology related career paths and/or postgraduate study. The study of a major will enable students to attin and demonstrate knowledge and skills in a specialised area of computer science and its applications. The Bachelor of Laws component provides: (i) an understanding and knowledge of Australian law and to develop skills which will enable students to use their legal knowledge both within the legal profession or in other areas where legal skills can be employed; and (ii) the knowledge and skills applicable to a career in the financial services industry; in particular, the focus is on financial planning tax and law. |
| Learning Outcomes |
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
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| Graduate Attributes |
Knowledge of a Discipline
BLaws: Knowledge of the discipline is taught, practised and assessed in both core units and electives; in particular the Priestly Eleven discipline areas are covered in the core units. Students will demonstrate an understanding of these key areas to allow accreditation with the Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB).
BCompSC: Knowledge and skills in information technology will be taught assessed and practised in all units within the course. The foundations of algorithms and programming will be taught in first-year units and more advanced and specialised knowledge and skills will be taught in the second and third years of the course.
Communication Skills
BLaws: Communication skills will be practised and assessed in all assessment tasks. In particular, students will develop skills in legal writing and argument. These skills will benefit participants' ability to communicate with both clients and colleagues in both legal and non-legal contexts.
BCompSC: Oral and written communication via a range of media is an essential aspect of participation in a software development team. These skills will be taught, practised and assessed in most units within the course. The 'capstone' project unit COMP395 will require students to demonstrate a professional level of communication skills both with other group members and with the project client.
Global Perspectives
BLaws: The focus of an Australian law degree is Australian law but core units will often provide information about relevant law in other areas of the world in order to encourage a critical perspective. A compulsory Jurisprudence unit considers questions such as global justice and American constitutionalism. A number of elective units are focused on students achieving a global perspective: Human Rights; Public International Law; Conflict of Laws and Information Technology Law. Students are provided with references to comparative material, which may include social, political and economic perspectives, through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, online discussion and weekly set readings. Comparative jurisdictions include but are not limited to England and Wales, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and a number of European jurisdictions. The quality of legal argument, which includes the ability to cite relevant comparative material where relevant, is assessed through a number of forms of assessment including assignments and end of unit examinations.
BCompSC: Several units within the course address the global nature of the information technology industry. Students will be assessed on their understanding of techniques for the internationalisation of software.
Information Literacy
BLaws: Students will be required to use complex databases to obtain relevant information about previous legal cases which, will require a high level of information literacy and students will be required to use this information in assessment tasks.
BCompSC: All units in the course will require students to find and critically evaluate information from a variety of sources. This will be practised and assessed throughout the course.
Life-Long Learning
BLaws: The dynamic nature of law is such that students must be aware of current cases and decisions. Law units teach this process by considering the development of legal doctrine through the case law and statutes that change that doctrine. This encourages the practice of lifelong learning as a means of professional development. The quality of legal argument, which may include the ability to explain the development of a legal rule, is assessed through a number of forms of assessment including assignments and end of unit examinations.
BCompSC: Information technology is a very rapidly changing field of study. Students will be provided with fundamental skills which enable them to supplement their knowledge and adapt to the use of new software development environments, technologies and tools. This will be taught and practised by providing core skills and exposing students to a variety of programming languages, environments and specialised systems.
Problem Solving
BLaws: This Graduate Attribute is taught, practised and assessed during the course through the use of problem-based learning (in tutorials and online discussion) and assessment (in assignments and examination).
BCompSC: Students will gain problem solving skills in algorithm design, software engineering, program debugging and project management. All units which involve programming will teach and assess problem solving skills.
Social Responsibility
BLaws: Students are encouraged to reflect critically on the content of the law in most law units. Units specifically dedicated to providing context are the compulsory units LS101 (Law in Context) and LS355 (Jurisprudence). Ethical issues are also addressed in the core unit LS320 (Professional Conduct). Assessment may include an essay question which, requires the students to critically evaluate the current state of a particular area of law by reference to these perspectives.
BCompSC: Reflection on social responsibility and professional practice in software development is imbedded in the course content. Units will require students to reflect on social implications of information technology such as social networking, malicious software, identity theft and security measures.
Team Work
BLaws: Students are required to engage in group work during the moot component of the core unit LS480 (Advanced Research, Writing and Advocacy). Other units within the degree may use group assessment.
BCompSC: Teamwork is an essential component of the course and of the professional practice of software development. A number of the core units in the course require students to work in groups and provide guidance and assessment on group work. The 'capstone' project unit COMP395 involves the planning, design and implementation of a large software system by a team of students.
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