Course overview

Description

This course is offered to legal and non-legal professionals working in the area of natural resources law.

Course title
Graduate Diploma in Natural Resources Law
Award abbreviation
GradDipNatRs
Course code
21360
Course type
Postgraduate diploma
Status
Current / 2025
Administered by
UWA Law School
CRICOS code
095412E

Course details

Intake periods
Throughout the year
Attendance type
Full- or part-time (Student visa holders should read Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 for more information.)
Credit points required
24
A standard full-time load is 24 points per semester.
Standard course duration
0.5 years
Time limit
2 years
Delivery mode
Internal
Locations offered
UWA (Perth)
Domestic fee type
Postgraduate fee-paying/FEE-HELP
Available to international students
Yes. For information on international student fees see 'Student Procedures: Fees'. (Enquiries: https://www.uwa.edu.au/askuwa)
Course Coordinator(s)
Professor Erika Techera
Fees
Visit the fees calculator.

Enquiries and course advice

Course advice
Arts and Law Student Office
6488 2091
askUWA

Prospective students should see the Future Students website for details on admission requirements, intake periods, fees, availability to international students, careers information etc.

No study plans found for this course. See study plans for more information.

Course structure

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2
N/A
not available in 2025 – may be available in 2026 or 2027
NS
non-standard teaching period

All units have a value of six points unless otherwise stated.

Take all units (6 points):

Note: Students who have entered the course with a recognised Law degree can elect to substitute LAWS5227 Foundations of Law and Governance with any unit from Group A.

AvailabilityUnit codeUnitnameUnit requirementsContact hours
S1, S2LAWS4227Foundations of Law and Legal Institutions
Incompatibility
Successful completion of
20820 Juris Doctor
or 21190 Bachelor of Laws
Weekly attendance

Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points:

Group A
AvailabilityUnit codeUnitnameUnit requirementsContact hours
N/ALAWS5111Corporate Environmental and Social Governance
Prerequisites
Enrolment in
or one LAWS5104 Corporations Law 20820 Juris Doctor in your chosen degree
Successful completion of
or two LAWS5104 Corporations Law 20820 Juris Doctor in your chosen degree Nil one 21560 Master of Legal Practice in your chosen degree Nil one LLM in your chosen degree Nil one 20560 Master of Resources and International Commercial Law in your chosen degree
Estimated 35 hours in total run as a one week intensive.
NSLAWS5114International Environmental Law
Prerequisites
Enrolment in 20820 Juris Doctor
and LAWS4101 Foundations of Law and Lawyering and five Unit(s)
LAWS4102 Criminal Law
, LAWS4103 Contract
, LAWS4104 Property
, LAWS4106 Torts
, LAWS4107 Land Law
, LAWS4108 Foundations of Public Law and ( LAWS4109 Legal Theory and Ethics
or LAWS4110 Interpretation
) For all other students, there are no pre-requisites required
Incompatibility
Enrolment in
LAWS6114 International Environmental Law
Students must attend all sessions on allocated Tuesdays in April and May - please see timetable for more details.
 LAWS5252International Trade Financing
 LAWS5253International Shipping Law
NSLAWS5261Planning LawNoneThis unit will be taught intensively from 10-14 February 2025 by Stephen Willey. Attendance at all sessions is compulsory.
N/ALAWS5398Construction Law
Co-requisites
enrolment in
Master of Mining and Energy Laws (20550), Master of International Commercial Law (21510), Graduate Diploma in Mining and Energy Law (20370), Graduate Diploma in Law (20320), Master of Commercial and Resources Law (20560)
or Master of Laws (20500)
or Master of Architecture (25520)
Incompatibility
LAWS5208 Oil and Gas Project Development Law
This unit will run 25-27 September 2024. Please refer to the timetable website for session times and venues. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
NSLAWS5517Mining Law
Incompatibility
LAWS3371 Mining and Energy Law (formerly 200.371 Mining and Energy Law 371), LAWS5144 Mining and Energy Law
Students must attend sessions on 2-3 and 9-10 October 2025.
NSLAWS5521Climate Change Law
Prerequisites
For Master of Public Policy and Graduate Certificate of Public Policy, the unit LAWS4227 Foundations of Law and Legal Institutions is recommended as a pre-requisite for students who do not have a legal background.
Students must attend every day of the intensive period 10-11 and 17 April 2025. Refer to the timetable website for further information.
NSLAWS5532Energy Agreements: Oil and Gas, Alternative Energy and Sustainability
Incompatibility
Enrolment in
LAWS6727 Oil and Gas Agreements
Students must attend sessions on 21-22, 26 and 28-29 of August 2025.
N/ALAWS5540Environmental Protection LawNoneThis unit will run online with pre-reading from 29 July. Interactive classes will be held 27-29 August 2024. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory. Refer to the LMS page for further information,
N/ALAWS5576International Commercial Arbitration
Prerequisites
Enrolment in
20820 Juris Doctor
and LAWS4101 Foundations of Law and Lawyering and five Unit(s) ( LAWS4102 Criminal Law
, LAWS4103 Contract
, LAWS4104 Property
, LAWS4106 Torts
, LAWS4107 Land Law
, LAWS4108 Foundations of Public Law and ( LAWS4109 Legal Theory and Ethics
or LAWS4110 Interpretation
) )
Incompatibility
LAWS3307 International Commercial Arbitration, LAWS6576 International Commercial Arbitration
Students must attend every day of the intensive period 24-28 June 2024. Refer to the timetable website for further information.
S2LAWS5577Governing the Commons: Oceans, ice and outer space
Prerequisites
Enrolment in 20820 Juris Doctor
and LAWS4101 Foundations of Law and Lawyering and five Unit(s)
LAWS4102 Criminal Law LAWS4103 Contract LAWS4104 Property LAWS4106 Torts LAWS4107 Land Law LAWS4108 Foundations of Public Law
and
LAWS4109 Legal Theory and Ethics
or LAWS4110 Interpretation
or Enrolment in
42580 Master of Public Policy
and LAWS5260 Intersections of Law, Policy and Government ) For all other students, there are no prerequisites required
Incompatibility
Enrolment in
Unit(s) LAWS5577 Space and Satellite Law
Enrolment in
Unit(s) LAWS5179 Law of the Sea
Sessions will run from 9am - 5pm on Wednesdays for six weeks across semester 2. Refer to timetable for more details. Students must attend all sessions.
N/ALAWS5590Water Resources Law
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
LAWS4227 Foundations of Law and Legal Institutions
S1, S2LAWS5694Research Paper I
Prerequisites
For Master of Public Policy
or Graduate Certificate of Public Policy students without a recognised Law degree: LAWS4227 Foundations of Law and Legal Institutions.
This research unit involves unstructured contact with a supervisor throughout the semester.

See also the rules for the course and the Student Rules.

Rules

Applicability of the Student Rules, policies and procedures

1.(1) The Student Rules apply to students in this course.

(2) The policy, policy statements and guidance documents and student procedures apply, except as otherwise indicated in the rules for this course.

Academic Conduct Essentials and Communication and Research Skills modules

2.(1) A student who enrols in this course for the first time irrespective of whether they have previously been enrolled in another course of the University, must undertake the Academic Conduct Essentials module (the ACE module) and the Communication and Research Skills module (the CARS module).

(2) A student must successfully complete the ACE module within the first teaching period of their enrolment. Failure to complete the module within this timeframe will result in the student's unit results from this teaching period being withheld. These results will continue to be withheld until students avail themselves of a subsequent opportunity to achieve a passing grade in the ACE module. In the event that students complete units in subsequent teaching periods without completing the ACE module, these results will similarly be withheld. Students will not be permitted to submit late review or appeal applications regarding results which have been withheld for this reason and which they were unable to access in the normally permitted review period.

English Language competency requirements

3.(1) To be considered eligible for consideration for admission to this course an applicant must satisfy the University's English language competence requirement as set out in the University Policy on Admission: Coursework, except as otherwise indicated in the rules for this course.

(2) Applicants presenting with the IELTS Academic require an overall score of at least 7.0 and no band less than 6.5.

(3) Applicants presenting with the TOEFL iBT require an overall score of at least 100, a minimum score of 28 in the Speaking

section, and no other sub-score less than 26.

(4) Applicants presenting with the TOEFL Paper Based score require an overall score of at least 580 and a minimum score of 5.0 in the Essay Rating / Test of Written English (TWE).

(5) Applicants presenting with the Pearson Test of English (PTE) (Academic) require an overall score of at least 70 and no

sub-score less than 70.

(6) Applicants presenting with the UWA Centre for English Language Teaching (CELT) Bridging Course require a minimum

grade of Grade A (85%) in the final CELT examination, with no band less than 80%.

Admission requirements

4. To be considered for admission to this course an applicant must have—1(a) a Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws, or an equivalent qualification, as recognised by UWA; or 

2(a) (i) a bachelor's degree in a cognate area, or an equivalent qualification, as recognised by UWA; and (ii) the equivalent of a UWA weighted average mark of at least 50 per cent; or 

3(a) (i) a bachelor's degree, or an equivalent qualification, as recognised by UWA; and (ii) the equivalent of a UWA weighted average mark of at least 50 per cent; and (iii) at least two years of relevant professional experience.

Admission ranking and selection

5. Where relevant, admission will be awarded to the highest ranked applicants or applicants selected based on the relevant requirements.

Articulations and exit awards

6.(1) The following courses form part of an articulated sequence:

  • 20550 Master of Mining and Energy Law (48 points)
  • 20560 Master of Resources and International Commercial Law (48 points)
  • 21360 Graduate Diploma in Natural Resources Law (24 points)

(2) Units completed in the Graduate Diploma in Natural Resources Law will only be credited towards a 48 point Masters course if the Graduate Diploma is not conferred.

Course structure

7.(1) The course consists of units to a total value of 24 points.

(2) Units must be selected in accordance with the course structure, as set out in these rules.

Satisfactory progress

8. To make satisfactory progress a student must pass units to a point value greater than half the total value of units in which they remain enrolled after the final date for withdrawal without academic penalty.

9. A student who has not achieved a result of Ungraded Pass (UP) for the Communication and Research Skills module (the CARS module) when their progress status is assessed will not have made satisfactory progress even if they have met the other requirements for satisfactory progress in Rule 8.

Progress status

10.(1) A student who makes satisfactory progress in terms of Rule 8 is assigned the status of 'Good Standing'.

(2) Unless the relevant board determines otherwise because of exceptional circumstances—

(a) a student who does not make satisfactory progress for the first time under Rule 8 is assigned a progress status of 'On Probation';

(b) a student who does not make satisfactory progress for the second time under Rule 8 is assigned a progress status of 'Suspended';

(c) a student who does not make satisfactory progress for the third time under Rule 8 is assigned a progress status of 'Excluded'.

11. A student who does not make satisfactory progress in terms of Rule 9 is assigned the progress status of 'On Probation', unless they have been assigned a progress status of 'Suspended' or 'Excluded' for failure to meet other satisfactory progress requirements in Rule 8.

Award with distinction

12. This rule is not applicable to this course.

Deferrals

13. Applicants awarded admission to the course are entitled to a deferral of up to 12 months, as per the University Policy on: Admissions (Coursework).

Additional rules
Credit

14. Credit will not be granted for units that were taken in another degree that was conferred.