Australia has long been a favored destination for LL.M. seekers. And that’s no surprise: the country features English as a primary language, a legal system (common law) similar to the United Kingdom, strong ties to Asia, and other aspects that LL.M. students appreciate. Many LL.M. seekers gravitate to universities in the Group of Eight, some of the oldest and largest institutions in the country. Both international students and domestic can choose to study in a huge range of locations: from the economic and cultural hotspots of Melbourne and Sydney to Brisbane on the country’s west coast, there are no shortage of options of where to pursue your LL.M. in Australia.
Melbourne Law School first opened its doors in 1857, and has since been established as one of Australia’s premier law schools. In addition to offering an LL.M. with a huge range of subjects—over 150 classes are offered, in topics from Asian Law to Tax Law—the school also offers specialized master’s programs in Banking & Finance Law, Commercial Law, and more. The University of Melbourne is currently the highest ranked Australian school in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
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Founded in 1850, the University of Sydney is Australia’s oldest university. The Sydney Law School currently offers a variety of specialisms as part of its LL.M. program: students can focus in Energy & Resources Law, International Law, Intellectual Property Law, and more. For those who don’t want to pursue a full LL.M., the school also gives students the opportunity to just take one class at a time, in order to skill-up in specific areas of law.
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Also located in Sydney, UNSW Faculty of Law has been running law programs since 1971. The school currently offers a diverse selection of LL.M. options, covering topics in Corporate & Commercial Law, Human Rights & Social Justice, Innovation Law, and more. UNSW also offers specialized master’s programs in Business Law, Criminal Justice, Dispute Resolution, and Environmental Law & Policy.
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Although when Melbourne-based Monash University was founded in the 1950s, its focus was on science and technology, it did open a law school in 1963. Its postgraduate offerings include LL.Ms. with a number of specialisms, plus specialized master’s in Commercial Law, Dispute Resolution, Human Rights Law, and more.
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Located in Canberra, which is southeast of Sydney, ANU is the second-highest ranked Australian university in the current ranking from the Times Higher Education. It’s offered law courses since 1960s, and now offers a variety of LL.M. programs, covering topics from Environmental Law to International law. In 2012, the school launched an LL.M. in International Security Law.
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The University of Queensland is located on Australia’s east coast, in Brisbane. Founded in 1936, the TC Beirne School of Law is the oldest law school in Queensland. In 2011, the school completely revamped its LL.M. offerings, making them more flexible for part-time learners. The University of Queensland currently offers LL.M. programs in various subjects like Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Resources, Mining and Environment Law, and Public Law, among others; a Master of International Law and a Master of International Commercial Law are also on offer.
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In the Times Higher Education ranking, UWA—which was founded in 1911—is currently the highest-ranked school in Western Australia. The school offers an LL.M. with a variety of specialisms, as well as master’s degrees in Taxation Law, International Law, International Commercial Law, and Law, Policy and Government. The school’s central location means that LL.M. students can easily network with Perth law firms and other organizations.
View School ProfileAnother option for potential LL.M. students who want to study in Sydney, UTS offers an LL.M. with specializations in Corporate and Commercial Law, Dispute Resolution, and Intellectual Property. The school also offers various other postgraduate courses in law, including a Master of Dispute Resolution, a Master of Legal Studies, and a Master of Laws by Research.
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