Certificate in Legal Studies
Interested in law and the legal system? Gain an understanding of New Zealand's legal framework in less than a year.
The Certificate in Legal Studies offers an introduction to law in New Zealand and includes courses from the Bachelor of Laws. It's ideal for students who aren’t quite ready to commit to a full law degree or who have an overseas law degree and need to complete CLE’s requirements to practise law in New Zealand.
Download programme guides
Minimum entry requirements
If you have New Zealand qualifications
- University Entrance or equivalent
If you have qualifications from another country
See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) 6.0 overall with all bands 5.5 or higher; or equivalent
Useful New Zealand school subjects
- Subjects that develop a very good standard of reading, oral and written English including (but not limited to) Art History, Classical Studies, Drama, English, Geography, Health Education, History, Media Studies, Social Studies, Te Reo Māori or Te Reo Rangatira
To graduate with a Certificate in Legal Studies you must successfully complete 60 points from the Bachelor of Laws.
If you haven't studied law before
You study part-time to complete the following courses:
- LAWS509 Legal Reasoning and Writing (30 points - full-year course)
- LAWS510 Tikanga Māori and the Settler State Legal System of Aotearoa New Zealand (30 point - full year course)
If you've previously studied law
If you need to complete courses required by the Council of Legal Education, you may complete Level 6 and Level 7 courses from the Bachelor of Laws. Depending on the courses you're taking you may either study on a full-time or a part-time basis.
Bachelor of Laws
Skills you will develop in the Certificate in Legal Studies
The outcomes for graduates of the Certificate in Legal Studies are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
Graduate Profile
The Certificate in Legal Studies prepares you for further study at undergraduate level.
South Campus
($3,864 tuition fees + $596 student services levy)
($17,700 tuition fees + $596 student services levy)
- Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
- Fees-free study may be available for domestic students
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.