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Kick-start your career as a lawyer with our flexible, affordable and expert-led program.
Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice
Practical legal training (PLT) is a mandatory requirement for admission to practise law in NSW and UTS was the first university in Sydney to offer a PLT qualification.
Students in the Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice experience university-standard teaching combined with interactive content and practice-oriented exercises that bridge the gap between legal knowledge and professional practice. They develop the advanced knowledge and skills required for a legal career, including judgement, adaptability and an ethical mindset.
This course is offered online (with minimal attendance for assessments) and on campus. On completion of this course, students are eligible for admission as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of NSW, provided they have also completed a relevant academic qualification.
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Study plan
All subjects are timetabled each session. The UTS Timetable Planner enables current and future UTS students to view subject timetables.
| Autumn or Spring session | Subject Code | Credit PointsA credit point is the unit of measure of workload for individual subjects. |
|---|---|---|
| Skills and Wills Practice | 75424 | 6 |
| Property and Commercial Practice | 75422 | 6 |
| Litigation Practice | 75423 | 6 |
| Practical Experience - 65 days | 75411 | 0 |
| Select 6 credit points of options: | 6 |
First year
| Autumn or Spring session | Subject Code | Credit PointsA credit point is the unit of measure of workload for individual subjects. |
|---|---|---|
| Skills and Wills Practice | 75424 | 6 |
| Select one of the following: | 6 | |
| Property and Commercial Practice | 75422 | 6 |
| Litigation Practice | 75423 | 6 |
Second year
| Autumn or Spring session | Subject Code | Credit PointsA credit point is the unit of measure of workload for individual subjects. |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 6 | |
| Litigation Practice | 75423 | 6 |
| Property and Commercial Practice | 75422 | 6 |
| Practical Experience - 65 days | 75411 | 0 |
| Select 6 credit points of options: | 6 |
Course fees
For relevant fee information, please choose from the following:
Local student
In most cases, UTS offers domestic students entry to postgraduate courses on a fee paying basis.
Tuition fees are charged:
- based on the particular course in which you are enrolled
- based on the number of credit points in which you are enrolled
- at the rates set for the current year and revised annually
Fees for future year(s) published in the online calculator, whilst unlikely to change, are estimates only. UTS makes every effort to provide up to date future year(s) fee estimates and to limit any changes, however, UTS reserves the right to vary fees for future year(s) at any time.
Tuition fees can be found in the online calculator.
A small number of postgraduate courses offer government subsidised Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). Find out whether there are CSPs available in this course by visiting our postgraduate fees page.
In addition to tuition fees, students are required to pay a Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). The purchase of textbooks and other course materials may also result in additional costs.
UTS Alumni save 10%: alumni.uts.edu.au/advantage
International student
Tuition fees for international postgraduate coursework students can be found using fees search.
Tuition fees must be paid in advance each session and are subject to annual increase. Fees for future year(s) published in fees search, whilst unlikely to change, are estimates only. UTS makes every effort to provide up to date future year(s) fee estimates and to limit any changes, however, UTS reserves the right to vary fees for future year(s) at any time.
For this course, the cost per credit point for 2025 is $774. The total credit points are 24.
All international students should familiarise themselves with the following documents:
- Protocol on refund of fees for international students - contains the refund of fees information for international students.
- Tuition Protection Service - designed to ensure that students receive the tuition they have paid for
In addition to tuition fees, students may be required to pay a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). Textbooks and other course materials will also result in additional costs.
UTS Alumni save 10%: alumni.uts.edu.au/advantage
For further information on costs related to your study at UTS, visit the international students' fees information page.
Careers
Career options include lawyer, provided graduates have fulfilled all other academic requirements.
Course structure
Course structure explained
Students complete three core subjects (18cp). In addition,
- students in PLT Stream A complete 13 weeks (65 days) of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp).
- students in PLT Stream B complete 4 weeks (20 days) of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp) and the work integrated learning subject- 75425 Lawyers in Practice (6cp).
University law graduates taking Stream A are given automatic credit recognition for CBK90399 Law Options (6cp).
Industrial training/professional practice
A practical experience work placement is a compulsory and integral component of the course. Practical experience requires students to complete 13 weeks of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience work placement or 4-week (or equivalent part-time) practical experience work placement and a work integrated learning subject. Students must complete their practical experience work placement within one year of enrolling in 75411 Practical Experience.
International students must complete their Practical Experience placement and have results finalised on their academic record within 12 months from the commencement of the session that they are enrolled in subject (75411) Practical Experience (as per domestic students); OR, by the time their Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) has finished (whichever comes first).
Course completion requirements
| Requirement | Credit Points |
|---|---|
| STM91971 PLT Core | 18 |
| CBK92383 PLT Options | 6 |
| Total | 24 |
Additional information
Course duration
The course can be completed in one session of full-time or one year of part-time study. As part of these students must undertake 65 days of full-time (or equivalent part-time) approved practical experience.
Further information regarding practical experience completion requirements is available from the practical experience guidelines and rules.
Students who undertake this course by distance mode are advised that there are several compulsory on-campus workshop attendance days.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements
To be eligible for admission to this course, applicants must meet the following criteria.
Applicants must have one of the following:
- Completed Australian Bachelor of Laws, Australian Juris Doctor, or NSW Legal Profession Admission Board Diploma in Law within the past 5 years
OR
- Completed Australian Bachelor of Laws, Australian Juris Doctor, or NSW Legal Profession Admission Board Diploma in Law more than 5 years ago AND A written assessment of the legal qualification from the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB) to ensure the qualification meets the current LPAB admission requirements
OR
- Completed overseas legal qualification AND A written assessment from the NSW Legal Profession Admissions Board (LPAB) indicating equivalency of the overseas legal qualification for the purpose of admission as a legal practitioner in NSW and the list of subjects necessary to be completed to meet the requirements for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW
OR
- Completed a legal qualification that enables admission to practise as a legal practitioner in NSW
OR
- Completed all core law subjects and still need to complete no more than 2 law elective subjects in an Australian Bachelor of Laws, Australian Juris Doctor, or NSW Legal Profession Admission Board Diploma in Law AND Written permission from the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board to enrol in a course of practical legal training concurrently with the final session of the legal qualification
The English proficiency requirement for international students or local applicants with international qualifications is: IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL iBT: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass; or PTE: 58-64 with a writing score of 50; or C1A/C2P: 176-184 with a writing score of 169.
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
International studentsVisa requirement: To obtain a student visa to study in Australia, international students must enrol full time and on campus. Australian student visa regulations also require international students studying on student visas to complete the course within the standard full-time duration. Students can extend their courses only in exceptional circumstances.
If you don't meet the admission requirements for this course, there may be alternative pathways to help you gain admission.
Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are academic and non-academic requirements that are essential to the successful completion of a course. For more information about inherent requirements and where prospective and current students can get assistance and advice regarding these, see the UTS Inherent requirements page.
Prospective and current students should carefully read the Inherent Requirements Statement below and consider whether they might experience challenges in successfully completing this course.
UTS will make reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional experiences, course related work experience and other course activities to facilitate maximum participation by students with disabilities, carer responsibilities, and religious or cultural obligations in their courses.
For course specific information see the Faculty of Law Inherent (Essential) Requirements Statement.
Recognition of prior learning
University law graduates complete three core subjects (18cp), plus a choice of 13 weeks of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp) OR 4 weeks of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp) and a work integrated learning subject (6cp).
While all students must complete the compulsory core subjects including practical experience, university law graduates choosing 13 weeks of practical experience are given automatic recognition of prior learning for CBK90399 Law Options (6cp).
An application for recognition of prior learning (RPL) is accepted only in circumstances where the basis for credit for law subjects was successfully undertaken in a comparable course of study at a recognised university. Applicants who have completed the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board’s Diploma in Law may apply for 6 credit points of recognition of prior learning based on professional experience.
Applicants must provide:
- a CV or position description that outlines the relevant experience.
- letter from the applicant’s employers (where recognition is on the basis of work experience).
Scholarships and prizes
Scholarships
For Law students
- ARC Linkage Project in digital-twin driven prognostics for the mining industry
- Crescent Leadership Scholarship
- Ericsson Technology Scholarship
- International Research Training Program Scholarship (IRTP)
- Mentoring of Women in Engineering and IT Scholarship
- Quantum photonics based on single photon emitters
- RACE for 2030 CRC Industry PhD Scholarship
- Rosemary Johnston HDR Scholarship
- Telstra Enterprise Certitude Scholarship
- Thrive: Next Generation Graduates - PhD – Social Science and Policy
- UTS Diploma to Degree Pathway Scholarship
- UTS Housing Resident Networker Scholarship
- UTS Scholarship for European Undergraduate Students
- UTS Undergraduate Tuition Fee Scholarship
- UTS-Vietnam Government Project 89 PhD Scholarship
- Wikipedia and Australian history and events
Only for international students
- Australia Awards Scholarships (Australian Government Scholarships)
- LATAM International Postgraduate Coursework Scholarship
- Postgraduate Academic Excellence International Scholarship
- UTS Academic Excellence International Scholarship
- UTS Academic Merit International Scholarship
- UTS Academic Merit International Scholarship – South Asia
- UTS Chinese Postgraduate Tuition Fee Scholarship
- UTS MACC Postgraduate Scholarship
- UTS Onshore Postgraduate International Scholarship
- UTS Study Abroad Excellence Scholarship
- UTS Vice-Chancellor’s International Postgraduate Coursework Scholarship
For all domestic students
Only for Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander students
Prizes and awards
For Law students
- AJ Park Prize
- Allens Prize
- Andrew and Lina Gullotta UTS Community Pharmacy Award
- Aqua Nine and DeAúrora UTS Good Manufacturing Practice Prize
- Ashurst Litigation Prize
- Australian Insurance Law Association Prize
- Banking Law Prize
- Blackstone Waterhouse Prize
- Business Deans Merit List (Postgraduate)
- City of Sydney Law Society Practical Legal Training Award
- Clyde & Co Prize
- CommBank & Telstra UTS Best Venture Prize
- Competition Law Prize
- Dame Mary Gilmore Memorial Prize in Journalism
- David & Catherine Barker Mooting Prize
- David Toolan Memorial Prize
- Engineering (Management) Postgraduate Achievement Prize
- Engineering (Technical) Postgraduate Achievement Prize
- Ernst & Young Prize
- Fragar Prize in Environmental Planning and Development Law
- Gareth Ivory Memorial Prize in Journalism
- Guy Morrison Prize for Excellence
- Harmers Workplace Lawyers Prize for Employment Law
- Harmers Workplace Lawyers Prize for Labour Law
- Henry Davis York Prize
- Henry Davis York Prize
- Industrial Relations Society of NSW Prize for Excellence in Industrial Relations Undergraduate Study
- Information Technology Postgraduate Achievement Prize
- King & Wood Mallesons Award
- Lance Jolly Prize
- Law Partners Personal Injury Lawyers Prize
- Law Society of New South Wales Prize
- Legal Futures & Technology Major Law Prize
- Maurice Blackburn Prize
- MinterEllison Prize
- New South Wales Bar Association Prize
- Norton Rose Fulbright Prize
- Orthoptics Australia Prize
- Peter Egri Memorial Prize
- Pharmaceutical Defence Limited Prize
- Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Prize for Excellence in Pharmacy
- Philippa Williams Ethics and Justice Prize
- PMI Project Management Prize
- Refugee Law and Practice Prize
- Robert Greenwood QC Memorial Prize
- SHPA NSW Branch Prize for Excellence in Clinical Practice
- Sir Owen Dixon Chambers Prize
- Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts Award for Achievement in Adult Education
- Teachers Mutual Bank Rural Student Placement Prize
- The BioCeuticals Prize for Good Manufacturing Practice
- The Carla Zampatti Foundation Design Award
- The Complementary Medicine Group (CMG) for Good Manufacturing Practice Prize
- The Hon Michael Kirby – Voiceless Prize for Animal Law
- The Hon. Helen Sham-Ho Law Postgraduate Prize
- The Hon. Helen Sham-Ho Law Undergraduate Prize
- The iNova Pharmaceuticals Prize for Good Manufacturing Practice
- The Star Combo Pharma Prize for Good Manufacturing Practice
- The Webstercare Prize for Good Manufacturing Practice
- Thomson Reuters Prize for Advanced Commercial Law
- Thomson Reuters Prize for Media Law
- Trevor Buchner Design Prize
- UTS Anthology Writing Prize
- Veronica Pike Prize
- Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Regional Journalism Prize
- Zonta Club of Sydney Inc Prize for the Woman MBA Graduate of the Year
Professional recognition
This course satisfies the requirements for admission as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of NSW.
Download a course guide
UTS: Handbook
See the Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice in the UTS: Handbook for comprehensive course details.
Information for international students
Find out about support services, the Australian education system, accommodation and more to help you get the most out of your study at UTS.
Part of The Faculty of Law
