UWA Handbook 2027

Major Overview

Description

As the accountability and personal liability of professionals, business managers and public servants continues to grow, a strong grounding in business law is becoming an increasingly attractive attribute for potential employers both nationally and internationally. The Business Law major focuses on the fundamental relationship between law and business and is ideal for those planning careers in a wide range of business areas including professional accounting, business management, international trade and industrial relations. It equips you with high-level analytical, problem-solving, research and communication skills that will enable you to recognise, analyse and, where possible, avoid the legal problems that arise in the course of many common business transactions. In cases where such avoidance is not possible, Business Law students have the knowledge to intelligently request and act on legal services and advice.

Outcomes

Students are able to:

1. demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the main principles of business law with depth in each of the following areas: what we know about the law, how it is made and how it works in our society
2. demonstrate an understanding of legal reasoning, rules, institutions, players and power structures
3. demonstrate an understanding of how law operates in the context of modern commercial practice to facilitate a range of business transactions, including financing transactions, provide appropriate structures for the conduct of various business activities and resolve disputes between parties involved in any or all of these activities or structures
4. demonstrate developed cognitive skills to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge, identify and solve defined problems, and exercise critical judgement and thinking in creating new understanding
5. demonstrate well developed skills to present data and evidence in an appropriate format and communicate through written and oral media clearly, effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts to a variety of audiences
6. demonstrate well developed skills to work productively in a group
7. demonstrate well developed bibliographic and referencing skills
8. demonstrate basic time and project management skills.

Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so and to pursue as many areas of interest as you can during your course of study. At the same time, we k now that many of you value the University's guidance and assistance in planning your enrolment throughout your course, so we offer the following suggestions for your consideration as possible avenues to broaden your degree. Do always remember, however, that there is no wrong way to broaden your studies as long as you complete at least four units not associated with your Degree Specific Major.
Suggested units to broaden your study area, are:
(1) LAWS1112 Law for Everyday Lives
(2) MUSC3511 Beyond the Fear: Presentation and Performance Skills

Courses

Business Law can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

• BP002 Bachelor of Commerce
• BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Units