A “flexible either way” migration major — multiple pathways to PR, or a well-paid career back home! No relevant background needed, and language shortfalls can be fixed too!
In this era of frequently changing Australian migration policy, ““flexible either way” (able to return home for work and to migrate) study-abroad major, has become the essential first choice for people choosing to complete their qualification in Australia. Being a migration major that also allows a return home for career development is the top priority for many students and parents alike!
Since we covered flexible medical migration majors like OT, PT, and Radiographer in our last issue, today we’re digging into arts students’ favourite migration majorsJD (Juris Doctor).
First, we need to emphasise: the JD is NOT a Doctor of Law!!! It’s a Master’s degree in law!!!
JD has long been irresponsibly misrepresented by all sorts of people as a doctorate, and plenty of people have used the confusion for marketing purposes. As a responsible and authoritative voice, we want to stress again:
the Juris Doctor is a master’s degree!!!
Of course, given that different countries have different systems, can you return home for work with an Australian JD?
Yes, you can, many of our lovely JD graduates have landed well-paid jobs in Singapore and Hong Kong!
So this is a wonderfully “flexible either way” major!
Next, let’s take a detailed look at how to study this major
Course overview
“A special major”
The Australian JD (Juris Doctor) has always been a “special major”, it accepts students with no legal background, or those who’ve studied under a different legal system, and after graduation meets the requirements to practise as a lawyer in Australia, and can even lead directly to migration. Let’s now introduce school options for the Australian JD, an overview of the course, and its migration and employment prospects!
Before we introduce the major, let’s first look at migration outcomes and salaries in Australia:
JD occupation assessment:
Although there’s a large shortage of lawyers, because Australia is a federation, assessment requirements vary slightly by state. Overall though, there are basically two requirements:
— first, an accredited JD degree, and second, Practical Legal Training (PLT).
—As long as it’s an accredited course, there’s no requirement for work experience or an IELTS score, and you don’t even need to sit a bar admission exam!
JD employment:
According to the latest Job Outlook data, JD salaries are still relatively attractive compared with other migration majors, though of course, due to the pandemic, every industry has been affected to some extent.
The difference between the JD and the LLM
“Two law degrees”
First, let’s stress that students who generally choose the JD have a solid enough English foundation too. At the same time, students considering a law master’s will inevitably think of the Master of Laws (LLM) — here’s how it differs from the JD:
– The LLM requires a relevant bachelor’s background; the JD does not.
– The LLM is shorter, with a course length of one year, and is generally favoured by people who already have work experience and want some extra polish.The JD takes longer, generally three years, and even with a relevant background, you can only get 0.5-1 year of credit exemption at most, so it still takes two years to finish (except for Bond University’s three-trimester, two-year programme).
– The LLM is not a migration major, and because of the course-length restriction, graduates cannot get a PSW work visa and must return home directly — the JD is the opposite.
– The JD covers all the core courses of a law bachelor’s degree — once you finish it, you’ll meet the requirements to practise in the Australian legal industry, and all kinds of “newbies” are welcome to take it on. Of course, if you already have a relevant background, it’s honestly not recommended, as you’ll find it a bit of a waste of time. The LLM is the opposite: more like an advanced levelling-up course, with more specialised areas of legal study.
In short: if you already have a background, domestic students could consider the LLM to add some extra polish, but if you’re planning to practise as a lawyer in Australia and want to migrate, the JD is the better choice.
Accredited JD courses
“With the halo of a prestigious university!”
Each state’s LPAB website lists accredited courses in detail: https://www.lpab.justice.nsw.gov.au/
Given the limited space, we won’t list them all one by one — newcomers with questions are welcome to message us privately:
today we’ll mainly recommend courses based on the QS subject rankings:
*Note: the above requirements are subject to each university’s official website, and may vary depending on circumstances.
Among the six universities ranked in the top 50, all of Australia’s Group of Eight (Go8) universities offer JD courses.
Basic entry requirements: for students from 211/985 universities, an average of 75% is enough; for non-211 students it’s a bit higher — 75% will only get you into the lower-ranked options, while the top-ranked ones require an average of 80%+.
University of Melbourne, its reputation goes without saying, but the biggest issue is that you need an LSAT score to apply — without one, you can’t even get a conditional offer, but due to the pandemic, the LSAT currently can’t be sat — message Newstars privately for details.If you’re not fixated on Melbourne specifically, the next few universities aren’t far behind in ranking and still offer high-quality education, so they’re worth considering.
Australian National University, 211/985 students need an average of 75, which isn’t very friendly to non-211/985 students — they need an average of 85. It’s Australia’s top-ranked university overall, so it’s worth going for the ranking alone.
University of Sydney, its law school has a very high standing in Australia, but the biggest issue is the language requirement, IELTS requires an overall 7.5 (7 in each band). You can take a language pathway course, but according to student feedback, the pass rate for these language courses isn’t very high, so if your English is only average, think carefully.
UNSW (University of New South Wales), compared with Sydney and Melbourne, both its admission requirements and English score requirements are much friendlier — an average of just 76 (the same for both 211 and non-211 students), and IELTS 7 overall with 6 in each band. Its ranking is also rising, though many students say the course itself is difficult, so be mentally prepared~
Monash University, doesn’t have any particular standout features compared with the universities above, but it’s a good recommendation for students with average grades who want to be based in Melbourne.
UTS (University of Technology Sydney), although it’s not a Go8 university, it actually has a strong local reputation, and we highly recommend its Juris Doctor Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice, which is also a three-year programme, but it includes the PLT course, saving six months.
Extra recommendation: Bond University
Finally, we need to stress: for students worried a law qualification will be too hard to complete, it’s worth looking into Bond University — its JD only takes two years to complete, and the tuition fees are correspondingly much lower.For those worried about the language side, Bond also specifically has teachers who cover the relevant academic terminology.
Because the writing and speaking demands of law really aren’t low, students worried their academic ability or English isn’t strong enough shouldn’t blindly apply to prestigious universities. For those who get in but then struggle to keep up, UTS and Bond are both great choices.
You’re also welcome to chat with our consultants in more detail about your own strengths, and we’ll recommend a university that genuinely suits you, based on feedback from past students. What’s more, if your bachelor’s degree was in law, our consultants can try to help you apply for 0.5-1 year of credit exemption, so you won’t need to study for the full three years!
Bond University currently also has a limited-time scholarship!
Students applying for the September intake can apply for 3 scholarships — the International Student Outstanding, Excellence, and Leadership scholarships are all available!
The PLT course
“What you need to know alongside it”
After finishing your degree, you’ll also need to complete a Practical Legal Training (PLT) programme, and PLT is a standalone Graduate Certificate programme, which includes six months of coursework and a placement, with flexible study modes — both full-time and online courses are available.
In Sydney, most people choose to study at UTS, while in Melbourne Monashis a good option.
Migration and study abroad in the legal profession
Course and university selection
Language and academic background questions
Any other specific questions
feel free to message us privately anytime~
*Data and resources in this article are drawn from online sources — if there are any discrepancies, please feel free to point them out at any time~
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