University of Western Australia

Law School Website

Study Abroad and Exchange Programs Information

Program Description

The University of Western Australia’s Faculty of Law, established in Perth in 1927, is Western Australia’s premier law school, and has the reputation of being one of the finest law schools in Australia.  The international recognition of the UWA law degree is reflected in the exceptional number of UWA graduates awarded prestigious Rhodes scholarships (a total of seventeen, with five being awarded in the last seven years), and the large number of successful and distinguished graduates including a former Prime Minister, several prominent Queen’s Counsels, along Attorneys General and prominent entrepreneurs.  The Law School has appointed to its staff academic lawyers who have established or are in the course of establishing national and international reputations in teaching and/or legal research. Over the last decade the school has adopted a policy of cultivating research and teaching strengths in key areas including commercial law, natural resources law, international law and intellectual property.  

The UWA Law School aims to cultivate in students intellectual skills of reasoning, analysis, critical thought and skills in legal research; to impart critical understanding of substantive law and its role in society; and to provide opportunities for students to acquire professional skills and techniques which are essential to legal practice.  Formal class contact hours are usually between 2.5 and 3 hours per week in each subject. However, a good deal of independent work is also required, primarily in reading legislation, cases and legal commentaries. The school has placed a high priority on innovative teaching in smaller groups, particularly in the first and second years of the curriculum. This structure has made it possible for the Law School to offer high levels of pastoral care and individualised attention to academic performance.

The Law School has an extensive library, with more than 100,000 volumes, supported by comprehensive computerised retrieval services with access to the major international and Australian databases. The  School has published  an internationally recognized Law Review since 1948, and  has five research centres: the Australian Global Studies Research Centre, the Centre for  Consumer Research, the Centre for Law and Public Policy, the Crime Research Centre and the Centre for Mining, Energy and Natural Resources Law.

Sessional Dates

First Semester: February to June

Second Semester: July to November

Course Load

For one semester, 24 credit points are the equivalent to 15 upper-year Queen's credits.  Most units have a value of 6 credit points.