Course overview

Description

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the key international legal frameworks and public international law institutions in a range of areas and also includes units of specialised study.

Course title
Master of International Law (coursework)
Award abbreviation
MIL
Course code
21520
Course type
Master's degree by coursework only
Status
Current / 2024
Administered by
UWA Law School
CRICOS code
083868E

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
48
A standard full-time load is 24 points per semester.
Standard course duration
1 year
Time limit
4 years
Delivery mode
Internal
Locations offered
UWA (Perth)
Domestic fee type
Commonwealth supported and/or HECS-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)
Fiona McGaughey
Fees
Visit the fees calculator.

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

Example Study Plan

See study plans for more information.

Course structure

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2
N/A
not available in 2024 – may be available in 2025 or 2026
NS
non-standard teaching period

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

All students take two units from this group (12 points) - LAWS5225 and either LAWS5224 OR LAWS5165.

AvailabilityUnit codeUnitnameUnit requirementsContact hours
S2LAWS5165Public International 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
) )
Incompatibility
LAWS3354 Public International Law
3 hours per week
NSLAWS5224Foundations of Public International Law
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.
Face to face teaching for this unit will be on 5 and 8 March 2024. Please refer to the timetable website for session times and venues. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory and pre reading including recorded lectures must be completed before these dates.
NSLAWS5225Theory, Method and Contemporary Issues of International Law
Co-requisites
Enrolment in
one level 5 6 points Unit(s) LAWS5224 Foundations of Public International Law
Enrolment in
or one level 5 6 points Unit(s) LAWS5165 Public International Law
This unit runs intensively 12,19,26 April and 3 May. Attendance at all classes is compulsory.

All students, take unit(s) to a minimum value of 30 points from Group A.

Group A
AvailabilityUnit codeUnitnameUnit requirementsContact hours
N/ALAWS5114International 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
) )
Incompatibility
Enrolment in
LAWS6114 International Environmental Law
NSLAWS5179Law of the SeaNoneTeaching dates for this unit are 16,18,23,25 October 2024. Please refer to the timetable website for session times and venues. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
NSLAWS5219International Criminal Law
Co-requisites
Enrolment in
Unit(s) LAWS5224 Foundations of Public International Law
Enrolment in
or Unit(s) LAWS5165 Public International Law
Students must attend every day of the intensive 11, 12, 14, 15 November 2024.
NSLAWS5220International Humanitarian LawNoneStudents must attend every day of the intensive period 6,8,10,13,15 May 2024. Pre reading will commence 8 April. Refer to the timetable website for further information. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
NSLAWS5226International Human Rights Law
Co-requisites
Enrolment in
LAWS5224 Foundations of Public International Law
Enrolment in
LAWS5165 Public International Law
This unit will run 5-9 August 2024. Students must attend every day of the intensive period.
NSLAWS5241International Dispute SettlementNoneStudents must attend every day of the intensive period 17-21 June 2024.
N/ALAWS5255Advanced Topics in International Law
Prerequisites
Enrolment in
Unit(s) LAWS5224 Foundations of Public International Law
3 hours per week
NSLAWS5577Space and Satellite 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 (
)
Enrolment in
42580 Master of Public Policy
and LAWS4227 Foundations of Law and Legal Institutions
Students must attend every day of the intensive period 22-25 January 2024.
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.
S1, S2LAWS5695Research Paper II (12 points)
Incompatibility
LAWS5696 Research Paper III Part 1,
and LAWS5697 Research Paper III Part 2
This research unit involves unstructured contact with a supervisor throughout the semester.
S1, S2LAWS5696Research Paper III Part 1
Prerequisites
Approval of unit coordinator
Co-requisites
Students taking Part 1 in Semester 1 must take Part 2 in the following Semester 2.
students taking Part 1 in Semester 2 must take Part 2 in the following Semester 1.
Incompatibility
LAWS5695 Research Paper II
This research unit involves unstructured contact with a supervisor throughout the semester.
S1, S2LAWS5697Research Paper III Part 2
Prerequisites
Students may only take this unit if they have completed LAWS5696 Research Paper III Part 1 in the previous semster.
This research unit involves unstructured contact with a supervisor throughout the semester.

Students take unit(s) from Group B to complete the remainder of points (18–30).

Group B
AvailabilityUnit codeUnitnameUnit requirementsContact hours
S1LAWS5182Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the 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
)
Incompatibility
LAWS5534 Indigenous Peoples and the Law, LAWS3358 Indigenous Peoples and the Law
seminars: 3 hours per week
N/ALAWS5230Aviation Law
Prerequisites
Master of Public Policy students and Graduate Certificate of Public Policy students who do not have a legal background take LAWS4227 Foundations of Law as a prerequisite so as to more fully comprehend and understand the unit.
NSLAWS5251International Sales Law
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
LAWS4101 Foundations of Law and Lawyering
and 30 points LAWS4102 Criminal Law LAWS4103 Contract LAWS4104 Property LAWS4107 Land Law LAWS4108 Foundations of Public Law LAWS4106 Torts LAWS4110 Legal Interpretation
Students must attend every day of the intensive period 27 Feb - 1 March 2024. Please refer to the timetable for exact times.
NSLAWS5296Technology Law and Governance
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
) )
This unit will run 25-29 November and 2-6 December. Students must attend every day of the intensive period.
N/ALAWS5507International Oil and Gas LawNoneThis unit will next run in 2023.
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 17-19 July 2024. Refer to the timetable website for further information.
NS, S1, S2SVLG5001McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship
Prerequisites
The vast Majority of students - No prerequistes
or Enrolment in
20820 Juris Doctor and the following units ( LAWS4101 Foundations of Law and Lawyering
and LAWS4102 Criminal Law .
and LAWS4103 Contract
and LAWS4104 Property
and LAWS4106 Torts
and LAWS4109 Legal Theory and Ethics
)
Incompatibility
for Juris Doctor students: LAWS5174 Legal Internship
Internship experience: approximately 100 hours; McCusker Centre attendance: approximately 8 hours
NS, S1, S2WILG5001Work Integrated Learning Internship Program
Prerequisites
Completion of 24 points of post graduate units and approval from the unit coordinator.
Industry experience: 100 hours Online sessions with Unit Coordinator: 1-2 hours

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 B (75%) in the final CELT examination, with no band less than 70%.

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:

  • 21320 Graduate Diploma in International Law (24 points)
  • 21520 Master of International Law (48 points)

(2) A student who withdraws from the Master of International Law course before completing it, but after fulfilling the requirements of a lesser award in the above sequence, may apply for the relevant award.

(3) Credit for units completed in the Graduate Diploma will only be given if the course is not conferred.

Course structure

7.(1) The course consists of units to a total value of 48 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. To be awarded the degree with distinction a student must achieve a course weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 80 per cent which is calculated based on—

(a) all units above Level 3 attempted as part of the course that are awarded a final percentage mark;

(b) all relevant units above Level 3 undertaken in articulating courses of this University that are awarded a final percentage mark;

and

(c) all units above Level 3 completed at this University that are credited to the master's degree 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 for graduates enrolled in the Master of International Relations

14. Graduates enrolled in the Master of International Relations may be granted credit of up to 12 points towards the Master of International Law for successful completion of the following units: POLS5661 Theory in International Relations A: Contending Approaches and POLS5662. These Credits will only be given if the Master of International Relations has NOT been conferred. Theory in International Relations B: Explanation and Understanding.

Credit

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