UTS Law is set to introduce three new specialist postgraduate degrees for students commencing in Autumn Session 2018.
Developed by leading industry practitioners, the Juris Doctor Master of Intellectual Property (JDMIP), Juris Doctor Graduate Certificate in Trade Mark Law and Practice (JDGCTMLP) and the Graduate Diploma in Migration Law & Practice will equip students to work in in-demand areas of law.
The JDMIP and the JDGCTMLP, both 3.5 years in practice, add to a number of rigorous, industry recognised intellectual property courses offered by UTS Law.
Juris Doctor Master of Intellectual Property
The Juris Doctor Master of Intellectual Property combines legal and specialist IP qualifications in a single degree. Students will study both core legal subjects and IP theory, enabling them to register as a lawyer specialising in patents or trade mark law immediately after graduation.
Professor Natalie Stoianoff, Director of the UTS Intellectual Property Program, said the introduction of the new courses is particularly relevant due to the pervasive influence of technology on fields of law.
“Technology pervades every aspect of our lives,” she said. “Intellectual property law is at the forefront of controlling access to technology and the information created, stored, used and communicated through that technology.”
“The new JDMIP will ensure that future legal practitioners have a specialist capability in this dynamic and in-demand field.”
The JDMIP is the first course of its kind in Australia to fulfil the entire educational requirements for registration as a trade mark or patent attorney. It will feature a blended approach to learning, with core subjects to be delivered on campus and IP subjects to be delivered online.
Juris Doctor Graduate Certificate in Trade Mark Law and Practice
Similarly, the Juris Doctor/Graduate Certificate in Trade Mark Law and Practice will prepare students to work in the burgeoning area of trademark law.
Designed for graduates from disciplines other than law, the JDGCTMLP equips students with both fundamental legal skills and specialist knowledge of the trade mark system, including protection of unregistered marks and protection against misleading or unfair trading conduct in Australia.
“As we have moved from the ‘information age’ to the ‘experience age’, we have placed greater reliance on the visual, and branding has become increasingly important in economic terms for both producers and consumers,” said Professor Stoianoff.
“The new JDGCTMLP recognises this increased demand for legal practitioners with proficiency in trade mark law, and equips graduate lawyers to deal with this new impact on competition between traders, as well as on consumer protection.”
Like the JDMIP, students will study the trade mark law subjects entirely online. Upon completion of the course, they’ll be officially qualified to register as a trade mark attorney in Australia.
The Graduate Diploma in Migration Law and Practice, also new in 2018, will allow postgraduate students to transition into a variety of roles in the growing migration sector.
Graduate Diploma in Migration Law and Practice
Offered completely online to allow for greater flexibility, the program will give students a thorough understanding of the Australian legal system, ethical practices in migrant agents’ roles, and contemporary developments in migration law and its professional practice.
Career options include registration as a migration agent and specialist work in the migration advice/policy industry. Qualified lawyers studying the GDMLP are able to enhance their existing skillset with targeted migration law expertise.
Graduates intending to work in the area of migration practice have the knowledge and skills needed to provide immigration assistance and are eligible to sit for a Capstone exam by the Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), enabling them to seek registration as a migration agent.
Applications for the new courses can be made through the University Admissions Centre (UAC). More information about the JDMIP, the JDGCTMLP and the GDMLP can be found here, as well as at the Law Postgraduate Information Session on Wednesday 13th September.